The act of vandalism that left thousands of Digicel and Flow Jamaica customers without telecommunications services on Tuesday hit one service provider for more than $32 million, Government Minister Daryl Vaz told the Standing Finance Committee on Friday.

“This figure does not take into account the cost associated with having to mobilise a crew to work assiduously to have the fibre repaired within the day, nor the impact on the thousands of customers who were affected,” Vaz, who holds the science, energy, telecommunications, and transport
portfolios, told the committee examining the 2025/2026 Estimates of Expenditure at Gordon House.

On Tuesday, Digicel and Flow customers lost home and mobile, data services. Both companies, in a joint statement, said the problem emanated from fibre cables being intentionally cut in the early hours that morning, in what they described as “an act of network vandalism”.

By mid-afternoon service was back to normal as technical teams from both companies worked to rectify the damage.

On Friday, Vaz announced that the Government is moving to impose stricter penalties under the Telecommunications Act, noting that the proposed amendments will increase fines and jail time for offenders.

“As a ministry and a Government we take these reports of vandalism seriously [and], in this regard, through the Law Reform Amendment of Penalties Bill 2025, recommendations have been referred to the Legislation Committee of Parliament to increase the fines and custodial sentences under the Telecommunications Act for offences such as trespassing upon a telecommunications facility, meddling, interfering or tampering with or otherwise cause harm to the facility,” Vaz said.

“The current fines will now be increased with more stringent fines being imposed on repeat offenders and even a greater opportunity to punish the perpetrator with an option to have their matters heard before the Circuit Court,” he explained.

The Telecommunications Act states that anyone who trespasses on, tampers with, or damage a telecommunications facility could face a fine of up to $3 million or three years in prison for a first offence and up to $5 million or five years in prison for repeat offences in the parish court. However, if taken to the Circuit Court, the penalty could be a fine or up to 15 years in prison.

Also on Friday, Vaz used the opportunity to reassure the country that a proposed third telecommunications network, Rock Mobile, will begin offering services to Jamaicans this year.

“In 2024 Rock Mobile was given a further final 12-month extension to roll out its services to the public as well as a deferral of 12 months for the payment of annual spectrum licence. So we look forward to that, and the best information I have is that the financing has finally been approved, and therefore they will be able to roll out in the time specified,” said Vaz.

In 2021, while speaking during the annual sectoral debate, Vaz announced that additional mobile telecommunication services are aligned with the Government’s policy objectives to increase broadband access to unserved and under-served areas while promoting competition, innovation, and diversity in the telecoms industry.

During Friday’s committee meeting, Opposition spokesman on energy Phillip Paulwell expressed concerns about what he said was a decline in the quality of telecommunication services across Jamaica.

“I think the country has to acknowledge that the quality of service has fallen tremendously, especially about the reliability of telecommunication services — 3G and otherwise — and I was wondering what is going to be done to enable the improvement in telecommunication services in Jamaica where we are seeing now where people are relying much more on WhatsApp calls than regular calls through the network,” Paulwell said.

In response, Vaz made reference to the Telecommunications (Quality of Service Standards) Rules, 2023, which came into effect on February 1, 2024 and which mandate that licensed telecommunications providers measure and report on 21 quality of service parameters for both fixed and mobile services. These parameters include metrics such as dropped call rates, network availability, broadband Internet speeds and latency.

“As of March 14, 2025 we expect to get a report on that and thereafter the office is expected to undertake assessments of these reports, so there is a reporting mechanism, and I do agree with you that the quality of service is a concern — in and outside of the acts of vandalism — hence the reason for the quality of service parameters. And the OUR [Office of Utilities Regulation], as you know, plays a critical role in that, and we are working in tandem with them,” he said.

As it relates to implementing 5G network in Jamaica, Vaz explained that the Government is ready to implement and regulate it but noted that it is not being prioritised by local networks at this moment.

“There has been no appetite, for want of a better word, for 5G. I think the providers in Jamaica feel that they still have a far way to go in terms of the technology that they are using. Consumers might have the appetite but it’s a financial plan that the telecom providers will have to decide, in terms of whether or not there is return on investment for them or whether or not they can achieve their objectives with their existing spectrum without spending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade to 5G,” he said.

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz speaking at the Standing Finance Committee on Friday. Also photographed is Principal Director of Telecommunications Kaydian Smith Newton. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)