FLOW Jamaica has spent more than US$25 million ($3.90 billion) restoring its network after Hurricane Melissa, including US$12 million ($1.87 billion) during the second quarter as it continued reconnecting fixed-line customers in western Jamaica.

Balan Nair, chief executive officer of Liberty Latin America Limited (LILA), disclosed the expenditure during the company’s earnings call on Thursday, while discussing recovery work in Jamaica.

“The actual business operations itself is improving, and we are getting very close to getting back to full strength. As a matter of fact, our mobile business has improved coming out of this, and our market share has improved coming out of this. Our ARPU (average revenue per user) has improved coming out of this,” Nair said of the recovery effort.

Liberty’s Caribbean segment added 11,000 postpaid subscribers during the second quarter ended June 30, with 6,000 subscribers coming from the Jamaican market. Revenue from Jamaica was down US$3.1 million or three per cent to US$101.6 million ($15.86 billion) for the second quarter. Liberty’s quarterly filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission noted that Hurricane Melissa had a negative impact of US$8 million on revenue.

“We continue to see negative headwinds from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, the effect is clearly diminishing,” Nair said.

However, the recovery in Jamaica continues to be impacted by the pace of infrastructure restoration in western Jamaica. LILA noted that approximately 38,000 RGUs (revenue generating units) in the Jamaican market remained offline at the end of the quarter. This comprised 19,000 broadband internet units, 15,000 fixed-line telephony and 4,000 video subscribers.

“I think there are some homes that we will not rebuild back to, and it’s just gone. For the most part, we think we can get back to a pretty high level of penetration,” Nair noted as the company brought 48,000 RGUs back online during the first six months of 2026.

Liberty’s Jamaican operation, led by Flow Jamaica, reported a US$5.2 million or two per cent reduction in six-month revenue to US$204.8 million.

The hurricane had a US$20 million negative impact to Liberty’s revenue and a US$22 million impact on its operating income before depreciation and amortisation.

Nair credited the recovery trajectory to the work of the company’s teams in Jamaica and Miami, including the managers overseeing its Jamaica operations.

Despite the headwinds it experienced from Hurricane Melissa, Flow Jamaica continues to expand its offerings to the Jamaican market. Flow launched the 5G network on June 11 providing coverage to approximately 70 per cent of Jamaica’s population. This service is available to residential and enterprise postpaid subscribers.

Flow also launched the ‘Unbeatable’ Network campaign as it pushes fixed mobile convergence which bundles fixed and mobile services. The fixed broadband service is backed by the ability to switch from home Wi-Fi to the mobile network during power outages. Mobile connectivity is, in turn, supported by satellite through Flow’s Starlink DTC partnership.

“The Unbeatable campaign is now live in Jamaica and Cayman and coming soon to other Liberty Caribbean markets, as well as being deployed across the broader LLA group. In the Caribbean, it encompasses the unique concept of an always-on network, both in fixed and mobile,” Nair said during his presentation.

The Category 5 hurricane and the recent El Niño phenomenon prompted analyst Matthew Harrigan to ask about the availability of parametric insurance in the Caribbean.

LILA Chief Financial Officer Chris Noyes said the company had parametric insurance coverage for the hurricane season.

Parametric insurance has helped Jamaica rebuild and recover from the last two major hurricanes, with a US$81-million payment from weather derivatives received in 2025.

“I think we are one of the key global issuers of the parametric. We were able to do it even with the event we had in Jamaica, with a very cost-effective cover similar to prior years,” Noyes told Harrigan.

Nair said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website has become a permanent monitoring tool for his team since July.

He added that LILA’s leadership team would visit NOAA’s headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, to meet climatologists and hurricane experts.

LILA’s consolidated revenue increased one per cent to US$1.10 billion for the second quarter, US$10 million above analysts’ estimates.

Due to lower impairment and restructuring charges, LILA reported an operating profit of US$181.2 million compared to an operating loss of US$333 million. LILA’s adjusted OIBDA grew five per cent to US$436 million.

With a 34 per cent reduction in non-operating expenses to US$157.2 million, LILA reported a profit before tax of US$24 million versus a loss before tax of US$570.8 million.

However, higher taxes resulted in LILA reporting a consolidated net loss of US$10.6 million, with a US$24-million loss attributable to shareholders.

LILA’s consolidated revenue for the six-month period edged up to US$2.19 billion, while the company reported an operating profit of US$326.4 million, compared with an operating loss of US$204.9 million.

The net loss attributable to shareholders improved to US$46.7 million from US$559.7 million.

LILA’s asset base stood at US$12.23 billion, including US$3.78 billion in property and equipment and US$714.1 million in cash. Total liabilities stood at US$11.23 billion, while equity attributable to shareholders was US$528.1 million.

LILA’s Class C shares traded at US$8.54 on Thursday, while its Class A shares traded at US$8.66. The company has repurchased US$60 million of its common shares and has US$140 million remaining under its share-repurchase programme.

“As we look to [the] rest of 2026, we intend to build upon our H1 operational progress and lap the October 2025 Jamaica hurricane, all of which should set us up for a strong fourth quarter and positive momentum leading into 2027,” Nair said.