Business

LIME has formally announced that it will be rolling out a mobile television service in Jamaica by December, saying it will be the first of the telecoms to bring the product to market anywhere in the Caribbean.

Chris Dehring, the chairman of LIME Jamaica and chief marketing officer of LIME Caribbean, said his company is partnering with Jamaican company DC Digital, led by David Cassanova, to deploy the service.

At launch, LIME says it plans to roll out 15 TV and five radio channels, all digital, including local and international news, sports and entertainment channels.

"LIME customers will be able to enjoy some of their favourite TV channels anytime and anywhere they want to," he said, during the product launch at SportsMax Sports Zone in New Kingston.

"It's fantastic technology, but we are going to make it very affordable, and we are convinced that customers will be really excited by the possibilities."

Mobile TV will be launched initially in Kingston and St Catherine, but expanded nationwide by early 2011, the company said.

To access the service, mobile subscribers will need a digital mobile TV-enabled phone such as the Nokia 5330, the N77 or the ZTE N290, LIME said.

The TV-enabled phones will be available on prepaid and postpaid plans. Eventually, the service will be available to Blackberry users and other smartphones.

Good feedback

LIME did not set a timeline for the latter, saying it would be in "the very near future".

The company says it has already tested the service, with good feedback, by broadcasting Jamaica's 2010 Boys and Girls' High School Athletics Championships via mobile phones.

"LIME is Jamaica's only full-service provider, and now we are putting entertainment and information at your fingertips," said Dehring, in a release from the company.

- business@gleanerjm.com