Digicel aims for 92% broadband penetration
Published:Friday | March 7, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Digicel Jamaica has already poured $13 billion into the development of its 4G network over three years, investments that have delivered 80 per cent mobile broadband penetration.
Now Digicel is taking aim at growing its broadband coverage to 92 per cent, suggesting that another round of capital expenditure is coming down the pike.
According to a statement from Digicel Jamaica, quoting CEO Barry O'Brien, the company added 200,000 broadband clients, and is looking to boost the network by rolling out another 170 4G mobile sites, a project the company says is already under way.
"In the past year, we invested over $6 billion in our 4G network, and this is in addition to an investment of $7 billion over two years ago," said O'Brien.
"There is a growing appetite for access to the Internet and access to data. More and more customers are realising that when they purchase a data plan they manage their data spend better and their overall data experience," he said.
High demand for Digicel phones
The company also reported that the Digicel branded smartphones introduced in Jamaica last year, the DL600 and DL700, sold 28,000 in the last two months and 60,000 overall for the last year, saying the demand is from customers who want cheaper devices capable of accessing the Internet.
Digicel Group Chairman Denis O'Brien has announced that he will be pumping US$500 million into capital projects across the group. Digicel operates in 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific.