Digicel to build sophisticated underground fibre network

With modern information and communication technology (ICT) business solutions being a key strategic focus for Digicel Business, the company has announced that it will be building out Jamaica's most sophisticated underground fibre network in Montego Bay, St James, and Kingston.

The announcement was made by Jason Corrigan, general manager for Digicel Business, during a groundbreaking ceremony in Montego Bay last week.

The J$600-million next-generation fibre network will be built out in the Montego Bay Free Zone, New Kingston, and Kingston port areas and is expected to be completed by summer.

"The design includes an MPLS (multiprotocol label-switching) enabled metro-ethernet fibre network that will deliver advanced ICT solutions to customers here in the Montego Bay Free Zone, in New Kingston, as well as downtown Kingston," Corrigan said.

SEVERAL ADVANCED SERVICES

MPLS is a standards-approved technology that is expected to enable Digicel Business to deliver a wide variety of advanced, value-added services to its corporate customers over a single infrastructure.

Corrigan said that the next-generation fibre network would provide customers with "an extremely reliable set of converged services that provide a rich suite of voice, video, and business-critical data applications with high performance and quality of service".

The new underground fibre network is being rolled out in collaboration with technology partners Sierra and Cisco.

The Montego Bay Free Zone is seen as a key economic driver for the Second City and Jamaica.

Gloria Henry, operations manager at the Free Zone, said: "The Montego Bay Free Zone is the epicentre of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in Jamaica, which has been identified as a prioritised sector to grow the economy."

She added: "Digicel's entrance into advanced network solutions will further strengthen Jamaica's location attractiveness in terms of telecommunications capabilities, an important pillar that supports the industry. This next-generation network will also further enhance the expanding BPO landscape in the Montego Bay Free Zone."