Telecoms giant Digicel Group has acquired Haitian mobile operator Voilà from its parent company, US-based Trilogy International Partners, for an undisclosed sum.

The transaction closed last Friday, March 30.

The two companies will continue to be run separately, according to a statement issued by Digicel Group.

The Voilà business is attractive to Digicel for a number of reasons, including its loyal customer base, its success in the Haitian market to date and its talented workforce, the statement said.

It added that Voilà has been offering uninterrupted services in Haiti since September 1999 and currently serves nearly a million customers.

The company is widely recognised for bringing innovation to the telecom sector in Haiti and has redefined corporate social responsibility for foreign investors.

In December 2009, Voilà and Trilogy received the "Award for Corporate Excellence" from Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in recognition of their commitment to social investment and their significant contributions to the economic development of Haiti.

Digicel meanwhile launched in Haiti in 2005 and, with its commitment to best value, network and service, today serves more than 3.5 million customers there, the group said.

Digicel has invested more than US$600 million in its operations in Haiti to date and the Digicel Haiti Foundation has completed 70 schools providing education to 30,000 Haitian children.

The statement quoted Colm Delves, Digicel Group CEO as saying, "We are pleased to welcome Voilà customers and staff to the Digicel family. As proud Haitian companies, Digicel and Voilà share one very important thing in common – we are both deeply committed to ensuring our respective customers benefit from the best mobile experience."

Delves added that "Digicel’s acquisition of Voilà will see mobile users across Haiti benefitting from increased investment in even better mobile services and new technology in the future."

business@gleanerjm.com