BusinessLocal NewsNews Digicel pleased with performance by Marlon Madden 16/02/2019 written by Marlon Madden Updated by Fernella Wedderburn 16/02/2019 3 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 429 After more than a decade of operating in Barbados and despite continued economic challenges, telecommunications company Digicel (Barbados) Limited, says it is pleased with its performance so far. Acting Chief Executive Officer Katherine Payne said the company’s 15 years of operations here have been fruitful for customers, the country and the company, adding that Digicel would continue to expand its offerings and grow its operations in order to capture a bigger piece of the pie. Opting not to give details Payne said: “LTE was one of our largest investments of late and our technical team and business strategy team are always looking at what is the next best thing in terms of not just the company but the country. While I have nothing to announce right now you can look out for things in the future.” Acting CEO of Digicel Barbados Katherine Payne She was speaking to members of the media on Friday night at the Barbados Hilton Resort where the company awarded about a dozen winners with cash prizes, cellular phones, free months of service, plane tickets and a home entertainment system for taking part in its Christmas 2018 promotion. She said the response for the competition was a positive one and that there was “nothing that we regretted with our Christmas promotion. It was very, very well received.” Barbados Community College employee Vercia Webb walked away with the grand prize of a brand-new Suzuki Swift. Other top prize winners were Debbie Brathwaite, a Liberty Store employee, who walked away with $20,000, and Barbados TODAY employee Maria Bascombe, who received two LIAT plane tickets. First place winner Vercia Webb(right) and second place winner Debbie Brathwaite Digicel customers had the opportunity to win once they top up, purchase a handset or SIM card, pay a bill on time or sign up for a new service. Maria Bascombe (left) collecting her prize from a Digicel representative. Speaking on the progress of the company over the past 15 years, Payne said Digicel had played an important role in the development of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector here by breaking the monopoly. “What this basically means is that as a country the average citizen can afford to have access to varying levels of communication, so it is not just about mobile anymore. Digicel is a full-service provider, we service not just mobile customers but home and entertainment. We provide now fixed line and TV services to our customers, and then full ICT solutions for our business segment. So it really has provided an opportunity where the country as a whole can expand when it comes to telecommunications,” Payne explained. You Might Be Interested In Crystal Beckles-Holder, 2nd runner up in regional competition GUYANA: Body of child found after gold mine collapses Barbadians asked to help with return tickets for Haitians She said while the company did not yet have 100 per cent coverage of the island, she was satisfied that “the coverage is good” and was continuously improving. “We have increase bandwidth from a home and entertainment perspective. For our corporate customers as well, we have one of the largest customer bases in the country. In fact, for most of the Digicel offices across the region we have been expending not just from a corporate space but into government as well. We have signed deals over the last eight to nine months in Dominica and other Caribbean islands,” she revealed. “So Digicel is not just about providing mobile but about growing the telecommunications infrastructure of the country,” Payne added. During the brief award ceremony on Friday night, Director of Consumer Sales Dionne Emtage delivered remarks on behalf of the company’s board director Ralph Bizzy Williams. In that speech, Emtage said Digicel had played an exceptional role in Barbados and the region in providing “well-paid jobs for hundreds of people”. “The impact on the economy of the island has been tremendous all because Digicel aimed to break the monopoly of a single operator to bring the price of communication down drastically,” she said. Emtage also pointed out that Williams Industries benefited from the company as a result of partnerships. (MM) Marlon Madden You may also like Husbands: SJPI plays significant role in equipping youth for world of work 08/12/2024 Flow supports 16 Days of Activism against GBV 08/12/2024 Christmas at Cave Hill Concert: A spectacular showcase of talent 08/12/2024