On Tuesday evening, February 19th, Digicel hosted the launch of its new upgraded version of LTE network. During the night, the company also introduced a new Dedicated Business Corporate Team.
Speaking on the work of Digicel and LTE new upgrade, was Digicel’s CEO, Mrs. Kerchelle Jn Charles-Hodge. She said in part: “Digicel Anguilla forms part of Digicel group, a total communications and entertainment provider with operations in 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific.
“After 17 years of operations, total investment to date stands at over US $5 billion worldwide. Ever since it opened its market in 2001, Digicel has continued its product expansion portfolio. In 2013, Digicel launched its Digicel Business Solutions, having acquired the Caribbean Subsea Fibre Company. Digicel has also launched a home entertainment network which includes fibre to the home and fibre to the business in a number of its markets.”
Mrs. Jn Charles-Hodge then focused on Digicel’s position in Anguilla. “As far as Anguilla is concerned, Digicel is number one in the market with 54% market share. This comprises of over 10,000 mobile subscribers, representing 60% of the business market. There are over 4,000 connections with Digicel Enterainment TV and Broadband. We provide 100% fibre coverage all across Anguilla and 100% superfast LTE coverage, reflecting a total investment of over US$9 million in 2017.”
Mrs. Shellya Rogers-Webster, Manager of Corporate Affairs at the Anguilla Tourist Board, was the keynote speaker at the event. In addressing the gathering, she placed emphasis on the telecommunication needs of the modern-day tourist. She noted:
“Destination Anguilla has been involved in the Tourism industry for over 40 years. When Tourism began, our public and private infrastructure was very limited. The needs of our travelers were far more modest and sun, sea and sand did the trick. The demands of our visitors have changed significantly since we began promoting tourism as our main industry. Tourists are no longer necessarily happy to be here in paradise, disconnected from the world — except for voice communication.
“The traveler is complex and so are their needs. Many of our guests desire to have reliable connectivity that allows them to continue making money while on vacation, and to access social platforms with the ability to share their diverse travel experiences. They want to be connected via hi-speed internet, and they want data wherever they go whether to VPN (virtual private network) back to the office or to simply share their experiences with family members back home. Property owners and managers want to be able to monitor their properties while on the go to ensure that they stay up to date with what’s going on. These demands are real and quite influential when deciding at which destination or hotel to spend one’s next vacation or “workcation”.
Amidst the new features that DIGICEL is offering is CCTV capabilities that will benefit the public in general with 24-hour surveillance for added safety and security. Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Cardigan Connor, with responsibility for tourism gave high praise for this technology: “I would like to congratyulate the DIGICEL team for such a terrific job in carrying out this launch. The CCTV initiative is something that we have been looking forward to for quite some time. We cannot pretend that it is not something that we need.
“For some time people have been afraid because they thought it is intrusive. But we need to stay safe, and we need to prevent tragic incidences. It is not just about tourism. It is about the safety and security of our people. Too many of our young men are being shot, and I am sure that CCTV is an initiative that will go a long way in preventing that.”
The new Dedicated Business Corporate team was presented to the audience. They included: Ms. Kimara Richardson, Business Relationship Executive; Mr. Jermain Hodge, Busines Technician; Mr. Fabrice J.L. Stevens, Presales Executive; and Mr. Rudy Webster, Head of Business.
