Digicel

Digicel is a Caribbean mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in 33 markets across the Caribbean, Central America, and Oceania regions. The company is owned by Irish businessman Denis O'Brien, is incorporated in Bermuda, and is headquartered in Jamaica.

Digicel
Private
IndustryTelecommunications
PredecessorClaro Jamaica 
FoundedApril 19, 2001
FounderDenis O'Brien
HeadquartersKingston, Jamaica
Key people
Denis O'Brien, Sasha
(Executive Chairman & Interim CEO)
ProductsMobile, Fixed Broadband, Wireless Broadband, Satellite Television, Cable, Mobile Money
Revenue$2.8 billion (2015)[1]
Number of employees
~6,500 (2018)
SubsidiariesDigicel, Trend Media Group, Prism Services Jamaica
WebsiteDigicel Group

Digicel currently operates in several countries, including Fiji, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia and Jamaica.

History

Launch in Jamaica, expansion to Greater Caribbean & Latin America

Digicel was founded in 2001 by Irish entrepreneur Denis O'Brien. The company launched in April 2001 in Jamaica.[2] In March 2003, Digicel expanded to St. Lucia and St. Vincent.[3] In 2005, Digicel purchased Cingular Wireless' Caribbean and Bermuda operations.[4]

In May 2006, Digicel began operations in Haiti.[5] Between 2006 and 2008, Digicel expanded into the Central American mainland, as well as the Pacific.[5][6] In September 2006, it acquired an unrelated mobile phone provider Digicel Holdings in El Salvador.[7]

A Digicel storefront in Castries, Saint Lucia, in 2012

In 2007, Digicel acquired U*Mobile in Guyana,[8] and launched in Suriname in December.[9]

In February 2011, Digicel took a controlling stake in Netxar Technologies, a leading systems integrator in the Caribbean region.[10] In March, Digicel announced that it was selling its operations in Honduras and El Salvador to Mexican telecom company America Movil, and America Movil was selling all of its operations in Jamaica to Digicel.[11] In March 2012, Digicel made the acquisition of Comcel / Voila, its main competitor in Haiti, for $97 million.[5]

Digicel IMAX theater in the suburb of Woodbrook in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

Failed Myanmar push

In 2013 Digicel announced that it would invest $9 billion in a mobile phone network in Myanmar, where there was virtually no telephone infrastructure at the time, stating that it planned to have 96 percent coverage in the country by the end of 2015.[12] However, Digicel lost the bid to get licenses in Myanmar to Telenor and Ooredoo.[13]

Expansion to the Pacific

In 2006, Digicel expanded into the Pacific. Digicel's sister operation in the Pacific Islands region operates in Samoa and in Papua New Guinea running at 900 MHz GSM with GPRS & Edge data services and in PNG Digicel is now rolling out 3G UMTS/HSPA+ also data services, also via 900 MHz, Vanuatu, Tonga, Fiji, Nauru as well as an experimental license in the Solomon Islands and Tahiti.[14]

An outdoor Digicel ad on a bus shelter in Tonga.

Digicel Fiji on 3 November 2010 changed its logo with a shade of blue in the last letters "cel". The blue colour represents the background colour of the Fiji flag and coincided with Digicel Fiji's new ad campaign slogan "Fiji Matters To Us".[15]

Digicel Mobile Money launched in Fiji in July 2010 with subsequent deployments in Tonga (January 2011), Samoa (March 2011), Vanuatu (July 2011) and Nauru and Papua New Guinea in progress.

In addition, Digicel was the first to deploy mobile money services in these countries[16] creating an ecosystem of agents that includes the main commercial banks ANZ Bank, BSP, Westpac, National Bank Vanuatu as well as key money movers such as PostFiji and VanuatuPost. The service has been supported by The Pacific Financial Inclusion Program, AusAid and GSM Association's Mobile Money for the Unbanked initiative.[17]

2018 re-brand and new Digicel

After a long & tedious deciding process, the company settled on a new alteration of their logo and corporate identity. The regular "cartoon" images were discarded and black & white talent with red accents was introduced into the picture. The Miami design team (Julian Berreto, Martha Sofi, Alexis Vargas and Brandon Arroyave) worked in charge of changing all assets to the new and improved adaptations under the new guidelines. The rebrand design was originally used by Digicel El Salvador since 2016.

Controversy

Jamaican telecoms saga

Attempts by the Jamaican telecoms regulator, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), to regulate the Jamaican telecoms market resulted in a drawn-out court battle with Digicel, throughout the 2000s.

In April 2002, Phillip Paulwell, the then Jamaican minister of industry, commerce and technology, in response to a complaint from Digicel, instructed the OUR to refrain from interfering with the pricing policies of Digicel.[18] At the time, Digicel had been charging Cable and Wireless an interconnectivity fee each time Cable and Wireless customers called into Digicel's network that was higher than the top fee established by the OUR. The OUR thus instructed Digicel to price its service accordingly.[18]

Following a judicial review, it was ruled that Paulwell had no power to issue the directive to the OUR. However, in 2003, Digicel took the case to Jamaica's Supreme Court and won, though the OUR subsequently appealed the ruling to the appellate court. The Court of Appeal ruled that Paulwell's directive was outside his ministerial powers and invalid, and the OUR had no obligation to comply with it.[18] Digicel then again appealed the ruling by taking the matter to the Privy Council, Jamaica's final court of appeal, though it proved unsuccessful after the Privy Council, upholding the decision of the Court of Appeal, again ruled that Paulwell's directive was ultra vires and that OUR had been correct in ignoring him.[19]

The judgement also meant LIME (formerly Cable & Wireless Jamaica) was allowed to keep the £22 million Digicel had earlier been ordered by the Jamaican courts to pay LIME for termination rates in respect of incoming calls.[20]

Paulwell's integrity was also questioned in 2011 when it emerged via WikiLeaks that U.S. officials based in Kingston, Jamaica's capital, had described him as a "conflicted and meddling" minister.[20] The diplomatic cable, dispatched in 2007, detailed Paulwell's alleged mismanagement of the Universal Access Fund, which was set up by the United States Federal Communications Commission in 1997 to meet Congressional universal service goals as mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.[20] It also documented how he had paid attorney Minette Palmer, his former personal advisor, almost US$450,000 over a 19-month period, despite that no internet facilities had been provided in schools during that time as the scheme intended. To further compound matter was the revelation that Mr. Paulwell had recently awarded a cellular licence to a company controlled by Ms. Palmer and her husband.[21]

Tax raid

In 2012, Digicel's Jamaican offices were raided by the Tax Administration of Jamaica (TAJ) as part of the tax administration's exercise of auditing various sectors of the Jamaican economy, including all companies in the telecoms sector.[22] A high-profile public debate broke out after the TAJ was forced to resort to the courts to secure information about Digicel that the TAJ had requested. At the same time, the TAJ also denied media reports that a tax assessment had been served on Digicel, and stressed that the TAJ had not provided any figures indicating tax owed by Digicel.[22]

However, Digicel filed an affidavit to the Jamaican Supreme Court stating that the TAJ had asserted that there was a $1.26 billion discrepancy in the numbers it had calculated and the amount Digicel had included in its GCT (general consumption tax) returns, but that it was "now abundantly clear that TAJ completely misunderstood the data it been provided with and – rather than seeking clarity – it arrived at its own grossly inaccurate conclusions".[22] The Jamaican Ministry of Finance and Planning hit back saying that it had received significant technical assistance from multilateral agencies, as well as international bilateral assistance. The TAJ accused Digicel of making "unfortunate" and "misleading" accusations against the tax administration, and said it would not be deterred from its auditing exercise as it had "irrefutable proof" of considerable revenue leakage taking place in Jamaica.[22]

Corporate social responsibility
Volunteers from Digicel distributed several tons of food to Haitian citizens in Port-au-Prince, in a distribution sponsored by the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Digicel is a leading sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Asia-Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors The West Indies cricket team. It was the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Cup during 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010. It also sponsors the Cayman Islands Digicel Cup in football, starting in 2006. Digicel sponsors the highest level of football in Trinidad & Tobago, the TT Pro League, known for sponsorship reasons as "The Digicel Pro League".

In the Pacific, Digicel is the sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu national cricket team.[23] It is the sponsor of the Digicel Cup for rugby in Fiji. It also sponsors Taça Digicel, the second top division of the Federaçao Futebol Timor-Leste.

In April they were announced as the first global sponsor of the 2013 inaugural tournament for the Caribbean Premier League.[24] This multi-year deal follows their strategy for supporting cricket and other sporting events in the Caribbean. "The CPL is a perfect fit for Digicel. We're huge fans of West Indies cricket and this is a great opportunity for us to invest not only in what will be an amazing event, but also in the young cricketers who will benefit from around the region", stated Digicel Group Marketing Operations Director Kieran Foley. "Having seen all the plans for the inaugural tournament, we know the CPL will be a spectacle like nothing else seen in the region and we are looking forward to being front and centre of the action."[25]

Digicel and its shareholders also set up a foundation that has been actively involved in charitable work throughout the Caribbean involving a wide range of school and sports projects as well as providing some J$200 million in assistance after Hurricane Ivan devastated many of the islands, especially Grenada and the Cayman Islands.[26]

To date the Digicel Foundation in Jamaica has allocated US$7 million to sustainable development community projects in the country. In Haiti the Digicel Foundation built 20 primary schools in its first year. Digicel promised $5 million in aid to Haiti after the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. The company has been responsible for several major commitments to re-building Haiti, including the restoration of the historic Iron Market[27] and a commitment to build a new hotel to further encourage economic growth in the capital.

Digicel Group's Mobile operations

The following is a list of Digicel Group's Asia Pacific operations. These operations are headed by an office in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea as well as one in Singapore.

Digicel Asia Pacific Territories
Territory GSM Frequencies CDMA Frequencies UMTS Frequencies LTE Frequencies Local Sites
 Fiji 900 MHz NO CDMA 900/2100 MHz 700 MHz

1800 MHz

 Digicel Fiji
 Nauru 900 MHz NO CDMA 900 MHz 1800 MHz Digicel Nauru
 Papua New Guinea 900 MHz NO CDMA 900 MHz 700 MHz Digicel Papua New Guinea
 Samoa 900 MHz NO CDMA 2100 MHz 1800 MHz Digicel Samoa
 Tonga 900 MHz NO CDMA 900 MHz 1800 MHz Digicel Tonga
 Vanuatu 900 MHz NO CDMA 900 MHz 700 MHz Digicel Vanuatu

The following is a list of the North Atlantic, Caribbean and Central American operations of Digicel Group. All report to Digicel Group's headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.

Digicel Caribbean & Central American Territories
Territory GSM Frequencies CDMA Frequencies UMTS Frequencies LTE Frequencies Local Sites
 Anguilla 900 MHz NO CDMA 850/1900 MHz 700 MHz Digicel Anguilla
 Antigua and Barbuda 850/900 MHz NO CDMA 850 MHz 700 MHz Digicel Antigua & Barbuda
 Aruba 900/1800 MHz 1900 MHz 2100 MHz 1800 MHz Digicel Aruba
 Barbados 900/1800 MHz 1900 MHz 2100 MHz 700 MHz
1900 MHz		 Digicel Barbados
 Bermuda 1900 MHz NO CDMA 850 MHz 1900 MHz Digicel Bermuda
 Bonaire 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA Unknown 1800 MHz Digicel Bonaire
 British Virgin Islands 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA 2100 MHz 700 MHz Digicel British Virgin Islands
 Cayman Islands 900 MHz 1900 MHz 2100 MHz 1800 MHz Digicel Cayman Islands
 Curaçao 900/1900 MHz NO CDMA Unknown 1800 MHz Digicel Curaçao
 Dominica 900/1900 MHz NO CDMA 2100 MHz 1800 MHz Digicel Dominica
 El Salvador 900 MHz NO CDMA 900 MHz NO LTE Digicel El Salvador
 French Guiana 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA Unknown NO LTE Digicel French Windies & French Guiana
 Grenada 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA 1900 MHz 700 MHz[28] Digicel Grenada
 Guadeloupe 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA Unknown NO LTE Digicel French Windies & French Guiana
 Guyana 900 MHz NO CDMA Unknown NO LTE Digicel Guyana
 Haiti 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA 2100 MHz NO LTE Digicel Haiti
 Jamaica 900/1800 MHz 1900 MHz 850 MHz 700 MHz
1700/2100 MHz		 Digicel Jamaica
 Martinique 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA 2100 MHz
800 MHz		 1800 MHz
1700/2100 MHz
2600 MHz		 Digicel French Windies & French Guiana
 Panama 1900 MHz NO CDMA 1900 MHz 700 MHz Digicel Panamá
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA 1900 MHz 700 MHz Digicel Saint Kitts & Nevis
 Saint Lucia 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA 1900 MHz 700 MHz[29] Digicel St. Lucia
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 900/1800 MHz NO CDMA 1900 MHz 700 MHz

1900 MHz[30]

 Digicel Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
 Suriname 900/1800 MHz 1900 MHz 850 MHz NO LTE Digicel Suriname
 Trinidad and Tobago 850/1900 MHz 1900 MHz 850/1900 MHz 700 MHz
1900 MHz
1700/2100 MHz		 Digicel Trinidad & Tobago
 Turks and Caicos Islands 900/1900 MHz NO CDMA 2100 MHz 700 MHz Digicel Turks & Caicos

Radio frequency summary
Frequencies used on the Digicel Network
Frequency rangeBand numberProtocolClassStatusNote(s)
850 MHz CLR5GSM / UMTS / HSPA+2G / 3GActiveUsed in Antigua & Barbuda, Bermuda, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago
1900 MHz PCS2GSM / UMTS / HSPA+ / LTE / LTE Advanced2G / 3G / 4GActive/ In-DeploymentUsed in Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Panama, Suriname, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks & Caicos Islands
700 MHz A/B/C/ APT12/13/17/28LTE / LTE Advanced4GActive/In-DeploymentUsed in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Panama, St, Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Fiji, Papa New Guinea and Vanuatu
1700/2100 MHz AWS4LTE / LTE Advanced4GActive/In-DeploymentUsed in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago
1800 MHz DCS3GSM / LTE2G / 4GActive/In-DeploymentUsed in Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Suriname
2100 MHz IMT1UMTS / HSPA+3GActiveUsed in Fiji, Samoa, Aruba, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Haiti and Turks & Caicos Islands
900 MHz GSM8GSM / UMTS / HSPA+2G / 3GActiveUsed in Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Suriname

Digicel Home

Digicel Home, formally Digicel Play, is a Digicel's Home Entertainment service that offers pay television, fixed line and Fixed Broadband.

History

In November 2014, Digicel Play was launched in Papua New Guinea, with 29 channels in total, including TVWan, a new locally produced free-to-view channel.[31] In May 2015, the provider launched with 26 channels in Tonga under the name "DigiTV" but re-branded to Digicel Play in November 2015.[32]

In March 2016, it launched its services in Barbados.[33] In 2016, Digicel Play launched its service across Trinidad and Tobago.

On June 2, 2020, Digicel revealed that it had entered into a joint venture agreement with French telecoms provider Iliad to provide a mobile service in the West Indies. The agreement will allow the French group to use Digicel’s Radio Access Network capabilities in the French West Indies.[34]

In July 2020 it was announced that Digicel Pacific’s chief executive Oliver Coughlan will be taking over the management of the company’s operations in the Caribbean and Central America.

Digicel Sports

In 2018, the company launched Digicel Sports, initially launching in El Salvador, Panama, Haiti and Jamaica.

References
  1. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1645826/000119312515236163/d946689df1.htm
  2. Cauley, Leslie (27 August 2006). "Digicel makes cellphone connection in Jamaica". USA Today.
  3. "Taking Midas touch to Caribbean". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  4. "Cingular Wireless sells Caribbean, Bermuda operations to Digicel". RCR Wireless News. 1999-11-30. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  5. "Irish cellphone entrepreneur banks on a smarter Haiti". Reuters. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  6. "Digicel casts its net across Caribbean". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  7. Young, Shawn (2006-09-21). "Cellphone Start-Up's Aggressive Expansion". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  8. "Digicel makes commitment to children with special needs". Guyana Chronicle. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  9. "Suriname grants telecom licences to Digicel and Intelsur" Caribbean Net News, August 17, 2006
  10. "Digicel acquires Netxar Technologies". Stabroek News. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  11. Harrison, Crayton (30 November 2011). "America Movil Weighing Options for Digicel El Salvador Deal". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  12. Maierbrugger, Arno (5 June 2013). "Digicel and Soros pledge $9b for Myanmar". Inside Investor. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  13. "Digicel loses out to Norwegian, Quatari telecoms in Myanmar bid - Business". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  14. https://web.archive.org/web/20070911230635/http://www.redknee.com/news_events/news_releases/archive_2007/208/. Archived from the original on September 11, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. 'Digicel's new look', Fiji TImes, 4 Nov 2010 (http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?ref=archive&id=159180 Archived 2012-09-05 at the Wayback Machine)
  16. "Welcome to Digicel Mobile Money". Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  17. "Mobile Money for the Unbanked". GSM World. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  18. "Blow to Digicel". Jamaica Observer. Jamaica. 22 January 2010. Archived from the original on 2015-03-05.
  19. "KCOB Lawyers Score Major Victory in Privy Council". KC Times. Jamaica. March 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14.
  20. "WIKILEAKS - Paulwell's Nine Lives". The Gleaner. Jamaica. 5 June 2011.
  21. "Jamaica: Universal Access Fund - A Meddling Minister And Issues Of Conflict". Jamaica: CableGateSearch. 23 July 2007. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  22. Hall, Arthur (May 10, 2012). "Gov't Defends Digicel Tax Raid". Jamaica Gleaner.
  23. "Digicel Sponsors Vanuatu National Cricket Team" Pacific Magazine 19 May 2008
  24. "Digicel Cricket / News / Digicel Announced as Major Sponsor for Caribbean Premier League". digicelcricket.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  25. "Latest News". cplt20.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  26. "Our Mission". Digicel Foundation. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  27. Ed Vulliamy, "How an Irish telecoms tycoon became Haiti's only hope of salvation", The Guardian, January 9, 2011
  28. "Welcome to Grenada's first super-fast LTE network". www.digicelgroup.com. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  29. "Welcome to St Lucia's only island-wide LTE network". www.digicelgroup.com. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  30. "Welcome to St Vincent and the Grenadines 1st & only LTE network". www.digicelgroup.com. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  31. "DIGICEL PLAY MAKES TV MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE OF PNG - DIGICEL PLAY MAKES TV MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE OF PNG". digicelfiji.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  32. "Nuku'alofa Times » DigiTV offers more for Tonga and PNG customers". nukualofatimes.tbu.to. Retrieved 2016-04-28. Play
  33. "Digicel Play Launches in Barbados". digicelgroup.com. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  34. Goodbody, Will (2020-06-02). "Digicel and Iliad agree French West Indies network deal". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

See also
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