Gibtelecom

Gibtelecom is the largest telecommunications provider in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.[2] Its headquarters is located on John Mackintosh Square.[3]

Gibtelecom Limited

Type	Private
Industry	Telecommunications
Predecessor	Gibraltar Nynex Communications Gibtel
Founded	Gibraltar, 2001
Headquarters	15/21 John Mackintosh Square, Gibraltar
Area served	Gibraltar
Key people	Noel Burrows (CEO)
Products	Fixed-line Telephony, Mobile, Broadband Internet, Digital TV, Submarine Cable
Revenue	£100 million
Owner	Gibraltar Savings Bank (100%)
Number of employees	141[1]
Website	gibtele.com

History

The first telephones were introduced to Gibraltar in 1886 by a private company which was later taken over by the colonial authorities. Since 1926, the telephone service was operated by the City Council.[4] Upon the approval of the 1969 Constitution and the dissolution of the City Council, the telephone service was transferred to the newly formed Government of Gibraltar. Until 1990, all telephone services were operated by the Gibraltar Government Telephone Department. International circuits were provided by Cable & Wireless, which had been founded as the Falmouth, Malta, Gibraltar Telegraph Company in 1869. This later operated as the Eastern Telegraph Company from Mount Pleasant in Gibraltar. However, Cable & Wireless left Gibraltar in 1987.[5] On 1 January 1988, British Telecom (BT) and the Government of Gibraltar formed a joint venture company called Gibraltar Telecommunications International Ltd (known by its commercial brand Gibtel) to operate Gibraltar's international telecommunications services.[6] Gibtel was subsequently granted a licence to offer mobile telephony introducing a GSM900 network.

In 1990, the Government decided to privatise its Telephone Department and therefore entered into a joint venture with Nynex of the United States. Gibraltar Nynex Communications Ltd (GNC) became responsible for fixed-line telephony. GNC was the first acquisition of Nynex outside the Americas.[7] In 1997, GNC, through its wholly owned subsidiary, GNC Networks, commenced Internet services. GNC Networks was later renamed GibConnect. ADSL services were introduced in 2002.

In 2001, BT sold its 50% stake in Gibtel to GNC. Both companies subsequently merged to form Gibtelecom, a joint venture between the Government of Gibraltar and Nynex's successor company, Verizon. The name Gibtelecom begun to be used in July 2002, and as of 1 October 2003 this name was formally adopted by the company (which up until then was still Gibraltar Nynex Communications).[8] In April 2007, Verizon sold its shares to Telekom Slovenije[1] which is the incumbent part-state owned telecommunications operator in Slovenia and is quoted on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.[1] Telekom Slovenije paid €36.7m for Verizon's 50 per cent stake in Gibtelecom.[9]

In 2009, the Government of Gibraltar announced it may sell its stake in Gibtelecom.[9] However, as of August 2020, no decision has been made.

The 50 percent share of Gibtelecom owned by Telecom Slovenia in 2015 was paid for by the Gibraltar Savings Bank, which now owns 100 percent of the shares in the company.[10]

Board

Gibtelecom's Board of Directors is made up of six directors, whereas the owners (the Government of Gibraltar and Telekom Slovenije) nominate three each. The current Chairman is Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister.[11] However, in October 2010, the Government of Gibraltar announced that EU Communications Directives had to be enforced so that a same Minister cannot "exercise powers under the Directives and also be involved in ownership and control functions of a telecommunications company in Gibraltar". Therefore, competences over Telecommunications were transferred to the Minister of Housing, retaining Holliday as Chairman of Gibtelecom.[12]

Tim Bristow was the first CEO, a post had held since the company's foundation in 2001, before he stepped down at the end of 2018.[13] Previously, he was the Financial Secretary of Gibraltar, a post he held for several years.[7]

Services

Gibtelecom is authorised to provide fixed line, internet, mobile, satellite and other radio-communication services under Gibraltar's Communications Act 2006. This authorisation supplements the licences issued by the Government of Gibraltar on 1 August 2003 for a 15-year period, which in turn replaced the previous licences issued to GNC in May 1990 and Gibtel in January 1988.[8]

Gibtelecom is structured around three brands: GibWireline, Gibtel and GibConnect.

• GibWireline is the brand under which fixed line telephony services are provided. Gibtelecom numbers are eight digits long including a 200 prefix (since December 2007).[14]
• Gibtel is the mobile phone services brand (GSM Network Identifier: GIBTEL). Gibtelecom offers GSM, 3G and LTE services,[15] and has kept the old brand from Gibraltar Telecommunications International.
• GibConnect offers internet connectivity, providing solutions ranging from dial-up and ADSL accesses to corporate internet links.[1] Gibtelecom has kept GNC's old brand.

The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA) has designated Gibtelecom as having Significant Market Power (SMP) and therefore it has imposed certain obligations on Gibtelecom, with price controls being one of them.[8] Gibtelecom has also been obliged to unbundle the local loop, although none of the other Gibraltar-based telecom providers have asked to use it.[8]

International connectivity

Telefónica of Spain, Cable & Wireless and Interoute of the United Kingdom provide international connectivity to Gibtelecom.[16] Gibtelecom is also a partner in the Europe India Gateway cable system, which has a landing point in Gibraltar.[17]

Sponsorship

Gibtelecom is the official sponsor of the Gibtelecom International Chess Festival annually held in Gibraltar since 2003.[18] On 13 December 2016 Gibtelecom became a sponsor of the Rock Cup.[19]

See also

• Communications in Gibraltar

References

1. Gibtelecom Company Profile Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
2. "Competition hots up to bring still better deals and more telecommunications services" (PDF). Gibraltar International, Finance and Business. Winter 2008–09.
3. "Gibtele.com - Contact Information". Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
4. Stephen Constantine (2009). Community and identity. The making of modern Gibraltar since 1704. Manchester University Press. p. 337. ISBN 978-0-7190-8054-8.
5. Gibtelecom acaba de lanzar el roaming de prepago con Vodafone, EDA Press (in Spanish)
6. "1984onwards". www.btplc.com. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
7. Interview with Mr. Tim Bristow (2005) Archived 2008-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
8. Abridged Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2008
9. "Gibtelecom sale in prospect, but experience does not bode well" (PDF). Gibraltar International, Finance and Business. Winter 2008–09.
10. "Parliament reveals Gib Savings Bank now 100% owner of Gibtelecom shares". Retrieved 3 May 2018.
11. Press release: composition and portfolio of the Government of Gibraltar Archived 2009-11-13 at the Wayback Machine, January 2007.
12. Vinet becomes new Minister for Telecoms, Gibraltar Chronicle, 29 October 2010
13. Gibtelecom CEO Tim Bristow to step down at end of year, GBC, 12 October 2018
14. Gibtelecom fixed line numbering change. Gibtelecom infonews (March 2008)
15. Giblaltar mobile services in the web of the GSM Association
16. Interoute and Gibtelecom bring new telecommunications choice to Gibraltar Archived 2010-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, January 14, 2010.
17. "du invests in $700m Europe India Gateway undersea cable system" (Press release). du. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
18. "Previous Winners of the Gibraltar Chess Congress". Archived from the original on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
19. "Gibtelecom to sponsor the Rock Cup in multi year deal - News - Gibraltar Football Association". www.gibraltarfa.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.

External links

• Official website