Tag Archives: LIME

C&W calls for Digicel-Claro Jamaican Merger to Be Investigated

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Jamaica’s Cable & Wireless – opertating under the brand LIME – has written to the Government, the Office of Utilities Regulations (OUR) and the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) expressing concerns about the recently announced deal for Digicel to buy its local rival, Claro.

Digicel and Claro announced last week that Digicel would sell its businesses in El Salvador and Honduras to America Movil, while in turn Claro Jamaica would be sold to Digicel.

According to analysts, the combined market share of the two companies in Jamaica comes to 80%, leaving Cable & Wireless (LIME) with the remaining 20%. The move has raised concerns that Digicel is effectively returning the country to a de-facto monopoly status.

The company said that given the significance of the merger to the Jamaican telecoms industry, the regulators “should carefully assess the deal, before approval is given by the relevant minister”.

“As a company proudly serving Jamaica for over 140 years, providing employment for more than 1,400 Jamaican workers and with almost 25,000 Jamaican shareholders, we stand ready to cooperate with all industry players to ensure the interests of our country and the Jamaican consumer are best served,” Lime’s managing director, Garry Sinclair said in a brief statement.

See the LIME Jamaica and Digicel Jamaica records in Latin Target

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Digicel Jamaica seeks settlement with LIME

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­Digicel Jamaica has filed an Arbitration claim with the International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”) in Paris against Cable &Wireless in relation to allegations of significant unpaid interconnection fees. Cable &Wireless recently rebranded its Caribean mobile networks with the “Lime” brandname.

Digicel says that since July 2009, Lime has been underpaying for its interconnection by approximately US$650,000 per month. Digicel is seeking various declarations and orders from the ICC Arbitration Panel as well as interest on the amounts due and owing together with legal costs.

This claim by Digicel follows the decision of the Jamaica High Court to stay Lime’s US$43 million claim against Digicel earlier this year. While Lime vigorously opposed Digicel‘s application to have those proceedings stayed by the Jamaican Courts, Justice McDonald-Bishop ruled in favour of Digicel.

Richard Fraser, Digicel Jamaica‘s Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, comments; “The fact that Lime vigorously opposed this reference to Arbitration before the Jamaican Courts – and that it did not even bother to show up to Court today – leads us to seriously question whether it has as any belief at all in the merits of its own claims. “We want this issue resolved quickly and effectively.

Lime has launched numerous spurious legal and PR offensives in recent months – all cynically and misguidedly calculated to detract from the fact that its business is limping along and it wants to walk away from a contract that it freely entered into in 2001. ”

Digicel Jamaica record in Latin Target

Cable & Wireless Jamaica, Ltd record in Latin Target