My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: LIME experiences 25% increase in Profits due to MTR - 4G LTE and FTTH like Bahamas with IPTV Streaming LIME TV will give LIME 3 Days to Kill

Saturday, February 22, 2014

LIME experiences 25% increase in Profits due to MTR - 4G LTE and FTTH like Bahamas with IPTV Streaming LIME TV will give LIME 3 Days to Kill

“Jamaicans can use a LIME phone and call a Digicel phone and it still works out cheaper than calling a Digicel to Digicel phone. We are now on an upward trajectory and this has been due to a hard- working team effort led by our managing director Gary Sinclair who has been absolutely fantastic. We remain committed to turning this great”

Chairman of LIME, Chris Dehring in an interview with Caribbean Business Report on Thursday February 13th 2014

Telecom Provider LIME has been making steady progress since the MTR (Mobile Termination Rate) adjustment by the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) on Monday July 1st 2013 as stated in my blog article entitled OUR sets Cross-Network Rates at JA$1.10 as of Monday July 1 2013 - Everything is Possible  as we’re Zombies for Data World War Z” as predicted by LIME Chairman Chris Dehring.

This based on some fresh statistics from Telecom Provider LIME as presented in “LIME sees 25% rise in Mobile subscriber base”, published Friday, February 14, 2014 BY SHAMILLE SCOTT Business reporter, The Jamaica Observer.


But most importantly, Telecom Provider LIME can see increased growth if they roll out LIME FTTH (Fiber to the Home) and LIME 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) to carry the IPTV Streaming version LIME TV as argued in my blog article entitledLIME poised to revamp and relaunch LIME TV in the Fourth Quarter of 2013 - A Rebranding of LIME TV for Live and VOD Streaming to push 4G LTE and FTTH Services is on The To Do List”.

Statistics from the Third Quarter of 2013 – MTR is a Good Look as LIME catches a break

The statistics are the most interesting I’ve come across to date for the Third Quarter of 2013:

1.         25% Operating profit increase compared to Third Quarter of 2012
2.         18% drop in Revenue
3.         7% increase in operating Expense
4.         23% increase in active subscribers
5.         42% increase in Mobile service revenue
6.         30% growth in broadband

Translated in numbers, the Third Quarter of 2013 wasn't all that bad:

1.      35,000 additional Mobile subscribers
2.      JA$792 million, up from JA$631.9 million during the Third Quarter of 2012
3.      JA$315.5 million loss down from $437.5 million during the Third Quarter of 2012
4.      JA$6 billion revenue up from $4.9 billion during the Third Quarter of 2012
5.      JA$120 million in restructuring expense

The revenue declines can be attributed to the following decisions:

1.      Restructuring Global Directory Services contract
2.      Reduction in national fixed-line retail rates
3.      Voluntary redundancy program undertaken during the quarter

Clearly the MTR is benefiting Telecom Provider LIME, as they’re on a road to recovery.

LIME can do more for Mobile and Broadband – LIME 4G LTE with LIME TV

Lucky for them, Browse and Talk packages came on line, helping to maintain their Landline base and reduce people leaving for Telecom Provider Digicel's DigiHome Services as described in my blog article entitled “LIME's Postpaid Plus and JA$200 per week Blackberry Plans - Browse and Talk is proof that Postpaid and Data Services are all the Rage as MNP and LNP approaches on May 2014”.  

Also, Christmas was good in terms of smartphones with similar spikes in the purchase of sub-US$200 smartphones in December 2013 an indication that smartphones are the new “thing” as noted in my blog article entitledJamaicans fall in love with Digicel's DL600 and DL700 during Christmas 2013 - Sub-US$100 smartphones driving rapid smartphone adoption in Jamaica as Manufacturing is Possible”.

Still, their smartphone offerings, aside from the expensive Apple iPhone 5S, the Gold Standard (literally) of smartphones is lackluster as noted in my blog article entitled LIME JA$5000 plus GCT offer for the Huawei Ascend Y210 - LIME's Run and Jump for Digicel Supa DigiDealz Sales should have used the Huawei Ascend Y300”.

LIME needs to embrace the future – IPTV LIME TV over 4G LTE and FTTH is the Future

Also I’m awaiting news about the IPTV version of LIME TV, about which very little has been said in the Traditional Media or even on Social Media. It failed to launch in 2013 as promised along with FTTH (Fiber to The Home) as I’d anticipated in my blog article entitledLIME poised to revamp and relaunch LIME TV in the Fourth Quarter of 2013 - A Rebranding of LIME TV for Live and VOD Streaming to push 4G LTE and FTTH Services is on The To Do List”.

If Telecom Provider LIME were to roll out an IPTV version of LIME TV, powered by 4G LTE or FTTH, it would boost them way past Telecom Provider Digicel and put the squarely in competition with FLOW. 4G LTE for customers would be commercially profitable, as Jamaicans love for Cable TV mirrors that of our American cousins. Even moreso if they can stream and watch it on any Internet-connected device, be it Laptops or Tablets as we slowly fall in love with these gadgets opined in my blog article entitledCable TV subscriptions Declines as the Connected Home boost IPTV Streaming”.

But Telecom Provider LIME must hurry. Columbus Communications, parent company of FLOW may have lost their FLOW President and CEO Michelle English to a promotion to Columbus Communication Offices. But they are squarely focused on growing their Corporate Data Services, be it Broadband Internet or Cloud Storage Services by taking advantage of the trend of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) at the Workplace as explained in my Geezam blog article entitled “Columbus Communications expects BYOD boost for Cloud Computing”.

So should Telecom Provider LIME. They can achieve this by taking advantage of growth areas, largely in Postpaid Mobile and Data Services and thus roll out 4G LTE as they’ve done in Bahamas as noted in my blog article entitledBahamas Telecommunications Company launched 4G LTE on Valentine's Day - Jamaicans need UNCHR Right to Broadband Access needed to empower Jamaicans before 4G LTE can go National”.

A roll out an IPTV version of LIME TV using 4G LTE and FTTH would woo consumers looking for an alternative to FLOW, Telecom Provider LIME’s real competitor as argued in my blog article entitledLIME rolls out new Business themed ADSL and Local and International Landline Calling Bundles - DigiHome offense could Herald the coming of LIME FTTH and relaunch of LIME TV”.

No comments: