LIME and the FlipTop Promotion – Saving Private Ryan to increase Internet Penetration in Jamaica

“Liberate the minds of men and ultimately you will liberate the bodies of men.”

Marcus Mosiah Garvey (17 August 1887 – 10 June 1940)

Today is the 124^th Birthday of the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was born on August 17^th 1887AD. A great man who I only recently appreciated, as I am mainly a John Washington Carver  and a Martin Luther King admirer.

But unlike most Jamaicans, I remember Marcus Mosiah Garvey on my blog.

Telecom Provider LIME is definitely listening to the people this time around, as they have now recently launched their initiative to lower the cost of computers to access the Internet in their latest’s FlipTop Promotion as stated in the article “FLIPtop giveaway”, published Wednesday, August 17, 2011, The Jamaica Observer and the article “LIME rolls out 'FLIPtop' plan to push Internet access”, published Wednesday, August 17, 2011, The Jamaica Observer.

Looks like Telecom Provider LIME may have also drawn inspiration from my Geezam Blog article entitled “Jamaica’s Low Net Penetration – Broadband Internet A Universal Right”! Or even my blog article entitled “LIME look to the future with new Services - Video and Audio Friends with Benefits in the Dead Zone”.

The launch took place on Tuesday August 16^th 2011AD at the Half-Way Tree Transport Center in the center of Kingston. The MC was Pretty Boy Floyd with a bevy of Jamaican local artiste such as Ishawna and QQ, with the LIME Crazy Bikers and LIME Girls providing some eye candy and Shady Squad getting their groove on!

What makes this significant enough to note in my blog? Telecom Provider LIME is offering a Laptop for a low price of JA$14999 or JA$5000 per month once you sign up for a two (2) year ADSL Contract. Financing is available via the JNBS (Jamaica National Building Society) “Term Share Loans”

Managing Director of LIME Jamaica, Garry Sinclair, explains the rationale behind such a precipitous price drop, quote: “When we considered that what often blocks access to the Internet for consumers is the affordability of the access device we decided to help to remove this barrier and give more people a chance to get online”. 

Good to note that these may be manufacturer refurnished Laptops, which means that Telecom Provider LIME is reselling their Laptops at cost price, effectively a crib of Telecoms Provider CLARO’s sales methodology.  Telecom Provider CLARO’s entire marketing strategy between 2008AD to 2010AD by the way is my suggestion made via an email proposal while at UWI in the First Quarter of 2007AD.

Hence the interest I have in doing this blog article, as I had explained to a bunch of Shurpower Engineers in April of 2009AD while being filmed by a hidden audio visual device in their company vehicle on our way to fix generators and place them on auto-start.

The specs for the Laptop, (which sounds a lot like a Netbook) is as follows:

1. 13.3 inch screen
2. 1Gb RAM memory
3. 160 GB hard drive
4. 1.3 mega pixel Camera
5. Preloaded with Windows 7 OS and Skype
6. JA$14,999

Basic specs and bargain basement price for a Netbook that will see a lot of Students, inclusive of High School and University Students purchasing one of these 3G-Enabled Netbooks. A Netbook J'Neil Green, the top female awardee in the 2011 GSAT Examinations, will surely appreciate.

Thus, Managing Director of LIME Jamaica, Garry Sinclair mandate is fulfilled, quote: “Every child in school in 2011, irrespective of background, should have Internet access because it gives them a gateway to unlimited educational recourses which can help improve their overall academic performance. We are aware that prior to this, many parents were unable to afford a computer but with this new offer a computer has just become a lot more affordable so parents can get Internet for their children”.

It remains to be seen, like Telecom Provider LIME’s introduction of the Apple iPhone 4G as state in my blog article entitled “LIME and the Apple iPhone 4 - The Young and the Restless Gone in Sixty Seconds”, if Jamaica’s will take to this latest initiative a Telecom Provider to increase Internet Penetration among Jamaicans, Saving Private Ryan (1998) Style.

The only thing I would change with their offer is that they need to include 3G Modems in this offer to coincide with the coming upgrade of the 3G Platform to HSDPA+ Release 7 (High Speed Downlink Packet Access Plus) Network in partnership with Telecom Equipment Supplier Ericsson in the next eighteen (18) months as stated in my blog article entitled “LIME's US$80 million Caribbean HSDPA+ Release 7 Upgrade - Sonic the Hedgehog” and the article “LIME and American Tourist Data Avalanche - The US$80 Million Dollar CannonBall Run”.

Mobile and not Landline will be the future means by which Telecom Provider LIME will be able to achieve profitability in the future as prognosticated in my blog article entitled “LIME look to the future with new Services - Video and Audio Friends with Benefits in the Dead Zone”.