“After some negotiation, Digicel
has agreed as of October 1, 2013, on the abolition of voice roaming on
Digicel's Network in Caricom countries. Each travelling subscriber will be
treated as if he is using his local/domestic Digicel Network throughout the
region and therefore will be billed accordingly”
Excerpt
from the announcement by Minister Phillip Paulwell on Wednesday August 14ht
2013 at the CTU (Caribbean Telecommunications Union) International
Telecommunications Caribbean Ministerial Forum on ICT in Port
of Spain , Trinidad
Interesting development from Telecom
Provider Digicel. They almost went
overlooked as it was overshadowed by Telecom Provider LIME new JA$300 30-Day Data Plans and free
Alcatel On Touch T’Pop as stated in my blog article
entitled “LIME
Jamaica introduces 30-day Data Plans for JA$300 and a free Alcatel One Touch
T'Pop - How the Butler started the Smartphone Data Revolution”
Telecom Provider Digicel now decided to lower the
Roaming Calling Rate by Tuesday October 1st 2013 making Calls to
CARICOM (Caribbean Community) the same rate as Local Calling on their Digicel Network.
This as stated in the GOJ’s mouthpiece The
Jamaica Information Service in the article “Digicel
Roaming Charges to be Abolished in Caribbean”, published Friday, 09 August 2013 12:14 by Olivia Leigh Campbell, The Jamaica Information Service
This incredible feat was achieved
by Minister of Science Technology
Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell, via negotiations with Telecom Provider Digicel. Minister Paulwell, who is
also President of the CTU (Caribbean Telecommunications Union), is also in
negotiations with Telecom Provider LIME
for them to abolish the Roaming Rates for CARICOM.
But even more surprising and what
may be a treat and really welcome news for many travelers is that Minister
Paulwell aims to abolish Roaming on BOTH Telecom Providers, and ….wait for it….
Roaming for BOTH Voice and Data Service by the end of 2013! This as hinted in
the article “Digicel
to abolish US, Caricom roaming charges”, published Friday, August 09, 2013,
The Jamaica Observer.
If you are reading this and you are
still standing or not shocked, you may not realize what this means.
Effectively, it means that if you are a traveler from the US to Jamaica or vice versa, you no
longer have to pay Roaming Charges. Also Calls will be billed at the same rate
as regular local On-Net or Cross Network Calls, effectively JA$2.99 per minute.
Aside from benefits to Traveling
Jamaicans, it also benefits Americans wanting to come to Jamaica, as it means
that you can now come to Jamaica and now worry about expensive charges while
Roaming on Telecom Provider Digicel
or Telecom Provider LIME’s Networks
both for Voice and Data Service. You’ll be treated just like a normal Telecom
Provider Digicel or Telecom
Provider LIME customer.
I suspect the Telecom Provider Digicel has agreed to it as many
people who travel simply don’t Roam. They just carry either an unlocked
Quad-Band smartphone or Modem or they just buy one from Either Telecom
Provider. Worse some may even travel with a FemtoCell or AttoCell, which is a
mini Mobile Base station powered by the hotel’s Broadband Internet as explained
in my blog
article entitled “When
in Roam (ing) carry a attocell - SnapDragon and The Tourist”..
They might just simply use Skype or
Google Voice via their Hotel’s or Friends Wi-Fi, making the Roaming charges set
up lying unused and thus another remnant Service like sending Telegraph, which
C&W, now Telecom Provider LIME,
shuttered in January 31, 2004 as stated in the article “Telephone
price war: remembering the telegraph”, By Martin Henry, The Jamaica Gleaner.
This is yet another milestone that
paves the way for True Flat Rate Calling both for On-Net, Cross Network and International
Calling. With MNP (Mobile Number Portability) coming by May 2014 as stated in my
blog article
entitled “LIME
drops JA$2.99 Talk EZ to All Networks as Digicel promises something Bigger -
Telecom Providers can bring The Heat via lower Priced Smartphones to spur 3G
Data and Postpaid Plans”, True telecom Sector Liberalization would have
been partially achieved.
By 2014 the following are also
expected:
- Cable Service Liberalization, as currently Triple Play Provider FLOW is a monopoly
- Satellite Broadband Services, which currently doesn’t exist
- FTTH (Fiber to the House) Services
- DSO (Digital switch Over) to DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “The Future of Free-to-Air Broadcasters in Jamaica as Digital Switch Over Approaches in 2015”
With this announcement of Roaming
charges to be abolished on both Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider Digicel, Everything is Possible!
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