Blogging Competition as Digicel Teams up with The Jamaica Observer to celebrate World Telecommunications Day

Telecom Provider Digicel is Teaming up with The Jamaica Observer to celebrate World Telecommunications Day, which was on Saturday May 17^th 2014 as stated in “Digicel/Jamaica Observer partner to stage World Telecom Day blogging competition”, published Wednesday, May 07, 2014 1:11 PM, The Jamaica Observer 

This was by launching a Blogging Competition and “Calling all bloggers”, published Thursday, May 08, 2014, The Jamaica Observer. 

Dear reader, take a gander at the poster below lifted from Telecom Provider Digicel’s Twitter Page.

Can’t get clearer than that!

The focus for the blog is on “impact of the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector on the Jamaican economy, culture and communications”, which must be written with a minimum of 1000 words in a blog. Once published, the hyperlink for the article then has to be emailed in to marion.carter@digicelgroup.com between Saturday May 17^th 2014 and Thursday May 22^nd 2014, with the winner being announced on Wednesday May 28^th 2014.

World Telecommunications Day – Blogging Prizes need more Money and Year-Long Recognition

Personally I’m disappointed that I can’t enter as I’m not a spring chicken as I can’t fit into any of those age ranges a mentioned in the poster. That and the fact that I’m unlikely to win as albeit I’ve been blogging about Telecoms since 2010, most of my articles have been decidedly anti-Digicel. Plus, there is no financial Price, as all the prizes listed are geared at you spending more money with either Telecom Provider Digicel or The Jamaica Observer………as by having a blog, you’re basically your own newspaper!

So BOTH those prizes are kinda unappealing and indicate that Telecom Provider Digicel Marketing Department and The Jamaica Observer has NO real intention of nurturing a Blogging Community that will turn on them in the future.

Throw up a Digicel Rising Star-esque style Prize of, Say JA$1,000,000 plus some Computer Gear i.e. Laptop, External Burner Hard-drive and free 4G Broadband Internet access for a year in exchange for the Blogger becoming a Digicel Ambassador to give positive spin to anything Digicel does around the World and Blogging would get a big boost in Jamaica.

Then again, Telecom Provider LIME isn’t doing ANYTHING for World Telecommunications Day or even for the entire Week, muchless for the Blogging Community, as they’ve cancelled the Jamaica Blog Awards this year, which the Geezam blog won last year in the category of Best Technology blog as stated in Kelroy’s blog article entitled “Geezam.com wins Best Technology Blog at Jamaica Blog Awards”. 

The level of awareness of the effect of the Liberalization of the Telecoms Sector back in 1997 with the Telecommunications Act of 2000 that eventually saw Telecom Provider Digicel coming to Jamaica is very low. Blogging about Telecommunications related issues can help change that, as it’ll get Teenagers (ages 13 to 17) and Millennials (ages 18 to 28) interested in investigating and writing on issues related to this very secretive field!

So Telecom Provider Digicel, not a bad start to supporting Blogging!

Jamaica’s 4G LTE Data Revolution – Still no Regulator or MNP/LNP to allow Third Competitor

Well, fast Forward to 2014.

We are now on the cusp of a Data Revolution in the next 18 months with the rapid adoption of Smartphones and Tablet, from which Telecom Provider Digicel expects to capitalize as noted in my blog article entitled “Digicel to invest US$85 million in 4G LTE Network - 25% of Total revenue from ICT as 4G LTE Investments designed to weather the coming Summer WhatsApp Storm”.

As for Telecom Provider LIME, they’ve benefitted directly from the MTR (Mobile Termination Rate) Adjustments and are now touting 25% increase in their customer Base as stated in my blog article entitled “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 now sit with baited Breath awaiting the coming of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) from BOTH Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider Digicel as described in my blog article entitled “LIME and Digicel have purchase AWS and 700 MHZ Spectrum for 4G LTE - Spectrum Purchase by the Number with Strings Attached as Ministry gets kitty donations from Local Telcos”.

Even as we’re yet to have a Telecoms Regulator and have the other facilities in place to facilitate the coming of a Third Competitor, such as a MNP (Mobile Number Portability) and LNP (Landline Number Portability) as stated in my blog article entitled “New Telecom Regulator finally coming by July 2014 - New Telecom Provider looking for stability in the Jamaican Telecoms Market post-LNP and MNP by May 2014”.

But if Telecom Provider Digicel wants to have a long lasting impact from this Blogging Promotion, they need to make the Prizes a lot more desirable for this World Telecommunications Day!

Check back with my blog or just follow Digicel Jamaica’s website Digicel Jamaica YouTube Page, Digicel’s Facebook Page and Digicel’s Twitter Page as well as the Jamaica Observer Facebook Page and the Jamaica Observer Twitter page for details on when the next promotion is coming to a store near you, which I’ll be sure to blog about!