“We
are investing heavily in cable TV, content and fibre across our markets to
ensure that Digicel is positioned at the forefront of a data intensive world
where our customers are able to enjoy multimedia experiences on multiple
devices and avail of advanced solutions for their businesses. We look forward
to expanding our footprint further in this space in the coming year through a
combination of acquisitions and greenfield builds.”
Digicel Group CEO, Colm
Delves on the reported acquisition of Telstar Cable
Telecom
Provider Digicel is indeed going
on a Caribbean-wide Cable Television Shopping spree.
This
as they’re in the final stages of acquiring Telstar Cable and their Triple-Play
Services of Cable TV, Broadband Internet and Telephony as stated in “Digicel
Enters Cable Television Market With Telstar Acquisition”, Published Friday
July 18, 2014, by Richard Browne, Business Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner and “Digicel
to buy Telstar Cable”, published Friday, July 18, 2014, The Jamaica Observer.
The Geezam blog also did an article on the
purchase as stated in Kelroy’s Geezam blog
article entitled “Digicel
to Acquire Jamaica’s Telstar Cable”. It's not yet a done deal, being
dependent on approval by the Broadcasting Commission according to Managing
Director of Telstar, Flo Darby, quote: “Our
agreement is subject to the Broadcasting Commission's approval, so everything
is dependent on that”.
No
pricing info on this one and like the previous others, it's shrouded in
secrecy. The last on that occurred was the purchase of WIV Cable TV and TCT,
operators of the Broadband Cable service TCExpress in the Turks and Caicos
Islands via teaming up with Telemedia as reported in “DIGICEL ACQUIRES
WIV”, viewed Friday April 17th 2014, Turks and
Caicos Sun and “Digicel
acquires Turks and Caicos television station”, published Wednesday, April
09, 2014, The Jamaica Observer.
Thus
far, the purchase of Cable TV Providers in the Caribbean that possess
Triple-Play Services and a Fiber Optic Backhaul interconnecting their exchanges
are as follows:
1.
Caribbean Cable Communications Holding
Ltd in Anguilla, Nevis and Montserrat in November 2013
2.
SAT Telecommunications in Dominica in
February 2014 as stated in “Digicel
Acquires Cable TV Operation”, Published Wednesday February 19, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner
With
Telecom Provider Digicel going 4G
LTE in Jamaica after purchasing their 700 MHz Spectrum License as stated 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”,
they're acquiring as much Fiber Optic Broadband Capacity as possible.
Digicel acquires
Telstar Cable – 4G LTE with a dash of Streaming Cable TV Service
Telstar
Cable will be used as Fiber Optic Backhaul to interconnect their Cell Towers
that have been provisioned with the 4G LTE Equipment from Ericsson that they're
building out. Their coverage includes the following areas:
1.
Beverley Hills
2.
Cross Roads
3.
Duhaney Park
4.
Hope Pastures
5.
Meadowbrook Estate
6.
Mona
7.
New Haven
8.
Patrick City
9.
Riverton City
10.
Swallowfield
11.
Vineyard Town
12.
Washington Gardens
My
conclusion is based on what they’re
doing in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where they’d also they're also acquired
two (2) 12 MHz Bands of 700 MHz Spectrum earlier in February 2014 as stated in “Digicel WIns LTE
License in Turks and Caicos Islands”, published 22nd Feb 2013, Cellular News and “Digicel,
Islandcom win 700MHz LTE licences, squeeze out LIME”, published 22 Feb
2013, TeleGeography.
Thus,
via this acquisition and other like it across the Caribbean, they're in a
position to offer streaming Cable Television over their coming 4G LTE Network
as a VAS (Value Added Service) as stated in my Geezam
blog article entitled “Digicel
Turks and Caicos thinks Streaming over 4G LTE by buying Cable TV Internet
Provider”.
In
effect, they’re following the same strategy as Telecom Provider LIME, who may
be using their 4G LTE Network to relaunch their LIME TV Service as a Streaming
TV 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”.
Streaming
Cable TV sound about right, as even the RJR Communications Group is going the
streaming route come October 2014 as explained in my blog article
entitled “RJR
Group to launch UNIV’s uVOD Streaming Platform by October 2014 - Streaming
Gamble against Piracy as 2015 is DSO to DTT and Digital HD Radio”.
Stay
tuned to my blog as more news comes my way!
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