How JA$6.2 billion Symbiote Investments Limited Spectrum may be Chinese-Jamaican Telecom Provider

“It is a win/win for the customer. In light of the recent developments in the industry, we once again welcome tripartite competition to the mobile telecoms sector”

Minister of Energy, Science and Technology Minister, Dr Andrew Wheatley commenting on the mobile spectrum license granted to Symbiote Investments Limited

Jamaica, we finally have a Third Telecom Provider.

Symbiote Investments Limited has been granted a mobile spectrum license as reported in the article “Govt grants spectrum license to third cellphone provider”, published Friday, May 20, 2016, The Jamaica Observer. 

The license was announced on Monday May 16^th 2016 by the OUR (Office of Utilities Jamaica) as published on the OUR's website. The new Telecom Provider paid out a total of US$20,833,332 (JA$2.6 billion) for two (2) licenses back in 2014:

1.      Carrier Licenses

2.      Service Provider

Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley says this means more choices for Jamaicans.

Symbiote Investments Limited will be especially welcome to those Jamaicans who have had to contend with two (2) telecom providers since CLARO Jamaica's exit back in 2012 as reported in Kelroy's Geezam blog article entitled “Digicel’s bid to Acquire Claro in Jamaica finally Approved – with conditions…”. 

So who is Symbiote Investments Limited?

Symbiote Investments Limited – Chinese Wolf with Jamaican Partner for Cellular and White Space

Our first bit of clues come from Symbiote Investments Limited License declaration as published on the OUR's website.

Symbiote Investments Limited is located at 4 Eastwood Avenue, Kingston 10. The Symbiote Investments Limited License declaration indicates that they had actually been awarded the spectrum license way back in 2014

This ties in with an announcement earlier by Finance Minister Audley Shaw during a Standing Finance Committee of Parliament on Tuesday May 3^rd 2016 of a Third Telecom Provider as reported in my blog article entitled “Why New Telecom Provider coming to Jamaica may be using White Space Spectrum”.  

He's spoken of a Telecom Provider coming to provide basic telecom Services. This makes them the Third Telecom Provider in Jamaica after Telecom Provider Digicel and FLOW Jamaica.

I'm not sure if they are a Chinese consortium in partnership with a local Jamaican company somewhat like the AIS (Advanced Integrated Systems) and Quisk as described in my blog article entitled “How Quisk and AIS Mobile Money 2.0 heralds Cashless Society in Jamaica in July 2016”. 

But if that is the case, it explains the unusual address as show in the image below

Still, it's my assertion that it may indeed be a Jamaican company in partnership with a Chinese Telecom Provider. Even more interesting, they may be planning to launch a basic Cellular service and use White Space frequency to provide Broadband Internet service as predicted in my blog article entitled “How Chinese White Space Network possible in Jamaica by Independence Day”.

Dear reader, keep your eyes on this post as I'll be checking this one out and publishing a more detailed article later on this as well as the Geezam blog.

Here’s the link:

Symbiote Investments Limited

4 Eastwood Avenue,

Kingston 10