Narayan AmmachchiThe government of the Caribbean island of Curaçao and relevant regulatory bodies have approved Digicel’s acquisition of local fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) operator Tres Networks.
Digicel has not disclosed the finance details of the deal, but promised that it would work with the existing management team to bring enhanced services to customers in the island.
Hamilton, Bermuda-based Digicel is aggressively buying smaller carriers one after another to keep pace with its rival Cable & Wireless, which has grown into a telecom behemoth in the region following its acquisition of Columbus International.
This is Digicel’s sixth acquisition in the Caribbean in the past three years, with Bermuda Telephone Company and Jamaica’s Telestar being the major ones.
“The acquisition of Tres Networks will enable us to invest further to build out our state-of-the-art fiber network across the island to deliver superior experience and position Curacao at the forefront of technology in the Caribbean,” said Sten van der Ham,CEO of Digicel Curacao.
Tres Networks has little or no competition in the island because it runs the country’s one and the only fiber optic network. But, analysts say, Digicel will improve the service further, because its aim is to strengthen its position before the competition grows.
Previously known as Santa Barbara Utilities, Tres Networks was established to provide telecom service in Santa Barbara area. According to TeleGeography, the operator soon extended its reach to cover approximately 55,000 residential homes and nearly 5,500 businesses.
When it launched Internet service in 2010, it offered maximum download speeds of 25Mbps. Curaçao is an autonomous part of the Netherlands and home to about 150,000 people.
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