BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Dec 16, CMC – The proposed multi-billion dollar merger between the British telecommunications company, Cable and Wireless (CWC) and Columbus International will be among issues discussed in the Dominican Republic in February next year.
Capacity Caribbean 2015 will be held in Punta Cana, February 10-11 and the organisers said that it will provide for an in depth discussion on the Caribbean telecoms market which “is going through a transformative phase, spurring significant growth opportunities for the regional and international communities”.
The organisers said that despite fierce competition, high mobile penetration and many telecoms markets being a duopoly, operators are focussing on the Caribbean as the region’s promising telecoms market continues to evolve.
They said that more than 200 telecom executives will attend the “Capacity Caribbean 2015” that will also feature research-led speaker presentations, panel discussions and dedicated networking sessions.
CWC chief executive, Phil Bentley, has given a commitment to Caribbean governments and regulators that if the company’s three billion US dollar acquisition of Columbus International is approved, the enlarged CWC will not negatively impact competition in the cable and broadband markets.
“In the Caribbean countries in which CWC and Columbus overlap—Jamaica, Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada—we know that we have to work closely with governments and regulators to ensure that our customers benefit and competition is not compromised,” he said.
Digicel, CWC’s biggest competitor in the Caribbean, has repeatedly stressed that approval of the transaction will provide CWC with market dominance in fixed broadband and in cable.
The organisers said that delegates “will discuss how operators can leverage the geographical position of the Caribbean and continue the telecom growth of the market.
“ The highlight of Capacity Caribbean 2015 will be the announcement of the results of an exclusive Caribbean telecoms survey. Completed by key players in the Caribbean, the survey will look into the region’s confidence with the current regulatory, competitive and investment frameworks. The results of the survey will be revealed for the first time at the conference and will be debated by local telecom operators.”
