About Digicel
In
April 2001, when Digicel launched their GSM mobile service in Jamaica, the
company anticipated reaching the 100,000 customer plateau by the end of its
first year in operation. Instead, they hit the 100,000 mark a mere 100 days
after launch! Never before in the history of mobile telecommunications had such
tremendous growth been seen in a network, as Digicel broke record after record
on its way to surpassing its major competitor as the mobile provider with the
largest customer base in the island.
To give an idea of Digicel's pace of growth, it
took its major competitor approximately 10 years to reach the 400,000 customer
mark. In comparison, it took Digicel about 13 months to reach the same figure.
Digicel's customer base now stands at approximately 2 million customers
and the company currently commands approximately 75% of the mobile market share
in Jamaica.
It is no secret that competition forces businesses
to find more creative and impactful ways of appealing to their target groups,
so as to keep existing customers and attract new ones. From a marketing, sales and
technology standpoint, Digicel changed the face of local telecommunications by
providing the mobile consumer with an offering which was far superior to that
of the incumbent.
Digicel has been a major contributor to national
income and to employment creation for hundreds of Jamaicans, both directly and
indirectly. From areas such as construction, retail distribution and of course
telecommunications, Digicel exposed Jamaicans across the board to one of the
most dynamic, fast-paced fields in existence.
Digicel also drove mobile rates down. Digicel's
major competitor has cut its calling rates (by as much as 50% in some
instances) in response to Digicel's aggressive thrust in the market. The competition
also cut its international rates by 40% in some instances, in an attempt at
staving off the inevitability of Digicel's growing hold on the market.
Regardless of these various measures, most will agree, that with regards to
value for money, Digicel remains far ahead of the competition.
Digicel raised the bar where acceptable levels of
network coverage were concerned. Jamaicans living in rural Jamaica finally had
a genuine option for mobile communications. With an island wide network of 1,200
cellular towers spread across all 14 parishes, Digicel has firmly established
itself as the mobile provider with the premier network coverage across the
country.
Digicel has also become not only the leading
mobile service provider, but the leading mobile service innovator as well. By
launching a variety of service options never before seen by the mobile customer
in Jamaica, Digicel has established itself a 'brand for the future'. With
services such as Roaming, SMS to e-mail, E-mail to audio and mobile colour imaging,
already becoming a reality for mobile users, Digicel has placed Jamaicans on
the cutting edge of mobile technology.
In addition to its unparalleled growth and
contribution to the development of local telecommunications, Digicel has also
impacted on the lives of Jamaicans, through its corporate citizenship and
sponsorships. The likes of Mustard Seed (a refuge for children with HIV),
Special Olympics Jamaica, and Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency
Management (ODPEM) are a few of the organizations to have benefited from
Digicel's commitment to the betterment of Jamaican life.
Digicel has become known as much for their
vibrancy and innovativeness as for their commitment to the development of our
nation. They have been involved in promotions such as Carnival, Reggae Sumfest,
the Denbigh Agricultural Show and Jamaica Cultural Development Commission
Festival (JCDC). In sports Digicel sponsors the National Football Team (The
Reggae Boyz), the Digicel Premier League, Netball, Track & Field; among
other things. Team Digicel has become a mainstay in the lives of thousands
of Jamaicans.
Embarking on the next phase of its remarkable
journey, Digicel currently has operations in 26 markets and the Caribbean and
Central America and 9.1 million customers. Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and now has operations in 32 markets
world-wide. Its Caribbean and Central American markets comprise Anguilla,
Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin
Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, French Guiana,
Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Panama, St
Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname,
Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos. The Caribbean company also has coverage
in St. Martin and St. Barths. Digicel Pacific comprises Fiji, Nauru, Papua New
Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.



