Digicel (Dominica), a wholly owned unit of pan-Caribbean operator Digicel Group, has marked the passing of its tenth year of operations in the country, noting that over the past decade it has invested over USD50 million in its networks and services. Speaking at an anniversary launch recently, the cellco’s country manager Richard Stanton commented that the operator has made significant strides over the years in the area of information, communication, and technology.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in June 2005 Jamaica-registered regional wireless group Digicel acquired the assets of Cingular Wireless in Dominica, re-launching GSM-900/1900 operations there in May 2006; Cingular had originally inaugurated its GSM network in March 2004. At re-launch, Wireless Ventures (Dominica), trading as Digicel (Dominica), announced an increased investment of USD5 million to meet surging demand, focusing its investment on upgrades and the expansion of the network across Dominica. Although Cingular Wireless had offered GSM services since March 2004, Digicel’s reinvigorated ‘Expect More. Get More’ tagline helped differentiate its brand, enabling it to achieve annual growth of 69% in its first year of operation. The newcomer sparked an upsurge in activity, and in particular a sharp increase in marketing and promotional activities by all three mobile service providers.