Columbus Barbados Telecommunications Limited is keen to get a mobile licence but has been unsuccessful so far.
The company’s managing director Niall Sheehy disclosed that in an attempt to enter the mobile market Columbus, which trades as FLOW, “applied for a licence and we haven’t got one”.
With Cable & Wireless’ acquisition of Columbus’ parent company pending, Sheehy expected that if the deal was approved mobile would be one of the “huge new opportunities” available.
“We don’t have mobile as Columbus. We have applied for a licence and we haven’t got one. This [partnership with Cable & Wireless] will now allow us to actually offer mobility, true mobile services to our customers,” he told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY.
“Part of our application was actually to be allowed spectrum to launch a proper LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, which will offer what we consider proper broadband mobile speeds because we are willing to make that investment.
“We believe in true broadband and I notice our competitor speaks about mobile broadband isn’t the same as fixed but it can be if you make the investment. The fixed broadband that we offer in Barbados is fibre to the home; we offer up to 300 megabits – it offers incredible speeds. We could have built a cheaper network that would offer broadband but maybe eight megabits, but we invested in a proper broadband network and we want to do the same in mobile. So it’s about investing in mobile, offering true mobile broadband,” he added.
Sheehy also assured FLOW’s existing customers that their standard of service and products would not fall under any combined C&W/Columbus entity.
“What customers fear is that ‘LIME has bought FLOW it’s going to go back to the way it was two years ago, it’s going to go back to the way it was five years ago, they are going to shut down FLOW and we are all going to go back to the past. That’s not the plan; the plan is to continue to offer services at minimum what you have today and probably better,” he said.
Sheehy said that that several projects his company had under way would continue, including its new headquarters at the former Orange Mall in Warrens, St Michael. This project is scheduled to be completed by February.
