THE NATIONAL propensity for talk has received a boost with the launch of another cellular phone service. Never before have we witnessed as intense a marketing campaign as both Cable and Wireless and the new kid on the block, Digicel, have sought to convince consumers of the superiority of their respective systems.
Cellular telephones have caught on in Jamaica beyond the most optimistic projections. Cable and Wireless which, pioneered the service in 1991, had expected to have 10,000 customers in the first year of operation; the number doubled to 20,000. The company now has 350,000 cellular phone customers and is not saying where they think it will peak.
Digicel has estimated that they will have a customer base of 1.2 million subscribers. The company says it has invested $8 billion in developing its local cellular network and projects that in the next two years its total investment in Jamaica will be of the order of US$200 million.
Cable and Wireless says it has expended $8 billion in developing its cellular service and will spend another $2 billion before the end of this year. Another cellular service, Centennial is to start in the near future and two other cellular licences are yet to be auctioned.
The growth and acceptance of cellular telephones in Jamaica is in keeping with the worldwide trend for this new form of communication. Despite the downturn in the local economy the service has caught on at all levels because of flexible packages, which have brought the service within the reach of a wide cross-section of the society. The convenience of the technology has also been a strong factor in its acceptance.
If all of this leads to greater efficiency and enhanced productivity in the country then we would really be on to a good thing.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
