Monique Hepburn, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
JAMAICA, WHICH has 500,000 fixed line customers and 1.4 million mobile subscribers serving its 2.6 million residents, has the highest tele-density in the Caribbean region.
Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, indicated this Wednesday in an interview with The Gleaner. He also noted that Jamaica had surpassed its Caribbean counterparts in the number of telephone instruments per 100 persons.
OUTSTRIPPED OTHER CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
"We have outstripped (the) other Caribbean islands over the last two-and-a-half years due to the growth in wireless mobile services," Paulwell said. "When we combine fixed lines and wireless subscriptions we are ahead."
In 2001, Jamaica was ahead of the region with 46 of every 100 inhabitants having telephone service. Trinidad came next with 41 per cent, Belize with 25 per cent and Haiti with one per cent.
"We can say that Jamai-ca's tele-density due to our liberalisation policies, now stands at 80 per cent per 100 people," Mr. Phillips said. "The other Caribbean countries have not seen any significant increase in these figures. In fact fixed line services throughout the Caribbean have declined."
HIGH TELEPHONE RATES
The Minister expressed disappointment that telephone rates were still too high, a situation that could pose a hindrance to the flow of information technology investments into the island. He also said that as the sole provider of submarine cables, Cable and Wireless' rates were too high.
"The rates are too high and if we are going to encourage new investors we have to bring in more competition," Paulwell said.
He asserted that a lowering of fixed line rates would not necessarily harm Cable and Wireless.
"It is only through competition that we are going to see a response from them. They can afford to lower their rates as whatever they lose on the margin they will get it back in the volume."
