Dennise Williams, Staff Reporter
Brendan Paddick (left) president and chief executive officer of Columbus Communications Ins., and Richard Pardy, chief executive officer of Flow Broadbent Network, speak during a media briefing at the Pegasus Hotel yesterday. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
CONSUMERS ARE expected to become the beneficiaries of a wide range of telecommunications services before the end of next month, according to new telecommunications firm, Flow Broadbent Network.
"Flow is all about voice, video and data," said the company's chief executive officer, Richard Pardy, yesterday.
The new company, which is based in the Bahamas, will offer basic broadband Internet service for J$650 per month; basic telephone service for $495 per month, which includes free calls within the Flow network, and basic cable service for $650.
The basic cable service will cover only 40 of the 250 channels that will be on offer.
Mr. Pardy was speaking during a media briefing at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston.
The company intends to offer broadband services to both residential and commercial clients.
According to Mr. Pardy, "We will be able to provide, at minimum, 38 megabytes (per second) to every house in this country. We are building for the long term."
In terms of cable services, Flow has a two-pronged strategy. First, the company will purchase four existing cable companies in order to acquire their licences.
"We will rebuild the network of the cable companies that we purchase. For their existing customers in good standing, we will rewire their house and install our cable at our cost," Pardy said
The interesting aspect of this set-up is that the digital nature of Flow's cable service means that it will be able to prevent leakage of the cable service that is currently available.
ACCESS RESIDENTIAL HOMES
The company said it would access residential homes through a pole attachment agreement with the Jamaica Public Service.
The second prong of Flow's cable strategy is to apply for an islandwide cable licence. Mr. Pardy noted that there are 750,000 households in Jamaica and that the company intends to offer service to 100,000 households by year-end and 320,000 in three years.
He said that by year-end Flow expects that 30,000 homes will sign up for its broadband Internet service and 50,000 for the cable service.
The company boasts GraceKennedy Remittance Services and Medecus Insurance who have already signed on.
