Caribbean360: Deal reached to build broadband network across Jamaica

Deal reached to build broadband network across Jamaica
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Chris Hoyos on 07/04/2011 09:39:00
 
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Thursday April 7, 2011 – Government yesterday signed a
J$543 million (US$6.37 million) agreement with telecommunications companies LIME
(Cable and Wireless) and FLOW (Columbus Communications) to build out a
high-speed island-wide broadband network.
Under the terms of the agreement, the providers will be held to the agreed
standard of 99.9 percent availability; and high speed transmission of 100
megabits per second on the backbone.
A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said the signing is a major
step towards bringing affordable and consistently high quality Internet delivery
to all secondary schools, post offices and public libraries in Jamaica.
Minister responsible for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects,
Daryl Vaz, said Cabinet had approved the award of the contracts last month.
“We charge the telecommunications providers to urgently complete the necessary
arrangements for businesses and residents within these communities to be
provided with broadband access. We would like to see the whole country provided
with broadband access within the shortest possible time,” he said.
“Any community, however remote, which has a public secondary or high school
will be provided with facilities for Internet access.  The spin off benefit of
this project is that the deployment of high speed Internet services in the
associated communities and within communities traversed by the optical fibre
cables can be accelerated.”
Funding for the build-out of the island-wide broadband network has come from the
Universal Access Fund Company Limited (UAFCL), which manages the Levy charged to
telecommunications companies for incoming international calls into Jamaica.
Vaz said internet services is a critical and important ingredient in national
advancement and economic development, and the government has developed and is
pursuing deliberate strategies for accelerating the deployment of high-speed
connectivity throughout the length and breadth of the country.
“We are committed to pursuing every available strategy to grow the national
economy, and this island-wide broadband initiative is consistent with that
objective," he said.
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