cellphone - Haiti Observer Blog

After a very promising start at the launch of their new subscriber package in Haiti, telecommunications giant Digicel has reported a fall in their subscriber numbers in the country and other Caribbean neighbors in recent months. The loss valued at $7million takes their profit in the three months counted, ending in September, to only $691 million.

Their numbers took the a most dramatic dip in Haiti, a market that had proved so promising before with the company dominating at 75% market share, falling by 6% in their subscriber numbers and 11% in sales. This loss is juxtaposed with a growth rate of 2%, but the problem, according to the company headed by Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien, can be found in the sliding dollar phenomenon experienced in countries such as Haiti, Jamaica and Papua New Guinea.

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If the Haitian government could have it his way, to communicate with a friend or family member outside of Haiti, you would have to go back to the time when you go to Teleco, pay a huge fee. Then, you ask the operator to make the call. You wait in the waiting room from anywhere between one to four hours. Finally, there is contact, you are called to go to a small "cabine". If you are lucky, the person is there. You need to speak loudly in order for the person to hear you; at the same time, everyone else become part of the conversation.

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One of the most successful companies that has been operating in the Haitian market has not been feeling very good lately. For the past three Months ending in September, 2013 revenues for Digicel fell by over $7million to $691million. This is definitely. The number is much worst in Haiti for Digicel. "Tande"...

Mezanmi Yon Nouvel Konsa Pa Ka Pote Denis O'Brien bien Di Tou

The performance of Digicel in Haiti performance dipped sharply. The leading cellphone company who at one time was the only player in the Haitian market watched its sales fell by 11 percent to $126 million.

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In 2011, Haitian cell phone provider, Telco, merged with Vietnamese, Viettel, to form NATCOM. NATCOM had already expanded its reach overseas with an under-sea fiber optic network, connecting it with the U.S. via the Bahamas. NATCOM has saturated Haiti, providing all ten departments of Haiti with Internet access. NATCOM has already equipped more than 91 public schools with free access to the Internet. The infrastructure of Haiti, as a result, moves into the 21st century in a significant way.

NATCOM senior management boasts it is the only telecommunications giant with 3G service. Socially responsible, NATCOM will contribute fifty cents above other cell phone companies to the National Education Fund, which has been largely ignored by the government of Haiti (GOH). In a move to make NATCOM more affordable to customers, it is applying a 20% discount to subscriber calls.

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The CEO of the first telecommunications company to bring cell phones to Haiti, Haitel's Franck Ciné, was not his usual silent self in a recent interview with Vision 2000 journalist, Valery Numa. He outlined the companies past, leading up its declaration of bankruptcy and the subsequent trouble that's afflicted the struggling Telecom.

During the discussion, Ciné revealed much information about the current status of the company, including the fact that Teleco currently holds a 5% claim to Haitel, following Haitel's failure to make payment to the former company. Apart from stating facts, Ciné laid out statistics, juxtaposing Haiti's 80% unemployment rate for comparison against the benefit to the economy a thriving Haitel provides. He stated that the company provided approximately 3000 jobs directly, which indirectly served nearly 15,000 people in Haiti.

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Denis O'Brien, Irish billionaire and owner of cellphone company, Digicel was the first private investor to penetrate Haiti, the poorest country in Western Hemisphere. He introduced Digicel into Haiti in 2006. There was no shortage of skeptics about this move made by him but six years later in 2012, Digicel turned out to be the largest private sector investor in Haiti with a total user base of 4.8 million.

The cellphone entrepreneur is a true visionary and when everyone looks at the gloomy side of Haiti, he says that there is not even one Haitian problem that cannot be fixed. He says that all it takes is implementing the right project skills at the right place. He is right! He revolutionized the cellphone industry in Haiti by making cellphones available at rates as low as $7 per unit and call rates are fixed to be as low as it is practically possible.

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One excuse that the Haitian government has been spreading every time there is a kidnapping case in Haiti is that the government does not have control over the cell phones the criminals use to process their transaction such as contacting family members, requesting ransom, and actually getting compensation for the crime.

Is the Haitian Government soft on crime?

Hopefully a close regulation of the sale of mobile phones and SIM cards in Haiti will make it harder for these criminals. Actually, this is what the Secretary of State for Public Security, Réginald Delva, thinks. As a matter of fact, the Secretary of State for Public Security had for officials of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL) that from now on to take the necessary steps to ensure that all sales of cell phones is registered and asked the National Identification Office (ONI) to help him identify criminals. Any operator of cell phone are now required to control the pre-activation of SIM cards.

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I just learned that Digicel has launched its new mobile phone.

Tcho Tcho mobile is the name of the new mobile phone service introduced to the Haitian population.

This service is expected to make the lives of many Haitians very easy. Soon your new Tcho Tcho Mobile bank will allow you to conduct many banking activities fast, conveniently and safely. the services include: deposits, cash withdrawals and transfers.

All these banking services will be a click away from your cell phone. Tcho Tcho Mobile is intended to provide its services to up to 20,000 users during the initial first three months and will eventually increase its capability to serve the entire Haitian population very shortly.

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