The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

CABLE Bahamas Limited’s Vice-president of Marketing David Burrows yesterday announced that his company already has the necessary infrastructure in place to revolutionise the country’s cellular market and employ 150-250 Bahamians if granted the nation’s second mobile cellular licence.

While speaking to the Rotary Club of West Nassau, Mr Burrows indicated that the extensive fibre optics network developed over the years by the television giant was designed with major expansion in mind.

“Back in 1995 we built something called the hybrid fibre-coaxial system which meant in order for our network to run we ran fibre optic cables to every single neighbourhood in the country,” he said.

He explained that the fibre optics network is only operating at about eight per cent of its capable range to sustain the nation’s best broadband service, fast growing telephone brand and the premier television product.

According to Mr Burrows, the new jobs will come as a result of an expanded service base that will employ line staff ranging from general technicians to qualified office personnel, all as a part of CBL’s expanded product line.

Last month the government announced that Cable Bahamas, Digicel and Virgin Mobile were the three companies bidding for the nation’s second cellular licence. Prime Minister Perry Christie has said the government is on target to announce the successful applicant in May.

Mr Christie has also said the Cellular Liberalisation Task Force, formed last April, has drafted transaction documents to govern a partnership with the government that will allow for a 49 per cent, 51 per cent ownership split with the selected company.

Last month, Mr Christie said Bahamian investors will own the 51 per cent.

He said the government had a requirement for the new cellular company to have “broad Bahamian ownership”.

Mr Burrows, speaking on that particular point, said his company had no issue with that requirement because, as he noted: “Cable Bahamas is already 100 per cent Bahamian owned.”

“We have for quite sometime pushed the fact that we are owned completely by Bahamians.”

Earlier this year there were concerns over the integrity of the government’s proposals process for the second cellular mobile network, in view of the recent construction of several towers by Cable Bahamas.

When asked about this, Minister of Works Philip Davis said that the government had made no decision on the matter and that there was no inside track.

Mr Burrows yesterday said the towers were only being constructed to better assist the company’s wireless market.