Prime Minister Gaston Browne has told telecommunication companies Digicel and Flow that they will not survive any spectrum war against APUAA and the government of Antigua and Barbuda.
Browne told his weekly radio programme over the weekend that the former administration “literally displaced APUA and gave Digicel all of the lucrative spectra.”
He said that as a result, APUA has been unable to benefit from the millions of visitors who come to Antigua because they cannot offer roaming services.
“You know who the roaming revenue in Antigua and Barbuda goes to? Digicel and Flow, APUA gets none because they don’t have that type of low-frequency spectrum.”
The prime minister told radio listeners that the playing field is not equal and that must change.
“You are telling me what we must sit down and allow that inequity to continue. So we say to them you have 21 gigabytes of space lets share it 7-7-7 and that is what they are resisting,” he said.
He said all three telecommunications companies can survive under that arrangement.
“There are large telecommunication companies all over the world, with millions of customers sharing that kind of spectrum, and they (Digicel) with their little two by two customer base are trying to say to us that they cannot share because they want to keep out APUA,” Browne said.
He said the court has given the parties three months to resolve the issue on its own. Digicel claims it has secured an injunction from the court stopping the force acquisition of its spectrum.
The prime minister says Digicel and Flow cannot win any war with the government and advises them to cooperate.
“And I hope they corporate because ultimately if they think they going to kill APUA, I can say to them not under my administration. If anything they will get killed they are not killing APUA, mark my word about that.”
Browne is also refuting claims that his government is hostile to investors.
“It’s not because we hustle to foreign investors we welcome foreign investment but this idea that you can just come and extract and put a company that is owned by the people of Antigua and Barbuda at a disadvantage that cannot be fair,” he said.
According to Browne, an expert will be brought in to assess whether the spectrum can be shared. He said if it can be as local experts have already confirmed, Digicel and Flow will have no choice but to “share or leave.”
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I agree 100% with PM Browne on this issue.
I’ve never seen a country where a foreign company think they can come and tell the government how it should share its assets. The government and go to parliament tomorrow and change the law and take away the entire spectrum from them in name of national emergency. Just like going to parliament to take away property. All they will be entitle to is some market value of the asset. To me Digicel is going down the wrong path. Soon they will become persona non grata. And than they will be gone for sure.
Not because the previous government was stupid enough not to understand what they were giving away, means this government needs to continue. Ask Butch from Sandals what happened to him. Same situation. Inept UPP made a bad deal and Gaston ABLP needed to correct it. And corrected it will Mr. Digicel.
21 gigabytes of space? PM you are getting incorrect information from your advisors. Melford if you know better correct him.
He was not saying there is 21 gigs. He was giving an example… so if there is 21 gigs…divide it equally so that each person gets 7- 7- 7 and there is equity across the board.
I believe it was an example …🤦🏽♀️
Digicel especially can go. Even the level of customer service and jobs is crappy!!
Yup. Their so-called LTE Internet always having issues. The customer service is designed to rip off customers.
M .tours
The pm is right .we Antiguans should able to get a peace of the pie .
No investors should come in and have all that privilege.
Digicel ,flow and Inet can share equal.
The People of Antigua and Barbuda must be respected. The PM is right. Forward comrades. This is the New Antigua. The People are with their Government on this one, for sure.
Can’t wait them to dam thief
Will APUA supply better services? APUA is as a service provider is very poor quality and overpriced. Also, doesn’t Digicel own the fiber to the outside internet? Digicel could end Antigua’s internet at the flip of a switch. Then it won’t matter what kind of spectrum APUA has.
a Dwayne Tulloch send you? Tell he to d some actual work and tap tek so much smoke breaks.
Lack of long term national vision.
Out country is suffering because of a lack of planning and visioning.
The 99 year leases….. Has it ever occurred to the planners that the country may need these lands or properties before 99 years expire.
Leasing 100s of acres of land…….Has it occurred to the drafters that some or maybe all of these lands will be need for national development in the near future.
Spectrum…… Surely it did not occur to the big brain people that in the future the spectrum would have been needed so they just sell it off.
Now huge sums of public funds will have to be spent to acquire and compensate businesses for the blind big brainers.
I say they should be taken before the court and pay for their stupidity Everytime one of these instances pop up, let them be accountable for their dunceness.
A thunderous applause for my Prime Minister.
I agree with you 1000 percent
Ok so are you going to level the playing field by allowing them to run fiber optics cable. You want a level.playing field but Flow can’t even run any new wires on your lamppost. Goh with your bullshit. It’s not you alone that have a degree
This kind of attitude and open hostility do not inspire investor’s confidence and I maintain it is certainly not the right approach to dealing with these issues. Many applaud the Prime Minister for his stance but it is my view that this is the wrong way of dealing with it. Whether it be Scotia Bank, Sandals, Flow or Digicel, all these companies have contributed immensely to the landscape of Antigua and Barbuda and if there are issues that need to be discussed in regard to their operation, then it should be handled in a more efficient and less hostile manner. The Prime Minister’s approach encourages hostility towards the Companies and like LIAT and other entities, they provide well needed revenue to the Government as well as meaningful employment to many Antiguans & Barbudans. It think that the Government’s mode of engagement is totally unfair and I stand by it!
It seems like his way of tackling problems and dealing with issue has proven to have more results than any other in the past.
I guess everyone has their own style and you may not like his, but the results speak for themselves. No nonsense man. Straight and without finesse.
As we say he raw. But always fair. Sometimes too fair.
The PM at his bombastic self as usual.
Today during the OECS Assmebl I heard the rep from SVG say that we have to be undiplomatic with our diplomacy.
He should explain to you how this approach work.
Since when spectrum affects the ability of customers roaming, most visit that comes to our shores roams with Flow or Digicel because of roaming agreements. APUA/ Government fail to mention that they have the entire 700mhz plus and portion of the same 850mhz spectrum plus the monopoly on fibre. Let’s talk about uneven playing field APUA 0% on equipment entering the country.
M.Tours
Don’t be fooled by these politicians there is way more to the story that is being told.
So we should be fooled by those so called investors that come to our shores and plunder our assets and than leave. Listen, Cable & Wireless used to charge us arm and a leg for services like overseas calls. Then came VOIP and they try to block that in order to protect their revenue stream. Then they charges us high rates for mobile phone and incoming calls as well. In comes PCS and the game is spoiled for them. Incoming calls are now free. Then APUA re-brand to Inet and we get better, cheaper and more speed for less. Suddenly they too can give us more speed and more mega byte than before.
Once we get rid of the competition see what happens to service and cost.
God Bless our Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
He no fraid no body. That is what I like about him.
Damn right no mek no foreign country come yah come run tings Antigua and Barbuda for Antiguans and Barbudans, all else wait in line.
FLOW Cable definitley needs to go… dat wan total Spanish service that is forcing English-speaking countries to learn their language so when they come in invade our countries the language barrier may be easier to overcome. No shit Sherlock NO BODY a run Antiguan and Barbudans show. PEOPLE STAND UP AND DROP FLOW CABLE!!!
Digicel a enrich Jamaica’s economy by their services here, so is COURTS. Marginalize dem and no mek dem cum yah cum run tings yah fu ar we. Are we can go a fu dem country and run tings dey? Antiguan fooleys WAKE UP!!
Me no key who bex because me talk Hon. Gaston Browne fight dung all dem foreign investors who cum yah cum play greedy and wan fu tek all fu enrich dem country and den laugh us to scorn.
Antigua and Barbuda stand up with your country and its PM to stamp out these greedy overseas investors
Mr Brown you are my hero. Can wake up the rest of the region. We have the skills its not rocket science..
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