Can you hear me now? The voice of Caribbean telecoms consumers

Though it might have always been the case, the recent announcement of Cable & Wireless Communications Plc’s intention to purchase Columbus International Inc. (which trade as LIME and Flow, respectively, in the Caribbean) has truly brought home that consumers tend to be an afterthought in the region’s telecoms space. Indeed, the proposed purchase might be the most prominent issue in the region’s ICT/tech space, but there are others, which although they might not have the far-reaching implications of the sale, nevertheless emphasise the eroding position of consumers. Proposed acquisition of Flow by LIME With regard to the proposed purchase, arguments are being made in various quarters that consumers will benefit from the merger of those two firms. However, so far, history does not support that position, where many countries across the Caribbean experienced an expensive and indifferent monopoly that only changed tact when competition was introduced and it started to lose market share . MORE