PHILIPSBURG-MONDAY, 26 APRIL - The Daily Herald
The recently approved telecommunications market analysis for St. Maarten, conducted in 2009, shows that United Telecommunications Services (UTS) commanded a greater share of the mobile telephone market than TelCell as of 2009, even if by a small margin. UTS commands 49 per cent of the market, while TelCell commands 48.3 per cent. The market analysis was conducted by JRJ Inc. and Prescod & Associates, and was approved by the Executive Council on April 8. It also concluded that no more additional telecommunications network licences should be made available for new parties to establish independent (copper or fibre optic) line-based facilities and that three mobile service providers "seem appropriate" for St. Maarten.
The analysis points out that the mobile market in St. Maarten, as in most countries in the Eastern Caribbean, has seen such significant growth in subscriber base that it actually exceeds the recorded population of the country. In fact, a review of market statistics for the island shows more than 68,300 mobile phones in the market. This suggests a situation where many persons carry multiple phones and very probably have subscriptions with multiple carriers.
"This does not bode well for the emergence of the expected effects of competition, as the carriers are largely not competing with each other; they are each operating almost independently of the other as providers with significant market power," the analysis outlined.
Internet
In terms of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), CaribServe has a dominant hold on the market in St. Maarten with a 59 per cent market share (approximately 5,200 subscribers. Despite its dominant position with fixed telephone lines, TelEm/TelNet did not dominate the provision of Internet services. Its 2,630 DSL subscribers represent only 30 per cent of the Internet market. These findings lend credence to persistent reports that TelNet has not been performing well financially for quite some time, losing vast numbers of customers to CaribServe, primarily due to poor service. CaribServe has built its reputation and company from the premise of "service first."
Cable TV
With only one cable television operator in St. Maarten, the analysis suggests that St. Maarten should develop a framework to allow its citizens to secure Direct Broadcast Satellite Services (DBS), to have choices in relation to multi-channel video distribution services. Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) refers to satellite television systems in which the subscribers, or end users, receive signals directly from geostationary satellites. Signals are broadcast in digital format at microwave frequencies. DBS is the descendant of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite services. "One example of such a framework would be to make available licences to the telecommunications operators to provide such services as a value-add to their existing products and to require parties installing such services to have licences to offer same," the analysis recommends. "In parallel, government can make available licences for the existing landline operator to offer multi-channel video distribution services over its existing network as an upgrade or over new cable facilities installed by these providers."
The recently approved telecommunications market analysis for St. Maarten, conducted in 2009, shows that United Telecommunications Services (UTS) commanded a greater share of the mobile telephone market than TelCell as of 2009, even if by a small margin. UTS commands 49 per cent of the market, while TelCell commands 48.3 per cent. The market analysis was conducted by JRJ Inc. and Prescod & Associates, and was approved by the Executive Council on April 8. It also concluded that no more additional telecommunications network licences should be made available for new parties to establish independent (copper or fibre optic) line-based facilities and that three mobile service providers "seem appropriate" for St. Maarten.
The analysis points out that the mobile market in St. Maarten, as in most countries in the Eastern Caribbean, has seen such significant growth in subscriber base that it actually exceeds the recorded population of the country. In fact, a review of market statistics for the island shows more than 68,300 mobile phones in the market. This suggests a situation where many persons carry multiple phones and very probably have subscriptions with multiple carriers.
"This does not bode well for the emergence of the expected effects of competition, as the carriers are largely not competing with each other; they are each operating almost independently of the other as providers with significant market power," the analysis outlined.
Internet
In terms of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), CaribServe has a dominant hold on the market in St. Maarten with a 59 per cent market share (approximately 5,200 subscribers. Despite its dominant position with fixed telephone lines, TelEm/TelNet did not dominate the provision of Internet services. Its 2,630 DSL subscribers represent only 30 per cent of the Internet market. These findings lend credence to persistent reports that TelNet has not been performing well financially for quite some time, losing vast numbers of customers to CaribServe, primarily due to poor service. CaribServe has built its reputation and company from the premise of "service first."
Cable TV
With only one cable television operator in St. Maarten, the analysis suggests that St. Maarten should develop a framework to allow its citizens to secure Direct Broadcast Satellite Services (DBS), to have choices in relation to multi-channel video distribution services. Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) refers to satellite television systems in which the subscribers, or end users, receive signals directly from geostationary satellites. Signals are broadcast in digital format at microwave frequencies. DBS is the descendant of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite services. "One example of such a framework would be to make available licences to the telecommunications operators to provide such services as a value-add to their existing products and to require parties installing such services to have licences to offer same," the analysis recommends. "In parallel, government can make available licences for the existing landline operator to offer multi-channel video distribution services over its existing network as an upgrade or over new cable facilities installed by these providers."
