Digicel brings prepaid roaming to the OECS

Digicel, the Irish telecommunications company, has moved another step further in proving they are the real “bigger better GSM network” service provider with the launch of two new services to its customers in the Eastern Caribbean.
Customers in St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are now able to use the services “Call Me” and “Prepaid Roaming”. {{more}}
“Call Me” and “Prepaid Roaming”, which were introduced in Jamaica earlier this year, allow customers easier access to roaming and free communication with friends, family and business associates throughout the Caribbean. The roaming service will eventually allow customers to roam in the United Kingdom and the United States by the middle of next month.
The announcement was made by the newly appointed CEO of Digicel Eastern Caribbean, Kevin White, during a press conference held in Barbados last Thursday. According to White, the new services are just some of the initiatives promised to Digicel customers for the coming year. “You are going to see a lot more this year in products and services…” White said.
Unlike post-paid roaming, the “Prepaid Roaming” service allows customers to make and receive calls in any of the OECS countries Digicel operates, without the trouble of changing a SIM card or accessing assistance from customer care personnel for activation. On the other hand, the “Call Me” service provides customers with features that allow free text messaging to other Digicel mobile numbers. The person to whom the message is sent receives a “Please Call Me” text along with the area code and number of the sender. Persons using this feature are allowed up to three free messages per day, even to Digicel customers in other OECS islands and Barbados.
With the introduction of “Call Me” and “Prepaid Roaming” in the Eastern Caribbean, there is little doubt that these services would be well utilized by Digicel customers, as only last month 11 million “Call Me” messages were sent by Digicel’s customer base in Jamaica.
“We are very proud that we are the first to bring these services to the Eastern Caribbean,” White noted.
“The goal for us is to become the premier cellular provider of choice across the Caribbean.
“We are focusing on the Caribbean region and that’s where we are concentrating all our efforts … with brand development in the market we would like to pitch ourselves at the very premium end of the market offering good service, good coverage, good prices and most of all good customer care,” White told the gathering of regional journalists.
Since its launch in the OECS and Barbados, Digicel has pumped in over US$150 million in the four operating countries and plans to spend a further US $40 million over the next 12 months.