LIME signs USF Bid Award

LIME (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) has signed the third successive Universal Service Fund (USF) contract with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) to deliver payphones and wireless Internet access throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}} The signing ceremony took place on Friday, December 2, at the National Insurance Service (NIS) Conference room and was signed by Chairman of the NTRC Sehon Marshall and LIME General Manager Leslie Jack.

This Universal Service Fund (USF) project is valued at US$503,100 (5 year contract) and is commissioned by the government, via the National Regulatory Commission (NTRC). The scope of the project entails the supply, installation and maintenance of 25 emergency phone booths and camera facilities, along with an emergency payphone network.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, NTRC Chairman Sehon Marshall outlined that the mandate of the commission is to work with all telecommunications providers to manage the fund and to support the government with projects that will assist in nation building.

Marshall said: “This project, which has been in making for over a year, will see the deployment of payphones at specific tourism sites throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This project is geared at providing emergency phone service at 25 tourism sites (beaches and parks), as part of the Government’s trust to enhance tourism sites throughout the islands. The successful deployment of this project will strengthen the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Authorities’ mandate to provide attractive, accessible and secured tourist sites to boost the tourism product in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I want to congratulate LIME for winning its third successive contract, and I want to urge the residents to take care of the facilities. With this project we can boast that SVG will have an increased internet penetration, which is higher than that of many more developed nations around the world.”

“The Payphone bid was opened to public tender and was a competitive one” said Leslie Jack, General Manager of LIME St.Vincent and the Grenadines. Jack also praised the efforts of the team in securing this most important project. He further stated: “Success in winning this bid was a team effort, with the St. Vincent team working with Carlyle Roberts, Debbie Barley, Ewa Gerad, Lydia Courtney-Francis of the regional team and former GM Angus Steele, to design and present a winning solution.”

The Ministry of Tourism was represented by Director of National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority Andrew Wilson. Director Wilson welcomed the project and expressed his expectation that the project will enhance the delivery of services at the sites.

Wilson said: “We have seen a steady increase of visitors at our sites and this is after two years of redevelopment work. The quality of the experience will be enhanced with the introduction of payphone and wireless Internet access for visitors to enjoy. The tourism product is more sophisticated and tourists socialize with their loved ones even while they are at our sites. We are a major stakeholder and these facilities will definitely see an enhanced visitor experience.”

The feature address was delivered by Dr. Jerrol Thompson, Director of Telecommunications, Science and Special projects. He praised the NTRC management and in particular its Director Apollo Knights. He complimented LIME for again winning the bid and noted that the relationship with LIME has improved tremendously and commended the company for its work as a ‘nation builder’.

Thompson said: “The legislation governing the USF here is far more advanced than many other countries around the world. There are countries that have hundreds of millions of dollars in USF and don’t have the legislative framework in place to spend the money. Not so in SVG. Mr. Knights can be commended for his work in this regard. This is our third successful project and we look forward to working with LIME and the other providers, as we deliver telecommunication services throughout the country for our citizens’ benefit.”

LIME employees Dwayne Samuel, Khalique Bailey, Wayne Hull and Cicyln Joseph all came in for in for high praise for their work in making this project a reality. The project is expected to be completed within six months of the commencement.