[Updated] Digicel, TSTT support Caricom roaming rate reduction

Mobile service providers Digicel and TSTT expressed support for Wednesday’s signing of the St George declaration, which will reduce the cost of roaming charges for Caricom countries.

Caricom heads of government, along with regional network operators Digicel Group and Cable & Wireless Communications, have signed a declaration which will result in the reduction of intra-Caricom phone roaming charges.

The signing of the declaration will result in reduction in roaming charges in all Caricom countries and provide seamless mobile services, including voice, SMS, text messaging and data.

In a release sent to the media on Thursday, Digicel said the signing of the declaration was recognition of the global issue of unpredictable mobile roaming costs.

“We create an example of what we can achieve by working together,” said Digicel group government relations director Kieran Mulvey. “Digicel remains strongly committed to working with the governments of Caricom to continue to invest in the critical telecom infrastructure to ensure governments, citizens and businesses have access to the highest levels of modern communication technologies.”

Mulvey was among other signatories including Grenadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell and vice president of Cable and Wireless Communications South Caribbean Kurliegh Prescod.

Roaming costs could be reduced to as low as 70 per cent of current rates. The declaration will take effect within the second quarter of this year.

Mitchell said while the signing of the declaration was historic, there were still some significant milestones ahead.

“Ideally Caribbean leaders want to see the full elimination of roaming charges within the Caribbean community and we will continue to push for this in the interest of our Caribbean people,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said heads of government recognised a long time ago that the ability to roam in Caricom states at reasonable costs would promote greater connectivity.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who attended the signing virtually, said the signing was a large step.

“Data bridges are absolutely critical and more so as a result of the pandemic we need to keep connectivity going. Data, information and connectivity must be cheap, available and fast.”

TSTT, also in a statement Thursday, said it "fully embraces" the initiative which will benefit its customers, particularly those who travel frequently in the region.

"The proposed plan is aligned with TSTT’s own mandate to enable more seamless, worry-free connectivity between Trinidad and Tobago and its Caricom neighbours, and TSTT stands ready to engage with its regional roaming partners to ensure that its customers can benefit from this significant announcement in the shortest possible time frame," it said.

TSTT said it has contacted its roaming partners to re-negotiate rates. It said the intra-Caricom roaming rates will complement an already existing suite of roaming services including free incoming calls, free roaming data and minutes on select postpaid plans, and a "roam like home" feature where data roaming is drawn from the customer's local data bundle at no additional charge.

The company also introduced retail rate reductions, adheres to real-time rating and issues real-time roaming threshold alerts to help customers manage device usage and avoid bill shock.

"TSTT supports the proposed action and is ready to work with its industry counterparts, regulators, and other stakeholders to make this laudable initiative a reality for its customers and all Caricom citizens."

This story has been updated with additional details. Below is the original story headlined Caricom signs declaration to reduce roaming charges

Caricom heads of government, along with regional network operators Digicel Group and Cable & Wireless Communications, have signed a declaration which will result in the reduction of intra-Caricom phone roaming charges.

The signing of the declaration will result in reduction in roaming charges in all Caricom countries and provide seamless mobile services, including voice, SMS, text messaging and data.

Roaming costs could be reduced to as low as 70 per cent of current rates. The declaration will take effect within the second quarter of this year.

Signatories to the declaration included Grenadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, Digicel Group director of government affairs Kieran Mulvey and vice president of Cable and Wireless Communications South Caribbean Kurliegh Prescod.

Mitchell said while the signing of the declaration was historic, there were still some significant milestones ahead.

“Ideally Caribbean leaders want to see the full elimination of roaming charges within the Caribbean community and we will continue to push for this in the interest of our Caribbean people,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said heads of government recognised a long time ago that the ability to roam in Caricom states at reasonable costs would promote greater connectivity.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who attended the signing virtually, said the signing was a large step.

“Data bridges are absolutely critical and more so as a result of the pandemic we need to keep connectivity going. Data, information and connectivity must be cheap, available and fast.”

This story was originally published with the title "Caricom signs declaration to reduce roaming charges" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Caricom heads of government, along with regional network operators Digicel Group and Cable & Wireless Communications, have signed a declaration which will result in the reduction of intra-Caricom phone roaming charges.

The signing of the declaration will result in reductions in roaming charges in all Caricom countries and provide seamless mobile services, including voice, SMS, text messaging and data.

Roaming costs could be reduced to as low as 70 per cent of current rates. The declaration will take effect within the second quarter of this year.

Signatories to the declaration included Grenadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, Digicel Group director of government affairs Kieran Mulvey and vice president of Cable and Wireless Communications South Caribbean Kurliegh Prescod.

Mitchell said while the signing of the declaration was historic, there were still some significant milestones ahead.

“Ideally Caribbean leaders want to see the full elimination of roaming charges within the Caribbean community and we will continue to push for this in the interest of our Caribbean people,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said heads of government recognised a long time ago that the ability to roam in Caricom states at reasonable costs would promote greater connectivity.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who attended the signing virtually, said the signing was a large step.

“Data bridges are absolutely critical and more so as a result of the pandemic we need to keep connectivity going. Data, information and connectivity must be cheap, available and fast.”