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Aug 11
4

We’re reinventing businesses at Andicom 2017

By | Cloud, Events, Featured, ICT, Security, Trends | No Comments

C&W is looking forward to seeing you at most important ICT Congress in Latin America. This year, August 23-25, Andicom is coming to Cartagena, Colombia with the theme “Reinventing your business: transformation is now!”

Andicom 2017 invites stakeholders and decision makers to bring the future to their businesses. The goal of this year’s event is to identify and analyze key elements of digital transformation and address one of the most important IT challenges: constant evolution in consumer behavior.

The Congress will explore the possibilities of merging different IT solutions with the ever-growing technology that is transforming the way industries are doing businesses.

The main talking points on the agenda will be:

  • Productive ecosystem: the core of transformation
  • Digital technologies that boost innovation in Business
  • An economy that demands transformation

This year’s event seeks to connect IT offer and demand of solutions and is expected to have:

  • More than 2,800 visitors
  • More than 900 stakeholders.
  • 100% networking activities.
  • More than 120 exhibit areas
  • Visitors from 25 countries
  • More than 50 academic sessions
  • 4 main initiatives: IT Social, IT 4.0 Clusters and ICT

Join us at Andicom 2017 and let’s transform the future together!

Aug 08
2

Cable & Wireless Reports Preliminary Q2 2017 Results

By | CWC, Featured, Report, Results | No Comments
  • Q2 Net Loss decreased by $92 Million Year-Over-Year to $14 Million
  • Revenue 1% Higher, Adjusted Segment EBITDA up 8%, on rebased basis
  • Network Expansion On Track, ~80,000 Upgrades / New Builds in H1
  • Successfully Raised $700 Million For Refinancing in July

Cable & Wireless Communications Limited (“CWC”) is the leading telecommunications operator in substantially all of its consumer markets, which are predominantly located in the Caribbean and Latin America, providing entertainment, information and communication services to 3.5 million mobile, 0.4 million television, 0.6 million internet and 0.6 million fixed-line telephony subscribers. In addition, CWC delivers B2B services and provides wholesale services over its sub-sea and terrestrial networks that connect over 40 markets across the region.

 Liberty Global’s Acquisition of CWC

On May 16, 2016, a subsidiary of Liberty Global acquired CWC (the “Liberty Global Transaction”). Revenue, Adjusted Segment EBITDA1 and subscriber statistics have been presented herein using Liberty Global’s definitions for all periods presented unless otherwise noted. Further adjustments to these metrics are possible as the integration process continues. Significant policy adjustments have been considered in our calculation of rebased growth rates for revenue and Adjusted Segment EBITDA. For additional information on Liberty Global’s definition of Adjusted Segment EBITDA and rebased growth rates, see footnotes 1 and 2, respectively. A reconciliation of net earnings (loss) to Adjusted Segment EBITDA is included in the Financial Results, Adjusted Segment EBITDA Reconciliation & Property, Equipment and Intangible Asset Additions3 section below. In addition, effective for the 2016 fiscal year, CWC changed its fiscal year end from March 31 to December 31 to conform with Liberty Global.

 Operating highlights:

  • Reported an organic RGU4 decline of 16,000 in Q2, including declines in Video, Internet and Telephony subscribers of 4,000, 3,000 and 9,000, respectively
  • Mobile subscribers5 decreased by 48,000 on an organic basis in Q2
  • Q2 subscriber highlights across our largest markets were as follows:
    • In Panama, we added 10,000 RGUs during the quarter, including 4,000 internet and 3,000 cable video RGUs, as we continued to generate momentum behind our refreshed bundled offers and network improvement activities, which enabled faster speeds of up to 300 Mbps. We also continued to grow our DTH6 base, adding 3,000 RGUs in Q2. On the mobile front, we lost 16,000 low-ARPU prepaid subscribers in the quarter
    • In Jamaica, RGUs decreased by 12,000 in Q2 as subscribers declined across all fixed-line categories. Our mobile base grew by 3,000 subscribers as we continued to target increased market share
    • In the Bahamas, we reported a small RGU decline of 1,000 in Q2 as continued penetration of our growing Fiber-to-the-Home (FttH) network generated 2,000 video adds, offset by a decline of 3,000 in voice subscribers. Our mobile subscriber base fell by 24,000 following the entrance of a new competitor into the market in late 2016
    • In Barbados, RGUs declined by 4,000, primarily due to lower fixed-line telephony subscribers and, to a lesser extent, declines in video and broadband caused by competition
    • In Trinidad, we added 2,000 RGUs as growth in fixed-line telephony, through bundling promotions, more than offset a decline in video subscribers due to continued competitive intensity

 

Jul 17
6

C&W communications in the vanguard of pre-5g testing in the CARIBBEAN

By | 5G, Events, Featured, ICT, Trends | No Comments

Field trial of LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro) technology in Antigua and Barbuda, sets groundwork for next generation of transformative technologies

 PUNTA CANA, DR – July 17, 2017 – At the 33rd CANTO Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition, John Reid, CEO of C&W Communications (C&W), announced that C&W has completed a groundbreaking pre-5G (fifth generation wireless broadband technology) trial in Antigua. Once installed, Antigua will be the first country in the region with the most advanced pre-5G network, delivering download peak speeds of up to 800 Mbps. In the trial’s next phase, the Company expects to test a 5G prototype reaching 2 to 5 Gbps peak speeds, which will have a profound positive impact on the island.

The announcement came as part of Reid’s keynote address today to prominent Caribbean officials at the 33rd CANTO Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition in the Dominican Republic. “These are exciting times for C&W Communications, as we continue to invest and develop more pioneering innovations to meet the needs of our customers and enable growth in the region through transformative technology,” said Reid. “This pre-5G trial in the Caribbean, is a significant step towards the evolution of C&W’s mobile networks across the region to 5G, and providing Gigabit speeds to our customers in Antigua,” he continued.

C&W’s pre-5G technology trial, a combined effort with parent company Liberty Global, is based on LTE Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro), the latest LTE evolution, that delivers lower latency, more capacity and improved reliability for customers. This translates into a faster mobile internet experience where customers can better participate in advanced technology such as richer video experience and new apps.

In early October, the Company will further test a 5G prototype network designed to deliver wireless data connections above 2 Gbps. If the trials are successful, and the business case favorable, the Company plans to invest another $5 million in Antigua alone to significantly upgrade the wireless infrastructure there. C&W has invested $1.5 billion in the region over the last three years.

5G is a new set of standards beyond traditional 4G/LTE technologies. This set of standards will allow operators to deliver wireless data connections above 1 Gbps and to enable the Internet of Things (IoT). C&W’s pre-5G trial and 5G prototype trials are part of a partnership with Ericsson, who will provide the equipment and software in Antigua and across the Caribbean.

Jun 23
4
Dominican Republic

Canto 33rd Annual Conference 2017: A new perspective for ICT

By | Events, Featured, ICT, Trends | No Comments

Once again, C&W will be attending this year´s edition of Canto, one of the most important events of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in the Caribbean Region and the Americas.  The event will be taking place on July 16th-19th, 2017 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and we’ll be attending as an associate sponsor.

 

Canto event has become a leading authority in all themes related with information, communication and technology in the Caribbean Region and the Americas. The event´s goal is to influence the innovation and development of ICT solutions for the benefit of members by developing, navigating and leveraging relationships with all stakeholders.

This year´s theme is “Re-imagining ICT as a tool for National Growth and Development”. The conference will drive this discussion as the speakers highlight the challenges facing the regional ICT and Telecommunications sector and solutions to these challenges. As the voice of the industry, CANTO is committed to facilitating dialogue and collaboration between all the stakeholders in the region.

The event´s goal for this edition, is for the stakeholders to encourage creators, developers and consumers to take advantage of the dynamism of ICTs and expand their thought process to view all possibilities. Canto´s also aim to encourage discourse amongst its membership to reimagine ICT in all its different spheres to reap benefits which would promote national growth and development.

As a platinum sponsor, we will be at the Trade Exhibition showing our expertise in telecommunication integrated solutions. We look forward to meeting with all our regional clients there. Visit us at the 27th-28th booth.

Jun 22
4
Liberty Global at ITW

C&W Networks at the ITW

By | Events, Featured, Trends | No Comments

C&W was part of the most important event for the global wholesale telecoms industry, the ITW (International Telecoms Week) in Chicago, the past 14th-17th of May.

This event has become the ideal platform for developing business networking among industry leaders and key decision makers from all over the world. As part of one of the biggest industry players- Liberty Global- we want to share some of our company highlights presented by our business division leaders at the last edition of ITW.

Jun 15
5

C&W NETWORKS WINS WORLDWIDE INNOVATION AWARD FOR WHOLESALE SERVICE

By | Award, Events, Global Telecom Business, Recognition, Trends | No Comments

First-time recognition for leading the industry’s most innovative and successful project partnerships between operators and vendors

C&W Networks, part  of C&W Communications (C&W), was recently recognized for outstanding industry leadership in wholesale service innovation as it won the Wholesale Service Innovation worldwide award category in the Global Telecom Business (GTB) Telecoms Innovation Awards 2017 in London. Read More

Mar 16
3

Capacity Latam 2017: Transforming the Telecommunications Industry

By | Blog, Events, Trends | No Comments

C&W Networks will be taking part in this year’s Capacity Latam Conference, the most important event for the wholesale telecommunications industry in Latin America. On March 28 and 29, we’ll be attending this prestigious event in Rio de Janeiro as an associate sponsor. We’re eager to engage with other telecom professionals and discuss the major trends in our industry.

Over the years, Capacity Latam has evolved into a can’t-miss opportunity for decision makers active in the region’s wholesale telecommunications community. C&W Networks’ senior-level executives will be representing the company and presenting the benefits of working with the company that has established itself as a leader in Latin America, a position further strengthened following its acquisition by Liberty Global. Conference attendees will get a firsthand look at the company’s latest solutions and the technologies we’ll be focusing on this year. They’ll see why C&W is among the best in the industry, both regionally and globally.

Capacity Latam, now in its 14th year, brings together more than 500 top-level decision makers with more than 130 local and international companies, with some 30 countries represented. In addition, 20 industry experts will discuss topics relevant to our industry, such as subsea connectivity, satellite technology, cybersecurity, and content delivery, among others.
Capacity Latam is the perfect opportunity to get in on the future of business. Use your personalized MeetMe planner to schedule a meeting with C&W Networks, and get a feel for where the telecom market is headed.

 

Mar 13
1

OTTs: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em!

By | Blog, Broad Band, Featured, IoT, Trends | No Comments

OTTs: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em!

Business models such as over-the-top (OTT) video services offered by operators and content providers, applications for business and home broadband services, machine-to-machine (M2M) applications, and payment applications on mobile networks are transforming—and disrupting— telecommunications services.

The Competitive Intelligence Unit (CIU) defines an OTT platform as one “that transmits or broadcasts content to different devices—such as smartphones, tablets and Smart TVs—via the Internet. They do not require infrastructure for their transmission, but instead make use of Internet providers’ networks.”

In this sense, OTT services initially raised alarm bells for telecom operators when they began to compete directly with the services they traditionally offered: voice, text messaging, and paid TV. At first, these services presented a threat, as customers avoided using telecom services or paid TV in favor of similar services provided by websites or smartphone applications. Additionally, this traffic puts significant pressure on service provider networks.

Given this scenario, what would be the most appropriate response by operators? The simplest in operational terms would be to block or throttle traffic to OTT service providers; however, this could irritate customers and cause regulatory concerns with regard to net neutrality. But offering their own OTT services could strengthen relationships with customers, allowing them to infiltrate new markets, and gain new customers. Another option is to lower the prices of telecommunications services to make them more attractive than those of the OTT competition? But that does not seem to be enough.

It appears that the best response lies in the old strategy of if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. In this way, operators are able to seize on the current success of the OTT model. These services have serious potential to transform the telecommunications industry. Also, telecom operators would be able to actively participate in this change, thus maintaining their importance for consumers and even uncovering new business opportunities.

During the 2017 Capacity Caribbean Conference, Paul Scott, president of C&W Networks, participated in a panel discussion that addressed this issue.

The bottom line is that, it is essential to have safe, intelligent and scalable networks. OTTs need capacity and bandwidth. They need C&W Networks.

Mar 02
1

The Hotel Industry: A Business Focus on Connectivity

By | Blog, Broad Band, Ethernet, Featured | No Comments

Guests are becoming more demanding when it comes to connectivity at hotels. Technological innovation has not gone unnoticed by the hotel industry, which is steadily adopting trends such as social media, customization, sales channel optimization, mobile apps, videoconferencing, Wi-Fi services and customer loyalty programs. What do these services have in common? They require adequate infrastructure to be implemented.

To stay competitive, hotels are increasingly realizing that they must meet guests’ connectivity requirements, since this is a deciding factor for many when choosing where to stay. Nowadays, 24/7 connectivity is essential either for personal or professional reasons. Surveys of various hotels show that Internet connectivity is the top priority for 97.4% of guests.

In addition, the productivity of hotel employees is considerably boosted by a secure and reliable wireless network, since they can use mobile devices to expedite everyday processes (e.g., self-check-in, automated valet parking, communication between employees no matter the location, etc.).

Technology offers an opportunity to improve hotels’ performance and productivity. This technology is within the reach of any establishment. If its managers have the support and know-how of savvy professionals who will not only optimize the technology investment, but also provide the most appropriate tools for management, decision-making and achievement of business targets. Even so, only a small percentage of hotels in our region have gotten the message and invested in technology. There is still a long way to go.

Feb 23
0

The 5G Revolution

By | 5G, Blog, Trends | No Comments

Personal devices are increasingly present in our daily lives: at work, at school and at home. Smartphones, tablets, PCs, and wearables  are just some of the devices that simplify our day-to-day activities.  for 2020 estimate that there will be 5.5 billion mobile devices globally, and according to Cisco’s VNI Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast for 2015 to 2020, 70 percent of the world´s population will be using a mobile device.

With the growing demand for Internet-connected digital devices, fourth generation (4G) technology cannot meet these devices’ greater bandwidth and faster data transfer requirements. For this reason, fifth generation (5G) technology is being developed to achieve a higher quality digital connection. But what is the impact on existing infrastructure? What technological requirements are needed to achieve a good experience in the digital world?

Various international bodies and entities are working on identifying and agreeing on new radio spectrum frequencies to assign to 5G services. This development work is focused on identifying new spectrum bands for use with network equipment and devices (phones, tablets, etc.), delivering faster connection speeds, lower latency, and better overall implementation.

The radio spectrum is a limited resource regulated by each country; therefore, establishing international criteria for its use is no easy job. Furthermore, since this resource is used by multiple communications technologies, frequency availability is scarce. The agenda for the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU), 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference includes the study of 11 potential spectrum bands for use by 5G technologies.

Note that 5G technology will provide the connectivity necessary to develop any kind of business or industry, which will open up big opportunities. Operators will be responsible for building a ubiquitous and invisible network, which will allow for optimal adaptation of 5G to the business models and use cases that companies require.

Summing up, 5G deployment calls for connectivity, next-generation networks, and interoperability, i.e., agreements among different industry stakeholders, operators, device and processor manufacturers, and software developers, among others.

The acquisition of Cable & Wireless Communications’ (C&W) operations by Liberty Global will have a significant impact in this context, since the merger will allow both companies to serve 10 million mobile, video, broadband, and voice service subscribers. “Together we will establish ourselves as the leading consumer and B2B communications provider in Latin American and the Caribbean,” said C&W representatives. This merger will improve C&W Networks’ ability to invest in its networks and infrastructure, as well as in innovation and products that will truly meet their customers’ demands.