Columbus to invest at least US$50mn in TeleBarbados fiber optic network

Canada's Columbus Communications plans to invest at least US$50mn over the next three years in deploying a fiber optic broadband network for its recently acquired TeleBarbados, Columbus' CEO Brendan Paddick told BNamericas. In June, Columbus, through its Barbados-based unit Columbus International, agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares in Antilles Crossing from Caribbean Fibre Holdings. The transaction includes the purchase of TeleBarbados, Tele-St Lucia and Wamco Technology Group Limited. The company has said it plans to invest heavily in Barbados over the next 24 to 36 months in launching triple-play broadband, landline telephony and IP-based video services. In addition, Columbus will be launching a series of corporate data, connectivity and IT services similar to what it has with its Columbus Business Solutions unit in Colombia. "Although our past has certainly been focused on providing our customers with a superior retail experience, Columbus is more and more focused on offering a fully integrated suite of corporate business solutions marrying together robust local loop networks with our expansive terrestrial and subsea backhaul networks," Paddick said. At the end of May, Columbus secured a US$225mn credit facility. Paddick said that Columbus is not acquiring any subsea fiber assets as part of the transaction but has applied to the regulator for a subsea cable landing license. TeleBarbados owns and operates a fiber-based network in Barbados and holds licenses to provide a wide range of telecoms services including domestic and international voice/data services, wholesale backhaul bandwidth capacity, and wireless spectrum-based services. Tele-St Lucia holds a series of licenses to provide similar services throughout St Lucia. TeleBarbados is expected to be renamed under the Flow brand, which is operational in Trinidad, Jamaica, Grenada and Curacao. The full interview with Paddick will be available for subscribers in this week's perspectives.