With rival companies moving in, the former monopoly is widening its services to defend its share of a highly lucrative market

The opening up of T&T’s telecom sector means access to a wider range of choice and services for customers

AFTER dominating the local market as the monopoly provider for a quarter of a century, Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) is turning to new technology to face up to the competition in the country’s newly liberalized telecom sector.

In addition to battling newly licensed mobile operators Digicel and Laqtel, TSTT also faces the prospect of competing for customers for fixed line and international services. The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago has approved concessions for seven additional international operators and three more fixed wire cable TV service providers.

TSTT, which is joint-owned by Cable and Wireless and the government, has responded by boosting the quality and range of its services, investing in the latest technology to improve its efficiency and make it a better choice for its customers.

In May, work was completed on a new TT$125 million (US$20 million) mobile switching center — the company’s third — to boost the capacity of its mobile GSM network, called bmobile, by a substantial 40 percent. The new facility will support the expansion of the coverage of the bmobile service, and fulfill the company’s goal of ensuring its customers are able to connect to the network anywhere and at any time.

TSTT is broadening the services offered by its mobile communications into high-speed wireless internet and multi-media messaging.

In April, it launched a new high-speed mobile data service, with the activation of EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) becoming the first mobile service provider in the region to offer customers service on two independent high-speed mobile data networks: EDGE for GSM users and EVDO for CDMA users. EDGE enables customers with compatible mobile devices to browse the internet and corporate networks quickly while on the move. The development is a step along the path to TSTT evolving a full 3G-and-beyond network.

TSTT Chief Executive Carlos Espinal says the company is focused on developing communications solutions that will enable all areas of the economy to work more efficiently. “This is the start of a new era and TSTT will continue to provide Trinidad and Tobago with exciting technologies to enhance the way people live, work, and play,” he says.