PM to Address the Nation on Cable & Wireless

Contact: Roger Joseph

Thursday, February 08, 2001 – Prime Minister, Honourable Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, is expected to address the nation on the future relationship between the Government of Saint Lucia and the island’s telecommunications provider, Cable & Wireless Ltd., within the next 10 days. The Prime Minister is scheduled to attend the 12^th Inter-sessional Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government next week and will bring colleague Prime Ministers in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) up to date on developments regarding Cable & Wireless in St. Lucia.

This is necessary, Dr. Anthony says, because St. Lucia has joined other OECS countries with the same objectives to conduct negotiations with Cable & Wireless within a regional framework with a view to liberalising the telecommunications sector in the sub-region. Prime Minister Anthony says his government is committed to maintaining that regional approach to telecommunications reform in the sub region.

The domestic licenses for Cable & Wireless to operate in St. Lucia expired on September 22, 2000 and the cellular and international licenses will expire on March 31, 2001. As a gesture of goodwill and to facilitate negotiations with the company, the Government of Saint Lucia extended the domestic license for Cable & Wireless by six months to coincide with the expiration of the cellular and international licenses. However, to date, negotiations with the company have not been finalised.

New telecommunications legislation that replaces the old monopolistic licenses with Cable & Wireless with new ones that liberalise the sector has been enacted in St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia. The legislation has come into effect in St. Kitts/Nevis, Grenada and Dominica and has terminated Cable & Wireless’ licenses in these islands.

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