|
TSTT has poured undisclosed millions into their advertising and
promotional campaigns at a pace that might seem almost reckless,
even desperate, while Digicel has been spending quite a tidy sum
-- not as much as TSTT, one would suspect -- but reliable numbers
in this battle of the giants are not available.
Without getting into a breakdown of expenditure or any specifics,
Brewer told Mirror:
“Digicel has spent $1.9 billion so far and it’s going
to be a while paying that back. But the huge number of customers
who have joined bodes well for the future.”
That number translates into 80,000 pre-registered customers, and
Brewer concedes that “we have been constrained by the sheer
numbers of people” with hundreds coming in daily, eager to
ditch TSTT, which is seen to have been a millstone around the necks
of TnT citizens, for the countless years it exercised monopoly rule
as a telecoms provider.
As Brewer recalled: “Before we launched, we had to enter a
war of words to put certain misconceptions to rest.
“It has been a dirty fight. TSTT even accused us of sabotaging
their network. That’s like shooting yourself in the foot.
“Until we came to TnT, TSTT wasn’t investing in the
network.”
Meanwhile, Digicel has not only attracted a vast number of subscribers,
but an unprecedented number of job applicants.
“We had 18,000 applications, with 5,000 of them being people
from abroad, including the United Kingdom and the United States.
Ninety per cent of our workers are nationals of TnT and three of
our directors are also local.
“We want to do mobile very well and we’re looking at
broadband. We want to prove our worth.
“I see the green posters (for TSTT’s bMobile), but it’s
easy to be number one when you are the only one.
“We want to be ‘most preferred’ because of the
quality, value and service we afford to customers.”
And Brewer ended confidently: “We can never forget that people
have a choice.”
|
