Rodney Davis, president and chief executive officer of Cable & Wireless Jamaica (C&WJ) made this statement at the launch of the Listening to the People Fixed Line Campaign yesterday at the telecommunications company's offices on Half-Way Tree Road.

With 95 per cent of cell phone users on a prepaid payment platform, C&WJ saw the need to offer the service to landline users.

Mr. Davis said, "It's all about choice.  We're not encouraging people to come off the current landline system but we want them to know it is not their only choice.  We expect a 30 to 40 per cent shift to the prepaid system.  We don't expect 95 per cent of landline users to go prepaid.  However, we do expect a 25 per cent growth in our landline subscriber base."

With a $65 million investment in infrastructure, the prepaid fixed line service will be available in the next four to six weeks.  "We're still working on the features and price packages of the service," Mr. Davis noted.

KINKS

Between now and then, the company will be working out the kinks in the system.  The president also announced a roll out of new landlines "based on demand and on economic return.  We will go into communities where we can make a profit."

Essentially, consumers will buy credit for their landlines.  The salient features will be:

* No minimum monthly

* payments

* No deposit required

* No credit check

* No line rental

Mr. Davis continued, "The reality is that a lot of people have left the fixed line service because of enormous phone bills that they don't know how to pay.  When a phone bill comes in that is unexpected and they have a fixed amount to spend, they usually decide not to pay for their land-lines."

However, the president did not say how it would handle customers who owe money and want to get on the prepaid service.  "We will figure it out."  "We want you back on the fixed line network," he said.

Mr. Davis revealed that while the company has over 330,000 fixed line customers, an additional 75,000 have abandoned the service.

But, he states, "Fixed lines are still the cheapest way to keep in touch.  There is still substantial demand for the service and is a very valuable asset to Jamaicans.  Plus, it is eight to 10 times cheaper to call landline to landline versus cell phone to cell phone."

The President notes that the new service will also facilitate access to the Internet and ADSL services.

Now the question had to be asked - Is this launch a reaction to Flow?

Mr. Davis emphatically says no.  "We have been working on the prepaid system since November last year, so this is not in reaction to Flow.  What we are offering is more in line with what Jamaican consumers want."

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