Flow's chief executive officer, Richard Pardy, made the announcement in Kingston on Thursday, at the launch of Flow's new media campaign, which has Jamaican hurdler Brigitte Foster-Hylton as its spokesperson.

"They're signed," Pardy said of all the acquisitions, explaining that minor legal paperwork remains to be done.  He said the acquisition, which will be made public in a few days, has been delayed by "legal snags".

When completed, the acquisitions will bring to seven the total number of cable companies Flow has taken over; in June 2006, the firm acquired Sauce Cable Company, the largest cable provider in the corporate area.

Since its launch in Jamaica early last year, Flow, which offers Internet, cable and telephone service over a single fibre-optic network, has been rumoured to have been approaching various cable and Internet service providers with acquisition offers.  This aggressive acquisition strategy has led to the firm being accused of bullying smaller businesses out of the market - a charge the company has denied.

In the coming year, Pardy said, Flow will focus its effort on providing integrated telecommunications services for all of Kingston, extending its fibre network to Portmore, Spanish Town, Ocho Rios and Negril.

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