Jacqueline Holding, President of Cable & Wireless Jamaica said: "We are happy to be able to sign this agreement as we know the service is something for which both our customers will be happy.  After all, they now call friends, family and associates on all other networks, so why not stay in touch via text."

According to Ian Marwood, Carrier Services Director for Digicel Caribbean: "Digicel has always seen cross network text messaging as a key growth area for telecommunication services in the Caribbean and we are delighted at the outcome of this joint effort to deliver this service.  We look forward to further cooperation in the development of mobile telecommunications in Jamaica with an emphasis on serving the interests of customers."  The telecommunications industry in some areas of the world such as Europe, has already seen up to 20% of overall revenue coming from text messaging with the introduction of cross network text messaging.

In the Caribbean, the SMS business has grown significantly over the last year.  For example, during Hurricane Ivan, text messaging was a quick and efficient way to stay in touch with family and friends.  Text messages got through even during periods of heavy network congestion, and kept phone lines open for emergency calls.