Business in JAMAICA: Phillip Paulwell nudges Digicel towards building outsourcing office space, a Digi City inside Montego Bay.....to now look outside to see if they can establish their own Digi City to create a million square feet of office space that will employ thousands of Jamaicans in business process outsourcing activities

BY HORACE HINES Observer staff reporter MONTEGO BAY, St James  Wednesday, March 26, 2014    

PHILLIP Paulwell gave Digicel a nudge to establish a Digi City inside Montego Bay to bolster the number call centre and other office space.

Phillip Paulwell, Technology Minister

"I challenge Digicel, in addition to the opportunities that exist here for competition, to now look outside to see if they can establish their own Digi City to create a million square feet of office space that will employ thousands of Jamaicans in business process outsourcing activities, but also looking at the upper end of the ICT spectrum," argued the telecommunications minister.

Digicel Business's Jason Corrigan told the Jamaica Observer that "it's certainly something that we will look at and possibly deliver".

Paulwell explained that research has shown that North American investors are now rethinking their strategy of growth in India, Phillippines and Indonesia and have their sights set on the Caribbean, especially Jamaica because of "our close proximity".

"I think that Digicel, along with the others, would have a good business case as they have reached saturation point for voice telephone service in Jamaica, to now look to see how they will grow their business and their revenues by going into creating plug and play facilities," said Paulwell. "The investor who comes to Jamaica wouldn't have to deal with real estate development, wouldn't have to be dealing with telecommunications issues. They will have ready-made facilities, which is what they are seeking and which is one of the reasons why we have lost so many opportunities."

Both Paulwell and Corrigan made their comments following Digicel Business' ground -breaking of a $600-million next generation underground fibre network in Montego Bay last week. more