Digicel moves into Bonaire with Telbo purchase

KRALENDIJK, Bonaire-Caribbean telecom company Digicel has acquired the wireless segment of Telbo, a Bonaire telecom provider.
The deal includes Telbo’s mobile subscriber base, spectrum and network equipment. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We are confident that our customers will be in very good hands with Digicel,” said Edsel Winklaar, Telbo’s general manager.
Bonaire is a small island off the coast of Venezuela, near Aruba, and Telbo has operated there for the past 23 years. The island’s minister of economic affairs, Burney El Hage, said that the acquisition was a positive development, because “it enables Telbo to focus more closely on developing other sides of their business while Digicel will bring Bonaire mobile customers additional choice in addition to increased support and involvement in our community.”
The GSM carrier entered the Bonaire market in July of this year, and has become the national sponsor of the island’s national football team and national football league. Digicel, which has about 3 million customers, said that integration plans for the Telbo customer base are underway.