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LIME, an acronym for 'Landline, Internet, Mobile, Entertainment', was a communications provider owned by the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
based
Cable & Wireless Communications Cable & Wireless Communications Ltd operating as C&W Communications is a telecommunications company which has operations in the Caribbean and Central America. It is owned by Liberty Latin America and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It ...
for its operations in
Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The terr ...
,
Antigua & Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two major ...
,
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
,
British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = " Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Bri ...
, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada,
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and
Turks & Caicos The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...
in the Caribbean. The company formed from the integrated businesses of Cable & Wireless in the Caribbean which adopted the LIME name on 3 November 2008. LIME operates as the native, incumbent telecommunications service provider in many of the islands where they reside. The company also operated mobile telecommunications under the ''b''mobile brand from 2003 until rebranding them as LIME in 2008. Competitors include
Digicel Digicel is a Jamaican and Caribbean mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in 33 markets worldwide. Digicel has operated in several countries, including Guyana, Fiji, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Suriname, a ...
(largest mobile competitor). Cable & Wireless Communications, LIME's parent company, also owns a 49% share in TSTT in
Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...
and a 49% share in
BaTelCo BTC is the primary telecommunications provider for the Bahamas, headquartered in Nassau, New Providence. It is partly government owned and offers telephone, internet and wireless services. BTC is an initialism for the Bahamas Telecommunications ...
in
The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
. The company is the only authorized carrier licensed by Apple to sell iPhones under contract, as well as being the only approved carrier for use (by Apple) in the English-speaking Caribbean. This was obtained in 2011 after Claro's exit from the Jamaican market. In 2015, LIME's parent company acquired Columbus Communications and decided to adopt the brand name FLOW for its consumer-facing business, replacing the LIME name. As of May 2016, the LIME name was fully discontinued.


Services

* International and domestic voice telephone services; * Data/IP services such as ADSL, Frame, or ISDN; * Mobile/Wireless services including 3G, 4G across smartphone platforms such as Samsung and Apple. * Other services including satellite-based communications and television services for select countries.


Background

The history of Cable & Wireless' network build-out in the Caribbean region dates back to the 1880s. In recent times the West Indies unit has been considered 'key' in global revenue turnover. ''b''mobile won one of the three franchises to offer cellular telephone services in the
British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = " Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Bri ...
in 2007. However, rival operator
Digicel Digicel is a Jamaican and Caribbean mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in 33 markets worldwide. Digicel has operated in several countries, including Guyana, Fiji, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Suriname, a ...
issued court proceedings against the British Virgin Islands regulator, arguing that he had acted improperly by imposing a limit of three licenses (one of which was awarded to a local cable television company and has not been exercised). ''b''mobile was joined to the suit as an interested party. High Court Judge Rita Joseph-Olivetti found in favour of Digicel and quashed the original decision, which had been controversial. However, despite the court's ruling, Digicel received a license to operate in the Territory in 2008. Digicel lost separate proceedings against Cable and Wireless (as ''b''mobile's parent company) in the
English courts The courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales. The United Kingdom does not have a ...
, claiming that Cable & Wireless has unfairly stifled competition in several Caribbean jurisdictions. During the intervening period, ''b''mobile has obtained a virtual stranglehold on the cellular telecommunications market in the British Virgin Islands by a combination of low prices and aggressive advertising, as well as significant investment in infrastructure and technology.


Cable & Wireless plc regional profits

In 2005 according to the 2005 Cable & Wireless plc annual report: * United Kingdom turnover: £1,602 million * Caribbean turnover: £550 million * Panama turnover: £257 million * Macau turnover: £117 million *
Monaco Telecom Monaco Telecom is the main telecommunications provider in the Principality of Monaco. The company was founded in 1997 following a decision by the government of Monaco to privatize the state-owned Office Monégasque des Téléphones. Intern ...
turnover: £100 million * Rest of the World turnover: £167 million * Figures are from the financial report released to its shareholders the current listed financial breakdown for CWPLC is aforementioned by regional business segment. In March 2010 the Cable & Wireless plc split into
Cable & Wireless Worldwide Cable & Wireless Worldwide PLC (informally Cable & Wireless) was a British multinational telecommunications services company headquartered in Bracknell, United Kingdom. It was formed in 2010 by the split of Cable & Wireless plc into two com ...
plc (now a subsidiary of
Vodafone Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vod ...
) and
Cable & Wireless Communications Cable & Wireless Communications Ltd operating as C&W Communications is a telecommunications company which has operations in the Caribbean and Central America. It is owned by Liberty Latin America and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It ...
plc (now a subsidiary of
Liberty Latin America Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society f ...
). LIME had prior became a subsidiary of C&W Communications.Liberty Latin America Sells Cable & Wireless Seychelles
November 6, 2019, Liquid Africa.
In November 2014, the brand's parent company, Cable & Wireless Communications announced its merger with
Columbus Communications Columbus Communications was a cable television, telephone, and Broadband speed Internet service provider. Operating as a regional media company, Columbus is currently financially based in Barbados and provides services in Grenada, Jamaica, Trinid ...
. The merger has since become a hot button in the region especially since the company's largest competitor,
Digicel Digicel is a Jamaican and Caribbean mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in 33 markets worldwide. Digicel has operated in several countries, including Guyana, Fiji, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Suriname, a ...
lacks sufficient fixed line voice and data capability. This would make the amalgamated entity hold a monopoly on such services. The merger, despite being green lit by key markets such as Jamaica, is still being awaited regulatory approval by other markets. In April 2015, it was announced that the brand was to be retired in favor of the name FLOW in Summer 2015, which was the customer-facing brand name of the
Columbus Communications Columbus Communications was a cable television, telephone, and Broadband speed Internet service provider. Operating as a regional media company, Columbus is currently financially based in Barbados and provides services in Grenada, Jamaica, Trinid ...
. Reasons cited by the company for the name change were results from an independent study which indicated that customers perception of LIME's brand was that of lackluster customer service and at times, spotty service. The study also found FLOW's to be much more positive and all round well received. This name change will occur across all the markets in which Cable & Wireless Communications operates as LIME.


See also

* ECFS (cable system)


References


External links

*
Flow

Cable & Wireless Communications
{{DEFAULTSORT:LIME (Cable and Wireless) Liberty Latin America Mobile phone companies of the Caribbean