Despite the Caribbean's relatively small size, TeleBarbados' parent company, Leucadia Telecommunications Group, sees potential for business expansion.

This is according to Jeff Storey, president of Leucadia Telecommunications.

"It's a great place to do business. There are a lot of companies that don't want to do business in the region because it's relatively small; well, that's perfect for us.

"We don't have to be the largest telecommunications company; we believe that there's a business opportunity here – that we can come in, that there's limited competition, that the islands and the Caribbean region in general need more competition," he told the media following the official launch of TeleBarbados recently.

Barbados has been marked by TeleBarbados executives as the telecommunications company's launch pad into the region and Storey put the choice down to Leucadia's confidence in the island's business environment.

"Leucadia has been involved in Barbados for quite a long time through its percentage in Barbados Light & Power, so Leucadia feels it's a good market, a good place to do business – with a Government environment and a business community that accepts investment and looks for outside investment to come in and build business here," Storey said.

During the function at Sandy Lane's Country Club in St James, TeleBarbados' management outlined its intention to replicate operations in the Caribbean.

"We want to rapidly expand in the Caribbean, and specifically to St Lucia. We have a cable that runs from our core backbone through St Croix to Barbados that spurs off into St Lucia and we hope to replicate a lot of the products and services we have here in St Lucia. Barbados is first; St Lucia will be a quick second," said Brian Harvey, TeleBarbados' interim general manager-designate.

He added they planned to "solidify" their expansion plans "over the next couple of months" as they decided whether to partner with entities in other islands or operate direct. (CH)