ReadyTV on target for 2017 launch
Published:Monday | November 14, 2016 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
The countdown has begun for a new Jamaican digital cable company which promises to offer first-class service and affordable packages to its customers.
ReadyTV, which is owned and operated by Jamaicans, has commissioned its first broadcast tower as the company prepares to create an ideal cable option for the average Jamaican. The company said it plans to deliver the programming that subscribers prefer to watch.
According to Christopher Dehring, CEO and president of Digital Interactive Services Limited (DISL), owners of ReadyTV, phase one of the company's objectives, which included fundraising efforts led by Mayberry Investments Limited in June, and the commissioning of the tower, has been completed.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT
Dehring said the commissioning of the tower was a major accomplishment.
"This is the first digital broadcast tower in the country and we are aiming to have at least 18 across the island. With this technology, we will join other Caribbean islands, including Haiti and Trinidad, and other countries in Latin America, Europe and the United States that already have a digital broadcast network," Dehring said.
With the broadcast tower, parishes in Zone One, including Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, Clarendon and parts of St Mary, are already connected to the network. According to Dehring, ReadyTV will give Jamaicans the opportunity to experience a new way of accessing cable television without having to pay huge sums of money.
ReadyTV, he said, will employ the very latest in digital technology to eventually offer more than 200 entertainment, informational and educational channels.
Dehring also indicated that the company is not just rolling out a new broadcast network, but is also utilising skills and expertise of persons on the local market. "We have employed over 15 individuals and they are the ones installing this technology, designing and implementing the network. We are uniquely Jamaican, so much so that our vendors are pleased with the outlook," he said.
The company is expected to get business going in the first quarter of 2017. Dehring said his company promises to deliver convenient, reliable and affordable cable television and so would become a force to be reckoned with in the cable industry.
EASY TO USE
"It is cable television when you are ready and it is easy to use. Customers can go into a store, purchase a box and connect it to their television and begin viewing right away. It is wireless with instant connection, so customers do not have to wait weeks to be able to access authorised programming for cable television broadcasting in Jamaica," Dehring said.
He added that once ReadyTV establishes itself, the company might start offering other services such as data and communications.
ReadyTV which stands for Rebellious, Energetic, Adaptive, Determined and Yummy has as its directors Peter Reid, chairman; Christopher Dehring, president and CEO; David Cassanova; Orville Burrell (Shaggy); Gerard Borely, former chief financial officer at Cable and Wireless Caribbean; and Magnus Johansson. Borely and Johansson are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden, respectively.
"We will make our customers leave with the satisfying feeling of their favourite dessert when they use our product," Dehring said.