Telco war

The mobile telecom war has started in Suriname. The incumbent Telesur, operating under the brand name TeleG, has been confronted by the marketing might of Digicel, the Caribbean's largest and fastest growing mobile provider. The general public has a love-hate relationship with the former monopolist with many complaining about the bad service and high prices. Now that Digicel has entered the market, Surinamis are flocking to the shops to get new sim cards and phone. With entry level pre-paid packages including a phone starting at SRD 70 ($25) who can be surprised. Telesur is trying to improve their image by playing the nationalistic card and claiming they are number 1, but that is not catching on, despite the lower per minute prices they offer. People are so fed up with Telesur that they do not compare prices. Later this month the war will intensify when the third provider, Uniqa, launches. They have been advertising that they will offer more minutes for the same money. Uniqa will probably also offer cheaper calling rates to Holland and the Antilles, which for many will be an interesting proposition.