TelCell Team (1998) at the Front Street opening. From left: Kenneth Blijden (†), Brian Mingo, Rodney Washington, Shemaiah Daflaar, Curt Brown, Nina Diaz, Mario Gumbs, Lomeno Brison, Gerta Hodge, Earl Thomas (†)
It’s been 20 years since TelCell, one of St. Maarten’s biggest corporate actors, began operations with a group of just 12 workers. The young professionals, under the guidance of Managing Director Curtis Haynes and General Manager Brian Mingo, laid the foundation for what would become the successful venture which today accounts for over 50 per cent of TelEm Group’s income.
TelCell – as well as its sister companies which operate under St. Maarten Telecommunication Operating Company (SMTOC) N.V. – can be proud in looking back at numerous developments and milestones in the ever-changing world of communications technology.
TelCell started in 1998 with TDMA mobile technology and eventually evolved into the first 2G GSM network in the region in 1999. Today, it utilises the LTE (4G) network.
The company offers CDMA, GSM and GPRS services, and was the first to market in St. Maarten in digital telephony, SMS services, roaming services and mobile Wi-Fi services. It was also the first to offer caller ID and free incoming calls, as the norm used to be charging for both incoming and outgoing calls.
St. Maarten Telephone Company N.V. was established on September 30, 1996, not long after Hurricane Luis. Before that, telecommunications services throughout the Netherlands Antilles had been handled by the federal-level Landsradio.
Brian Mingo, now Chief Commercial Officer at SMTOC, joined the company in 1996, with the main aim of focusing on mobile services. TelCell was officially established on October 19, 1998. Mingo recalls that TelCell remarkably got the mobile concession in March 1999, and that that company was on air before the official concession license.
Current-day SMTOC now runs the Group’s various services under one umbrella, which includes Mobile, Internet, Television and Voice services. The government-owned company boasts more than 130 employees and is a pillar to the St. Maarten economy.
The company is now in the pilot phase of its Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) project, set to enable new telecommunication features in the home and office at previously-unattainable speeds.
The Group is well known for being a sponsor and supporter of various projects and causes. This most notably includes being a major long-time sponsor of St. Maarten Carnival, and the driving force behind pioneering youth talent showcase and development project, the TelCell Breakthrough talent search.
On behalf of the management board of directors, Mingo congratulates all TelCell stakeholders for the company’s success over the past 20 years, and especially thanks consumers for using its services and supporting the company.
To commemorate the occasion and to thank customers, TelCell is offering two specials throughout October, the Free Data Happy Hour and the Weekend Celebration Special. Visit www.telemgroup.sx for more information
