ARTICLE - DIGICEL BUYS VOILA

DIGICEL GROUP ADDS MORE LINES TO ITS CELLPHONE BUSINESS IN HAITI, BUYS COMPETITOR
(Miami Herald) - By Jacqueline Charles

U.S.-based company sells its Haiti mobile operations to chief competitor, Digicel Group for undisclosed amount.

Haiti’s cellphone market has one less competitor.

Digicel Group, the country’s largest cellphone operator, has purchased one of its leading competitors, Voilà, from parent company U.S.-based Trilogy International Partners. The deal closed Friday.

Voilà has been operating in Haiti since 1999. Digicel entered the Haitian mobile market in 2005.

“The two companies will continue to be run separately and it is business as usual for both companies,” said Antonia Graham, a spokeswoman for Digicel Group.

Bryan Gonzales, corporate affairs and human resources director for Digicel Haiti, will take the lead role at Voilà .

The amount of the sale is not being disclosed, but both sides had been in negotiations for months. Voilà has 600 employees in Haiti, compared to Digicel’s 900, but has struggled against the fast-growing Digicel, owned by Irish billionaire Denis O’Brien. Digicel serves more than 3.5 million customers in Haiti. Voilà has about one million.

Since it entry into the region 11 years ago, Digicel has become one of the most profitable mobile operators. It has more than 11 million customers across its 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific.

“Digicel’s acquisition of Voilà will see mobile users across Haiti benefiting from increased investment in even better mobile services and new technology in the future," Digicel Group CEO Colm Delves said.

In December 2009, Voilà and Trilogy received the "Award for Corporate Excellence" from Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in recognition of their commitment to social investment and their significant contributions to the economic development of Haiti. Voilà Foundation will continue its humanitarian work in Haiti as an independent nonprofit organization, the company said.