New company offers cable, phone and Internet services

Columbus Communications Inc launched Flow, a three-in-one company — the brand that umbrellas all of its services. Flow will provide customers with cable, Internet and telephone services.

Brendan Paddick, president and CEO of Columbus said at the launch: “I have been visiting Trinidad and Tobago since 1993, it has been six years now we have been seeking to provide broadband Internet services.

“We like Trinidad, the environment is great, political stability, foreign investment, the GDP growth is good, the government’s Vision 2020, the telecommunications market is opening up and it’s English-speaking. We also love the weather.”

Paddick says that Columbus (Caricom) started in 2004 and has assets of $4 billion. The company has upgraded Jamaica with a $1.6 million investment and in Trinidad and Tobago the figure is $750 million. He also promised that his company will invest $1 billion in this country in the future.

John Reid, president and chief operating officer of Flow says Trinidadians are passionate about their cable and they want a first world network with first world service and it is because of this they will invest in TT.

Flow is changing the corporate culture with the power of technology by the evolution of this brand; they are changing from analog to digital — an exercise that will take some time. But 75 percent of their customers will be digital in 36 months’ time. Phase one of the digital conversion will start in June 2006.

According to Reid, a Flow Care Foundation will be set up with the first donation of $1 million and the foundation will be run by Trinidadian directors.

Several networks who could not send representatives to the launch delivered messages of congratulations to Flow’s management.

These included Discovery Communications, BET Jazz, Tempo and Larry King of CNN.