Telecommunication Minister, Kelvar Darroux, is expressing concerns over the rate of roaming in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and has challenged Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) to do something about it.
He was speaking at the presentation of funds by ECTEL to the government of Dominica on Tuesday morning as the island recovers from Hurricane Maria.
“I have always mentioned it at the Council of Minister’s meeting that ECTEL needs to work speedily in ensuring that the roaming rates, particularly within the OECS territories is something that is looked at critically to ensure these rates can be lowered,” he stated.
Darroux questioned why when OECS citizens travel to member states and “pay so much” for roaming.
“Why is it that you have to leave Dominica and go across to St. Lucia or to Antigua or to St. Kitts and you have to pay so much for roaming charges,” he stated. “It is critical in such a small area, the EU has gone ahead and done it why can’t we five countries within the OECS do the same thing to reduce the roaming rates for our citizens here in the OECS territories,”
He stated that his challenge to ECTEL is to look into the matter.
“I am hoping that at the next board meeting that this is discussed and when the Council of Ministers meet, we can take a firm position on this thing,” Darroux said.
At Tuesday’s presentation, EC$350,000 was given to the Government of Dominica by ECTEL.
Darroux said $150,000 will go towards housing projects in St. Joseph and $200,000 will go towards the National Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Dominica to ensure the complete restoration of its business.
No kidding ! One of the biggest fleecing jobs by telecoms ; Especially in the Caribbean . It is nothing less than maximizing $$ .
Stop talking and do something about it.
How about focusing on getting no contract unlimited service for a manageable monthly fee. Because this top up nonsense is a scam, and all your getting is bad service.
Lol, seems like a lot of you here prefer high roaming charges
A smart local Telecomm company can circumvent all usage charges by creating hot spots in all the towns that connect to each other. Users wont even need a cell phone they could use an ipad or any such devices as well as their smart phones (just turn off cellular service and use WIFI). you can call, face time whats app etc. Instead of complaining about the cost start being smart and create competition locally. People spend so much money on on cell phones just boat and show off but don’t actually use the devices to help them in their daily lives.
Communication in this day and age should be free, the issue is people don’t balance the use of these devices for personal need and look to value they have (essentially a small computer).
Changing your mind set is key, complaining and making noise is a thing of the past… BE INNOVATIVE and CREATIVE!
I told you before, if only we all were as smart as you…
Apparently you have zero ideas!
just a lot of nonsensical childish criticism… as an adult you should know the only person you hurting with ignorance is yourself… look at you.
Kid stop trying to make yourself feel important. Look into who stole those parrots instead,it’s a much simpler problem to solve. You and the whole gang are a bunch of waste.
DNO I have got time to comment on Klever’s little boy talk so instead I will talk about our parrots that we’re smuggled and ask Klever if he or his government played any part in that illegal act? Also,
Let me give you guys a homework for tonight: all I want you all to do tonight is, imagine what they would do to Linton if ONLY, the German had said he was assisted by Mr. Lennox Linton. I don’t want thumbs up or down; all I want each of you to do is name the possible consequences or price, Linton would have suffered or paid, for assisting in the smuggling of our parrots
Why is D.N.O not reporting on the stolen Parrots our national birds shame on you D.N.O fair and objective investigation I know you wont post this but the people need to know . how did thos germen’s get in and out at , the airport to the Dominican republic, ? come on D.N.O inform the people we have gone to u8uch , now our national treasure’s are being stolen D.NO is being silence / realy dno where are your credibility to the D.A people?
If you can’t stand the heat in the kitchen, all you have to do is get out!
Everybody with a cellular phone knows they have to pay for roaming depending on where they are. If someone use a cell phone to call internationally, with the little bit of money they work for in Dominica, every dime they work for will not be enough to pay their phone bill!
I suspect a call from Roseau to any place on the North or South of the island as long as more than one tower is utilized that becomes a roaming call, therefore you pay. How often the individual uses their phone is a matter for them; they like to talk: suffer the consequences in cost.
The telephone provider, or company is in it for money; people like that crab Darroux crawling on his belly talking fart believing they will feel sorry for him, and low the price. The most expensive place to call in the world from outside the Caribbean; is the entire Caribbean.
The roaming rate is a problem but the Minister need to first focus on the fleecing of customers locally by the cellular providers who are reducing customers balance without rendering services.
How can a billing system be reducing customers balance daily for service not-used or provided? This is not for example a promo offering for 5days where you loose it, if you don’t use it…………………
This is outright theft and NTRC needs to address this with the intend of protecting the consumers.
NTRC should not only be investigating complains and getting refunds for customers but hefty fines should be levied against providers caught in the act.
I concur with your comments to this article. Why is the minister concerned about roaming when six months after hurricane Maria’s impact on Dominica, myself and other people in the diaspora are unable to have a proper uninterrupted telephone conversation with our relatives back home. To add to this, they pay high prices and don’t enjoy the services they pay for. Mr Darroux should focus on what matters most, and don’t come with these shenanigans hoping to make the news.
That alone you concerned about Kelvar? You not concerned about the price of gasoline that keep climbing up on we the citizens???
Gas is $12.11 now. A few days after Maria it was 10.89.
What is the reason for this increase in gas prices at a time like now?
the telecommunications minister is discussing a telecommunications matter in a DNO article and you are asking about gasoline? what sense does that make? if you are not interested in the topic, silence is still an option.
Two observations:
– the E.U. Have effectively dealt with this by putting pressure on the telecommunications companies while Caricom and the OECS are still talking and allowing their citizens being played by those companies.
– the Minister, through his own government, should put pressure on Flow, locally incorporated under Cable & Wireless Dominica Ltd., in which our government has a 20% interest.
I see a conflict of interest here, especially if government were to be delinquent in settling their telecommunications bills in a timely manner.
I am sorry, but your expectations are too high for these incompetent and self-serving people who are placed in the parliament of most of these countries. From my understanding parliament is an important institution in a democracy where legislators go to pass laws which will improve the lives of their constituents. In our region, most use the parliament as an extension of the political campaign and platform which are associated with general elections.
Stop giving handout and fix the country or make them pay a small monthly fee so it can help to make da great again
Government cannot fix people minds! your negative mind will eventually be your negative reality!
But the red party clearly fixed your mind. You are a hypocrite.