SAT sold to Digicel

satDominica News Online can confirm that local company, SAT Telecoms and Broadcasting, has been sold to telecommunication giant, Digicel.

An employee at the company told DNO that all staff members of SAT were informed of the sale on Monday morning.

SAT’s administrative director, Barbara Alexander, also told DNO the company was sold but added, “I cannot comment to you at the moment, you have to speak to Mr. (Marlon) Alexander or Mr. (Richard) Stanton.”

Efforts to contact Alexander, who is the chairman and managing director of SAT, and Stanton, the island manager of Digicel, on Monday were unsuccessful.

According to its website, SAT was founded in July 1999.

The company said it has built the largest fibre optic network on Dominica and perhaps due to the geography of the island, the largest in the Caribbean.

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44 Comments

  1. yochanan
    March 1, 2014

    All I am looking forward to are faster, better internet at lower rates.

  2. chineygirl
    February 21, 2014

    im sooo happy. LIME n their sour rates.. buh bye. as for u self Marpin…

  3. Anonymous
    February 19, 2014

    That’s some productive news. Now digicel can u bring back the USA channel please? SAT seems to have lost it. I need my shows like NCIS,CSI,Criminal minds, burn notice,suits,white collar and the list goes on.USA is all I ask for. Gracias

  4. tro
    February 18, 2014

    Marpin had their chance but the obsolete workers they have there with no vision is what prevented them from accepting the deal.There are ppl at marpin who know nothing else but Marpin and i feel sorry for them. Maybe one day they will stop being complacent and make themselves more marketable. This acquisition is going to bring prices down that Marpin may not be able to compete with then Marpin will eventually sell out when they can no longer compete and therefore you can acquire Marpin at a cheaper price later on

    • hmmmmm too..
      February 18, 2014

      @Tro…marpin was approached by Digicel too so why did they not sell to get out of the debt they are in?

  5. NO MARPIN IN MY AREA
    February 18, 2014

    hope this means that all the channels and their advertisement will no longer be in SPANISH. Also that they wont be changing the channels ever so often without informing the customers.One more thing whatever the changes may be PlEASE dont touch channels such as Discovery home and health, hgtv and cw. THANKYOU!

  6. Ted Turner
    February 18, 2014

    Very interesting developments in Dominica. Now LIME – Cable & Wireless – Erricson should buy MARPIN to carry its debts. Social Security hope you hearing, my servant who migrated from Dominica and living in New York need her pension money :wink:

  7. Jennifer
    February 17, 2014

    Holly sat here I come. By by marpin

  8. roger
    February 17, 2014

    Aa, we getting more and more interesting here in DA every day,hahaha

  9. Mind your Mind
    February 17, 2014

    Wow…after reading a whole lot about national pride and our athletes at the Sochi Olympics, I am surprised to find that many people feel so OK with a local business going under. Wonder if some of the economic citizenship money could go into supporting local businesses to grow and improve quality.

    Since we are so supportive of China, we should learn one major lesson from their economic history. The Chinese gov’t supported Chinese businesses and protected them for many years until they could stay afloat and compete internationally. They recognized that Chinese businesses did not have the ability to compete with international companies in the early years since they lacked the expertise and experience.

    But then again the Chinese were furiously nationalistic and determined to succeed, develop and compete internationally. Can the same be said of our Nature Isle?

  10. SHELLOCH HOLMES
    February 17, 2014

    A BABY IS BORN AND IMPROVED,LEARN TO CREEP,WALK AND RUN,FELLOW DOMINICANS IS TOTALLY AGAINST IMPROVEMENT.everything need to expand for the better but you all want to stay down the drain.Grow up and enjoy life it only comes once

  11. As far as I can see
    February 17, 2014

    That is the best news I have hear so far this year in Dominica. Digicel have delivered exceptional service to us ever since they came to Dominica, I have no doubt that service will improved almost instantly.

  12. Whistler
    February 17, 2014

    Another example that the economy is tight..

  13. Anonymous
    February 17, 2014

    What is happening in this country?!!

  14. Frank Talker
    February 17, 2014

    Why do you think Digicel is interested in SAT? For sure, it cannot be because of SAT’s superior service, because their tv quality actually sucks. SAT’s coverage over the island is second to Marpin. Digicel is into voice and so is Marpin, not SAT! Open your eyes, Dominicans; Digicel wants a fire network for their voice and data business! They do not have interest in television service!

    • Frank Talker
      February 17, 2014

      I mean “fibre network.”

    • Realist
      February 17, 2014

      How can you be sure as to what their intentions are? This could mean good news for SAT customers as Digicel has the capability of improving the service. Some people always know about something they don’t know fart about!

      • Frank Talker
        February 18, 2014

        @Realist; “this could mean good news for SAT customers”. So why can’t it be that Digi is interested in the fibre network only? Why is it ok for you to make a guess, but it is wrong for someone else to do the same? I expressed my understanding of the purchase, based on the trend in telecoms nowadays. If Digi wants to beam tv signals to its customers, they can easily do so from their existing network to their mobile customers. I honestly do not believe that a giant like Digicel needs to buy a tv company to get into the television business. They can already stream tv to mobile phones.

  15. SourC
    February 17, 2014

    Here we go, we are going in circles and end up in the same monopoly we were in. Smart move Marlon, the economy has failed us miserable; hope the employees remain on the job. You’ve gone through so much struggles, take your money, pay your debts and to the rest is history, no more worries.
    No help for the locals trying to create jobs in this country. We were told to GTH, who cares. Dominica is sold. We cannot speak.

    • Anonymous
      February 17, 2014

      Everything has to be political huh..?

    • Simply the Truth
      February 17, 2014

      Put the blame where it belongs and cease your political charade. Open your eyes and warped, limited brains.
      Dominica is sold to and by foreign investments; not local ones. Eventually, it could be higher costs for customers which will also not benefit the D/can economy. Will their profits be deposited in D/can banks?
      Mismanagement could be the cause of business failure.

  16. former employee
    February 17, 2014

    marlon you did well now its time for improvement

  17. Anonymous
    February 17, 2014

    maybe now SAT QoS will improve as well as customer realtions!

  18. Bee
    February 17, 2014

    Hmmm that’s unfortunate since SAT was a home grown company. It means more money will be leaving the island.

  19. i must speak
    February 17, 2014

    well i guess the staff can breathe with relief …… that’s not only what i think i got it from the horse’s mouth :lol:

    • Anonymous
      February 18, 2014

      ur so wright cause the staff could not join a UNION.

  20. T. Winston
    February 17, 2014

    What does that mean for my SAT services
    I hope my prices stay the same and the actual service improves as opposed to the other way around

  21. Serene Yung
    February 17, 2014

    Thank God! SAT Service suck; I hope to see ………..improvement. Poor quality service. uuuggghhhh

  22. Jedi
    February 17, 2014

    Marpin is also owned by Digicel.
    Best we start using monopoly money…LOL

    • Seriously
      February 17, 2014

      No Marpin is not it was in the pipeline but seemed to have fallen through.

  23. african queen
    February 17, 2014

    oh my God things are rough in DA. Except for Skeriit and Austrie and them lawyers who speak foolishness o, Kari. Lord help us , Papa Bondye aidey nous. nous finin bat
    skerrit please call the election.

    • you dont say
      February 17, 2014

      everything is politics !weh!

    • Anonymous
      February 17, 2014

      What does selling a private company to another have to do with Skerrit, Austrie or any politician. Maybe you should school yourself on mergers, acquisitions etc.

      • Natural Living
        February 17, 2014

        @anonymous…Maybe you are the one that needs schooling…these are business decisions..and the last time i checked business decisions are greatly dependent on the local economy and business climate…and in a small country like ours where politics and politicians are in everything, you better believe they have plenty to do with it…peace..

    • Jesuschile77
      February 17, 2014

      cursed at the very root!!! nous pas fini bat! Jesus Christ is Lord over Dominica. The power of life and death is in the tongue and we need to stop speaking death over our country if we want to see change for the good. SPEAK LIFE!

    • Jesuschile77
      February 17, 2014

      Comcast which is supposedly the biggest telecommunication company in the US just bought the supposedly second biggest (Time Warner Cable) and I am sure Mr. Obama was nowhere in the process just as Mr. Skerritt was nowhere in the process of Digicel buying SAT.

      These are private entities and we need to learn to keep politics out of places it don’t belong!

    • Nomination committe
      February 17, 2014

      UWP were asking for direct foreign investment what are the crying for?

      This is direct foreign investment. Ask lennox Linton the novis. I have two boys at home they are more qualified than him. They are in 5th Form.

      • Markey
        February 18, 2014

        It would be interesting to know what is described as foreign investment in Dominica. The foreign investor, do they bring in money into the country to do business or do the foreign investor borrows from our local banks, and when the investment turn bad, we hold the s end of the stick. Check it and then response.

    • KINGMAN
      February 17, 2014

      when you all get the result of the election all want so badly i just hope it is not suicide you all will commit, for i know UWP CANNOT win an election in this country.

    • wonderwoman
      February 18, 2014

      you poor ignorant bafoon.

  24. February 17, 2014

    Very interesting news for the Caribbean region. We are not immune from global trends.

    • Simply the Truth
      February 17, 2014

      …And this could be devastating for the country, its economy and nationals. Wait and see.

      • Too Hard Too Long
        February 18, 2014

        Why could it be devastating?

  25. Anonymous
    February 17, 2014

    Whaat!!! How Marpin going to compete with dat.

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