The Monopolist’s Lament

It’s tough running a monopoly: you need a thick skin. The pay is good, of course, but after a while the slings and arrows of public discontent start to prick. At the Islands’ Christmas pantomime last December, the buxom yet moustachioed villain, Cinderella’s stepmother, had a sketch where she made a call to the local monopoly telecoms provider. There was an automated response. It promised that an agent would be on the line soon. Then it promised that again. And again. And again. The crowd roared its delight. No one loves a monopoly, no matter how efficient, and this particular monopoly was 106 years old.

Fortunately, relief was at hand. The Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) Government had enacted a new Telecommunications Ordinance designed to liberalise the local market place. The first new provider, Digicel, launched operations on 7^th July 2006. The effect of competition has been immediate. Cellular rates are a fraction of what they were eighteen