Digicel has secured regulatory approval to acquire Cingular Wireless operations in Bermuda, furthering its plans to build a seamless Pan-Caribbean wireless network.

Now the company is poised to move into the Bermuda mobile telecommunications market after inking a deal to acquire Cingular Wireless assets in the Caribbean and Bermuda.

?Being one of the first small countries in the world to break the stranglehold of monopoly in the telecommunications sector, we have seen in Bermuda first hand the benefits that competition brings in driving growth and development,? said Minister of Telecommunications Michael Scott in a statement. ?We look forward to and welcome the entry of Digicel into the Bermuda market.?

?Digicel?s business model and aims of attracting international business fairly complement the Bermuda model. The company?s impressive track record of recruiting and training an energetic workforce, together with its highly efficient operational model, functional organisational structure, and quick decision making, is impressive and would add value to the Bermuda telecoms scene,? he added.

Colm Delves, chief executive of Digicel Group said: ?Our customer-centric approach has led to success and increased market share in every country we have entered so far. We look forward to becoming the number one provider ... and are focused on creating a seamless pan-Caribbean network that benefits all of our customers.?

The company also announced yesterday that it has received governmental approval to launch a GSM network in the Eastern Caribbean island of Anguilla.

It follows on similar approval earlier this month from the Commonwealth Government of the Eastern Caribbean island of Dominica

Digicel and Cingular have entered into a roaming agreement to provide favourable roaming rates in each other?s markets. Locally, however, the company is still in negotiations with Cingular on some business matters and has not yet set a target date for its move onto the Island.

It has however promised that the transition for Bermuda customers is will be as seamless as possible with Cingular customers keeping all their current benefits.

Errol McGlothan, regional marketing manager for Digicel said yesterday that customers will keep the handsets they have currently but as Digicel moves forward it will also introduce its own range of handsets to the market. It is also negotiating with Cingular to allow customers to keep the BlackBerry service they already have.

As for staffing the Bermuda office, Mr. McGlothan said that the company is putting together an integration plan for Bermuda which he said will aim to see the current Cingular team ?hopefully become the future Digicel team?.