By Andrew Green, Staff Reporter
MOST PEOPLE in Jamaica are paying too dearly for Internet access, according to Hugh Campbell.
The chief executive officer of Emoquad, Jamaica's lowest cost Internet service provider, said a high quality service can be provided at a relatively low cost. But few understand this, Mr. Campbell told the Financial Gleaner in an exclusive interview.
Like most other Internet service providers, what Emoquad does is "a simple concept," he said: "We buy bandwidth from Cable & Wireless and we retail it to people."
Launched in March, Emoquad charges less than half of what some of its competitors do. This amounts to a monthly charge of $920, including General Consumption Tax. There is no 'set up' cost.
The generally high cost of Internet access in Jamaica simply means some providers are earning extraordinary profits, he said.
Campbell said he is dedicated to bringing cheap Internet access to Jamaica. The problem he faces is that most people believe that an inexpensive service means they will receive a low quality service.
Service quality suffers if the provider takes on more customers than its bandwidth can support, or it does not have the trained staff to help customers with difficulties, the chief executive said.
"You can't buy bandwidth to support 50 people and put 100 people on it," he said. "That is what people quarrel about."
"We are not in that (low quality) zone and we will never be in the zone," he said. A $10 million investment was required to get the company operational, and it has a very technically sophisticated staff.
With a staff of five, Emoquad has 750 customers, he said. He expects to double the initial first year target of getting 2000 customers and reach profitability in the second year.
Jamaica now has about 120,000 paying Internet customers and his company expects to grab a much big slice of that pie, he said. Its selling points are its low prices and quality service.
Kasnet Online Communications Limited provides Internet access at the opposite end of the price scale to Emoquad.
What Kasnet offers is in "capacity and quality of service," one company spokesman said. "There are no busy signals and good technical support."
Kasnet is willing to send someone to help you install the system, he said. And, "We have adequate bandwidth for customers."
Both the Kasnet spokesman and Emoquad's chief executive said that not all service providers have sufficient capacity to comfortably handle their peak traffic.
But at least one Emoquad customer, lawyer and technology writer Suzann Dodd, thinks the company offers a high quality service to its customers.
"Emoquad is currently the best dial up network," she said. "I've never got a busy signal, the connection is quick and fast and the customer service excellent.
"Considering it's extremely low cost in comparison to other dial ups, it's definitely the best value on the market today," she said.
Cheaper Internet access will allow the market to expand as it becomes more affordable, he said. As well, Jamaicans are just beginning to appreciate the value of this tool and when it is better understood, the number of users will soar.
His company is laying the framework to serve this developing market by expanding its services to Montego Bay and Manchester.
"I think there is a big market for Internet services in Montego Bay and Mandeville," Mr. Campbell said. Businesses tend to focus on the Corporate area and St. Catherine even where there is a strong demand in other parts of the island.
"If you dial me now from outside the corporate area, it is now a toll call," he said. 'Points of presence' will be established in the two urban areas and allow customers there to avoid inter-parish telephone charges.
A 'point of presence' is a system which allows customers to dial a local number in their parish to access the Emoquad system in Kingston.
The company is seeking to expand into the most dynamic markets around the island, said the chief executive officer. Points of presence in other areas will follow.
"We are trying to work with local partners," he said. "We want someone who knows the area."
This is one area where Kasnet has a clear advantage over the upstart Emoquad. The Kasnet spokesman said, "you don't have to dial long distance as we cover all of Jamaica."
