UTS official says reports
of takeover ‘ridiculous’
PHILIPSBURG--United Telecommunication Services (UTS) board member John Fayad has dismissed as “ridiculous” and as an “All Fools” joke radio reports that Digicel and international telephone company MIO are intent on buying United Telecommunication Services (UTS) for US $800 million.
However, he confirmed that UTS was interested in a merger with St. Maarten telephone company TelEm and that the two companies were currently holding talks.
A Radio Soualiga (99.9 Choice FM) Curaçao correspondent reported on the station’s Thursday evening newscast that Telecommunications Minister Maurice Adriaens was prepared to meet with both MIO and Digicel regarding the possible purchase of UTS.
However, commenting on the reports, Fayad told The Daily Herald last night, “Speaking as the Supervisor for UTS International Projects and on behalf of the President of the International Committee, … this is the most ridiculous news I have heard.”
Fayad continued: “As a matter of fact, today (Thursday) we had a board meeting during which we discussed several different issues, amongst which is the merger of the TelEm Group of Companies with UTS.”
Contending that to his mind there was no basis for the reports regarding the possible purchase of UTS by MIO and/or Digicel, Fayad said the only possible explanation for the false rumour could be the fact that because UTS was in talks with the TelEm Group, MIO and Digicel were devising scare tactics to disturb those discussions. That, he said, would be a “nasty game.”
UTS Eastern Caribbean Chief Operations Officer Glen Carty said he too had heard the report and found it a very big surprise especially considering that one of the companies allegedly interested in purchasing UTS was a company that had difficulties every month making its payments to UTS for services rendered.
He said, “While this matter, if it were ever to be true, would likely have had to be discussed on a shareholders level, I am sure management would have heard some details about it, which is not the case.” He said UTS would continue to grow internationally as its business plan dictated and would continue its excellent service to the people of the Netherlands Antilles and beyond.
Attempts to reach Telecommunications Minister Adriaens last night for comments about his alleged plans to hold discussions about the purchase of UTS were unsuccessful.
