What next for Manx Telecom after Jersey Telecom's acquisition?

CEO discusses plans to bring 5G to the Island - and 20 new masts

Last month regulatory approval was received and the formal acquisition of Manx Telecom by CVC DIF and Jersey Telecom was completed.

CVC - described as the 'biggest private equity fund in Europe' - owns 55%, while Jersey Telecom owns 45%.

As you may remember, there were questions for the Manx government over why it wasn't involved in the scrutiny process - see HERE.

At the time, Gary Lamb, Manx Telecom Chief Executive, said it would enable the company to 'move forward with confidence'.

So, how exactly? And what benefits will this bring to customers on the Isle of Man?

Speaking to Manx Radio just weeks after the move was announced, Mr Lamb describes it as a 'good marriage'.

He says: "One of the challenges we have on the Island is scale, like many businesses here, where there's only 84-85,000 people here.

"So, trying to grow the business and try to invest the money and get as much value out of that investment as we can, it's quite challenging. So bringing a couple of telcos together should give us more scale.

"It'll give us more purchasing power, so we're able to buy things cheaper through procurement.

"And all of that backed by CVC, who have capital and they want to put it to work."

Plans for 5G - and 20 new masts

One of the selling points of the merger, according to Chief Executive Officer of JT Group, Daragh McDermott, was that the companies would be 'in a strong position to accelerate investment in 5G, fibre and digital services across the Isle of Man'.

Asked when we could see 5G rolled out on the Island, Mr Lamb says: "I absolutely recognise that, there are areas around the island where the mobile coverage and the performance is not where it needs to be.

"What we've got is a network which is due to be replaced. And that's a significant investment, that's going to be 20 to 30 million pounds."

He adds: "One of the good things about coming together with Jersey Telecom is that they've invested in their network.

"So one of our options there is that we can use their network and roll it out across the island.

"The thing we will need to do as well as that investment is we will need to get more masts around the island.

"So we need probably about 20 more masts so that we can fully use 5G and all of its capability for our customers on the Isle of Man."

When asked if he was concerned about attempting to install 20 new masts on the Island, where recent approval for telegraph poles in Peel saw political backlash, Mr Lamb said: "Look, there have been some challenges with planning. I think we all know that.

"But I'd hope that we can work with government and work with the island, excuse me, to be able to roll that out.

"You know, the benefits of having a good working 5G network across the whole of the Island are huge.

"So I'm sure we'll find a way through it over time."

Keeping the 'Manx' in 'Manx Telecom'

Since the acquisition there have been questions about whether it would lead to a re-brand. Whether the proverbial 'Manx' would be scratched out of the signage and replaced with the name of our fellow Crown Dependency.

But that's not the case, says Mr Lamb, who assures that the company's Manx identity is 'critically important' and that there is 'no way on Earth it will become Jersey Telecom'.

You can listen to the full interview with Manx Telecom CEO Gary Lamb via the Manx Radio Newscast below.