Digicel offers bonus payouts to workers who choose to leave (Jamaica)
Telecom operator Digicel is offering its employees a bonus package under its voluntary separation programme (VSP), which is open for two weeks, According to a report by the Jamaican Observer, permanent, temporary and part-time employees are eligible to receive enhanced packages based on years of service as well as extended health cover, pro rata bonuses and career change advisory sessions.
The move is aimed at driving efficiencies and maximising performance following the integration of the Jamaican Claro operations into the company, said Digicel, noting that the programme is being initiated as the company diversifies from being a pure mobile service provider into offering customers options that include 4G mobile, cloud computing and, soon, mobile financial services.
In a statement, Digicel Jamaica CEO, Mark Linehan, said that with progress comes change — but their commitment to delivering an excellent service to their valued customers remains the same. Now is the time to review operations to ensure they are well positioned to meet the opportunities that are ahead of them and that they have the right people with the right skills in the right jobs.
He added that since launching here in Jamaica in 2001, the business has grown and developed hugely. From their origins as a pure mobile service provider, today they are evolving into a full service converged communications provider.
Beeline Cambodia launches ‘Your Number’ service
Mobile service provider, Beeline Cambodia has launched the ‘Your Number’ service, which allows customers to check numbers and prices via USSD or SMS. This service is free of charge for Beeline subscribers for up to five times per day.
Customers can change numbers up to twice a day and the fee for changing their phone number will be deducted directly from their account balance.
Time for British company Spinvox to go
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: When Spinvox, British voicemail-to-text Company was launched in 2003, it won acclaim for its innovative use of speech recognition technology and its future looked bright. Nothing was known at that time that the company once known as the rising star in the British technology companies will lose both its name and recognition within a few years.
US based Nuance Communications, a speech-recognition company is about to take over Spinvox, for US$150 million. The reason behind the turmoil in the company is accredited to the failure of some of the promising contracts with major operators.
Last year, the company was allegedly accused of using human intervention†rather than automatic translation of the voicemails. However, Christine Domecq, the founder of the company declined the allegations saying that human intervention is used only when the technology can’t get a fix on the spoken word.
Even after the controversy, Spinvox succeeded in signing deals with big telcos and mobile service providers like Telefonica in South America and Telstra of Australia. However, Spinvox munched its way through more than $150 million of backer’s cash and was close to collapse. Invesco’s, smaller Spinvox backer, market statement indicating that Spinvox was up for sale made the things worse.
Though Spinvox’s account for 2008 is still to be filed at Companies House in London, there is rumour that in the year the company lost some $80 million on sales of $15 million.
