Avanzit signs five CenAm, Caribbean contracts worth US$21.5mn

Spanish telecom and IT solutions company Avanzit has signed five contracts through its newly acquired Jamaican telecom infrastructure provider Calatel worth US$21.5mn, Avanzit said in a statement to Spain's stock market regulator CNMV. The contracts represent 60% of Calatel's 2007 revenue goals, and include network expansion projects in Jamaica, Haiti, El Salvador, Guyana and Surinam. The largest contract, worth US$12mn, is to expand a GSM-GPRS network in Jamaica for public works and telecommunications services. The statement did not specify a carrier but a local report in the Jamaica Observer said Calatel is participating in a Spanish Jamaican foundation's social and tourism projects. The other contracts are with Caribbean and Central American mobile carrier Digicel to expand GSM-GPRS networks. In Haiti, Calatel has extended an existing contract with Digicel to February 2007 worth US$3.5mn, and the company expects to extend the contract again once it expires. Calatel will carry out a US$2.5mn contract to expand the GSM network of Digicel's newly acquired unit in El Salvador, with the first phase of the expansion set to finish in March of next year. For 2007, the company also expects to work on the network of Digicel's new unit in Guatemala. On the northern coast of South America, Calatel will expand Digicel Guyana network in a contract worth US$2mn. In Surinam Calatel will construct a new GSM-GPRS network for US$1.5mn with plans to start in December 2006. Avanzit acquired Calatel at the beginning of November for 32mn euros (US$42mn).