Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson said yesterday that a Bahamian company should be granted the country's second mobile service provider license.
Gibson was contacted by The Nassau Guardian after Bernard Evans, president of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU), told radio talk show host Ortland Bodie that Gibson told him this was his preference.
"Whenever there are any opportunities for ownership or employment in The Bahamas, my preference is always that Bahamians should be given the first opportunity and only when we can't find a suitable Bahamian, then a foreigner can be considered," said Gibson, a former president of the BCPOU.
The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is the country's only mobile phone service provider.
Its monopoly ended this month.
The BCPOU is also against a foreign company getting the license.
"We all support competition, but we all thought that competition could be brought about by Bahamians getting involved in the business and not so much bringing a foreign entity to do it," Evans told The Nassau Guardian.
"If we had to bring in a foreign entity, then by all means, but if it can be done and we have the expertise here...we ought not need a foreign entity to come in here and provide competition for us.
"I know competition would be beneficial for Bahamians as a whole. It drives down prices...but we don't need a foreign entity to do that."
Evans said the union would not be happy if local cable and broadband provider Cable Bahamas receives the second license.
He said the BCPOU would "go to the highest hills we need to let government know" that it does not want Cable Bahamas to enter the mobile phone market.
The BCPOU is also against regional telecommunications provider Digicel entering the mobile market. "If it is one foreign entity that ought not to be allowed it is them," said Evans when asked about Digicel.
He claimed the company is not union friendly.
"They have stifled every opportunity for a union to be organized in the countries where they represent," Evans said.
Earlier this month, Digicel said it hoped the government would "imminently make an announcement outlining the process" by which the liberalization of the cellular market would occur in the "shortest possible timeframe".
Antonia Graham, Digicel's head of group public relations, previously said the company welcomes the liberalization process and wants The Bahamas to "enjoy the benefits of competition".
The Ingraham administration sold 51 percent of BTC to Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) in April 2011. A condition of that sale was a three year extended monopoly on cellular services.
According to the sale terms, a second cellular service provider can now enter the market.
The government has not released any details surrounding the liberation process.
On Monday, Prime Minister Perry Christie said he has appointed a liberalization committee headed by former Financial Secretary Ruth Millar.

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