MONTEGO BAY, St James — Just months after investing $85 million to reconstruct and upgrade its communications network across Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, telecom provider Flow Jamaica has deepened its long-term commitment to the country with the official launch of its dedicated business-to-business division, Liberty Business Jamaica. The launch event, held this week in Montego Bay, brought together dozens of local business leaders and government stakeholders, and included major announcements about the company’s upcoming technological expansion and local investment plans.
Stephen Price, vice-president and general manager of both Flow Jamaica and Liberty Business Jamaica, revealed to attendees that the company is in the final stages of preparations for a 5G network rollout, hinting that the official launch could come in just a matter of weeks. Addressing recent temporary mobile service disruptions that some Jamaican customers have experienced, Price explained the interruptions are a side effect of ongoing large-scale infrastructure upgrades. He urged customers who have received notifications to upgrade their SIM cards to complete the swap promptly to get ready for the faster, next-generation connectivity that is on the horizon.
The upcoming 5G launch aligns with Flow Jamaica’s previously announced goal of completing a full transition to a 100% fibre-optic network across the country by December 2025, a foundational infrastructure upgrade designed to support advanced new technologies including 5G.
Beyond the 5G announcement, Price officially confirmed plans to open a dedicated Liberty Business Jamaica headquarters in Montego Bay, framing the choice of the western Jamaican city as a deliberate strategic decision. Price noted that Montego Bay is a critical hub for two of Jamaica’s most important economic sectors: tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO), both of which suffered catastrophic damage when Category 5 Hurricane Melissa swept through the island last October.
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Price recounted, Liberty Business deployed emergency satellite and mobile connectivity solutions to impacted businesses across western Jamaica, and was the only mobile network provider that maintained operational service in large parts of Montego Bay throughout the crisis. “Some of you had immediate needs that we were able to address right away using satellites and mobile solutions. I’m also proud to say that in the aftermath of the storm we were largely the only mobile network running in Montego Bay,” Price told the gathered stakeholders.
The $85 million spent on post-Melissa recovery and upgrades marks the latest in a series of large-scale investments by the company, coming on the heels of major recovery spending following Hurricane Beryl in 2024. Price emphasized that despite the significant capital outlay, the investment is critical to supporting Jamaica’s business community and residents. Much of the post-storm recovery work in Montego Bay focused on hardening infrastructure for long-term resilience: crews moved vulnerable aerial transmission lines underground and replaced aging copper network infrastructure with modern fibre-optic cabling.
Remarkably, Price reported, the majority of Montego Bay’s business community had their connectivity restored within two to three months after the hurricane. As of the launch, 82% of the company’s fixed-network customers across the impacted area have been fully reconnected, with work ongoing to restore service to the remaining 18%, and mobile service is almost entirely back to pre-storm levels. Network traffic has jumped nearly 40% since the storm, a shift Price said reflects Jamaica’s accelerating transition to digital-first services across all sectors. To boost future resilience, multiple mobile cell sites in St James Parish now have permanent satellite backup power and connectivity.
Price also highlighted the scale of Liberty Business’s regional footprint: the division operates one of the largest digital infrastructure networks across the Caribbean, with roughly 50,000 kilometers of sub-sea fibre-optic cable and more than 17,000 kilometers of terrestrial fibre spanning 30 regional markets. Notably, the company provides wholesale connectivity services to competing telecom providers across the region, and even supplies internet connectivity to Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet firm. The hurricane recovery experience, Price said, reinforced how critical resilient communications infrastructure is to national disaster preparedness and ongoing business continuity.
“Technology is not abstract. The solutions we provide have a direct impact on livelihoods and national resilience,” Price added.
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon welcomed the company’s expanded presence and new headquarters, noting that rapid urban growth in the city, driven by an influx of workers to the tourism and BPO sectors, has created increased demand for housing and strained existing public and private infrastructure. Digital tools such as resilient communications networks, smart data management, and digital advisory services, Vernon said, will be critical to supporting sustainable urban planning, improving municipal services, and cementing Montego Bay’s position as Jamaica’s top investment destination. He added that the city is eager to expand its partnership with Liberty Business beyond information and communications technology.
“In short, this launch is a story of convergence: a company redefining its identity, a city undertaking modernity, and a nation embracing digital transformation. Together, these threads weave a narrative of resilience, opportunity, and progress. So we are not merely hosting a brand launch; we are embracing a partner in this journey to become a safe, vibrant, and digitally empowered city,” Vernon said.