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Panellists engage in discussion on strengthening utilities to meet climate change demands at the 12th Annual OUR Stakeholder Engagement. From left: Kevin Kerr, President (Acting), National Water Commission; Stephen Murad, CEO, Digicel Jamaica; OUR Public Education Specialist and Moderator Elizabeth Marsh; Charles Douglas, Senior Manager, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Flow; and Hugh Grant, President and CEO, Jamaica Public Service.
Digicel Jamaica reinforced its commitment to building stronger, more reliable networks and advancing disaster readiness as it participated in the Office of Utilities Regulation’s (OUR) 12th Annual Director-General’s Stakeholder Engagement, held under the theme “Utility Resilience, Innovation, and Readiness for Extreme Events,” at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last Thursday.
Bringing together leaders across government, utilities and international partners, the engagement explored how Jamaica can better prepare for and respond to increasingly severe climate events, with a strong focus on readiness, coordinated action and timely recovery.
Against this backdrop, Digicel Jamaica CEO Stephen Murad joined industry leaders in a panel discussion on “Building Resilience – Strengthening Utilities to Meet Climate Change Demands,” sharing insights drawn from the company’s recent hurricane response efforts.
Drawing on lessons from the recent hurricane seasons, Murad praised the strengthened coordination between utility partners, particularly Digicel and the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), noting that experiences from Hurricane Beryl helped refine response efforts ahead of and during Hurricane Melissa. This closer alignment proved critical, as teams worked in tandem throughout the island to rebuild and reconnect communities.
“At the height of the impact, approximately 70 per cent of our mobile sites were offline,” Murad said. “Through coordinated efforts and continuous work on the ground, we were able to restore 98 per cent of service within three months. That level of recovery speaks to the strength of partnership and the commitment of our teams.”
Satellite technology also played a key role in maintaining connectivity during the recovery period, allowing customers to stay in touch with loved ones even as traditional infrastructure was being restored. Supported by close coordination with government and utility partners, this approach helped keep communities connected during one of the most challenging periods.
Looking ahead, Murad noted that Digicel continues to strengthen its network to better withstand future events, with a deliberate focus on reducing reliance on external infrastructure and expanding its fibre capabilities across the island. This includes the development of a fibre ring connecting Kingston through central Jamaica and extending to the west and north coast, improving redundancy and overall network stability.
This approach is further supported by a recent agreement with the Jamaica North South Highway Company (JNSHC) to accelerate the transition to underground fibre infrastructure, enhancing network durability, reducing vulnerability to extreme weather events, and improving service reliability along key corridors.
In framing the broader national conversation, Director-General usingnsord Hewitt, pointed to the importance of building systems that can withstand impact, recover quickly and adapt in the face of disruption, while Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, emphasized the need for stronger planning and alignment in response to evolving climate realities, supported by the use of data-driven tools implemented by the government to assess risk and guide recovery efforts.
Adding to the government’s perspective on strengthening resilience across the sector, Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, pointed to the need for more structured financial planning to support utilities in preparing for and recovering from major events.
“Resilience is not only about stronger poles, better cables, or reinforced towers. It is also about something equally important: how we finance preparedness before disasters and how we finance recovery afterwards,” Vaz said.
During panel discussions involving Digicel, NWC, Flow, and JPS, there was strong agreement on the importance of joint planning and continued investment in infrastructure and technology. Industry leaders emphasized that no single entity could operate in isolation when it comes to disaster response, reinforcing the need for aligned strategies to build Jamaica’s ability to respond to future disruptions.
As Jamaica prepares for future hurricane seasons, Digicel continues to work alongside government and industry partners to advance readiness, enhance infrastructure and ensure that communities remain connected when it matters most
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