Denis O ‘Brien, Founder and Chairman of Digicel Group, talks to members of staff at Digicel Jamaica during his visit on Thursday, September 7

The grant will involve the issuance of options for close to one million shares to employees. With more than 2.6 million subscribers in 20 markets, Digicel is committed to further expanding its Pan Caribbean network.

Denis O'Brien, founder and chairman of Digicel Group, announced the share option plan to staff in Digicel's flagship operation in Jamaica during his recent visit to the country.

"It is fitting that we should make this announcement on the fifth anniversary of Digicel's inaugural launch in Jamaica. Our colleagues across the region have contributed greatly to our success and their commitment is at the cornerstone of Digicel's speed to new markets and unmatched level of service that we provide to our customers," said O'Brien.  "We want to thank them for helping to ensure that Digicel is a leading player in the Caribbean mobile market and give them the opportunity to share further in the success of the business."

Digicel's employee share plan is similar to the incentive program O'Brien and his management team introduced to staff at Esat Telecom, the highly successful operation which introduced competition in mobile telecommunications in Ireland.

According to Dr Omar Davies, Minister of Finance and Planning for Jamaica, "Digicel once again has demonstrated its commitment to the people of the Caribbean and the responsibility it takes in rewarding those whom drive its success. We commend the company for delivering such an inclusive reward program and are confident that it will encourage other corporations in the region to follow its example."

Digicel continues to experience dynamic internal growth and strategic business acquisitions.  In the last year, Digicel completed the acquisition of Cingular Wireless assets in the Caribbean and Bermuda as well as Bouygues Telecom Caraibe, which quickly accelerated the expansion of its operations into several new markets.  Overwhelming responses to Digicel's recent launch in Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago, Bonaire and Turks & Caicos are further strengthening the company's performance.

"As we continue to deliver on our vision of a seamless pan-Caribbean network, we are committed to continually challenging ourselves to be a leading company in all areas of our business from technology innovation to customer service and community participation. We have major growth plans for Digicel and with this latest initiative our employees will benefit further from our ongoing success," added Colm Delves, Digicel Group CEO.

With an overall investment of more than US$1.2 billion in the region, Digicel is also breaking new ground with the anticipated launch of new services such as its WiMAX wireless broadband technology.

Digicel is a significant employer in the region with more than 90 percent of it 2,000 staff members from the Caribbean and Bermuda. The company receives an average 400 resumes and inquires for employment each day according to its human resources department. The company's ongoing commitment to the professional development of staff has paid off significantly in high employee retention rates and many employees have been with Digicel since its launch in 2001.