Cable & Wireless Communications
Cable & Wireless Communications is a telecommunications operator serving Caribbean and Central American markets under brands including Flow, BTC and Cable & Wireless Panama.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Cable & Wireless Communications is a telecommunications company focused on the Caribbean and Central America. The present company was created on 26 March 2010 when Cable & Wireless plc separated its international telecommunications operations from its enterprise-oriented activities in Europe, Asia and the United States. The latter business became Cable & Wireless Worldwide and was later acquired by Vodafone, while Cable & Wireless Communications retained a portfolio of operators in smaller international markets. The company’s corporate ancestry is considerably older than its 2010 formation. Its history can be traced to the nineteenth-century cable businesses associated with John Pender, a Manchester cotton merchant who became involved in the English and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company in 1852. Pender helped establish and consolidate numerous cable enterprises, including companies that extended telegraph links through the Mediterranean, to India, the West Indies and South America. The Eastern Telegraph Company, formed in 1872, became a central predecessor. The development of wireless radio challenged the cable companies’ international position in the early twentieth century. Following a British government decision in 1928 to coordinate imperial cable and wireless communications, Imperial and International Communications was formed and renamed Cable and Wireless Limited in 1934. The earlier Cable and Wireless business was nationalised by the British government in 1947. Its United Kingdom assets were transferred to the Post Office, while the company continued operating international assets. Privatisation began in 1981 under Margaret Thatcher’s government and was completed through further share sales in 1983 and 1985. Cable and Wireless subsequently expanded into the British telecommunications market through Mercury Communications, a licensed competitor to British Telecom, and into mobile communications through One2One. In 1996, Mercury was combined with several cable operators and the resulting consumer and enterprise group adopted the Cable & Wireless Communications name. One2One was sold to T-Mobile in 1999, and the group later disposed of its stake in the consumer operation that became associated with NTL and, ultimately, Virgin Media. After the 2010 demerger, management concluded that the international portfolio was too geographically dispersed to achieve sufficient scale. The company therefore concentrated on the Pan-American region, selling operations in places such as Bermuda, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the Maldives, Macau and the South Atlantic. It acquired a 51 percent interest in The Bahamas Telecommunications Company in 2011 and maintained substantial operations in Panama and the Caribbean. It also owned or controlled businesses in a number of other territories and held a 49 percent interest in Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago. Liberty Global agreed to acquire Cable & Wireless Communications after announcing an offer in November 2015. The transaction was agreed in February 2016 and completed on 16 May 2016. In 2018, Liberty Latin America was separated from Liberty Global, and Cable & Wireless Communications became part of the newly independent Latin American and Caribbean telecommunications group. In Panama, the business was later rebranded +Movil, while the Caribbean operations generally traded under the Flow name, except in The Bahamas, where BTC remained the principal consumer brand. In June 2025, the company rebranded at the corporate and regional level as Liberty Caribbean. Its operating scope includes mobile and fixed-line telephony, broadband, pay television, enterprise connectivity and communications services for governments. The company operates through a mixture of wholly owned businesses, controlled interests and minority holdings. Its principal regional role is that of a full-service communications provider, with network infrastructure and consumer, business and public…
History
Cable & Wireless Communications belongs to a telecommunications lineage that began with the expansion of nineteenth-century submarine telegraphy. John Pender, who entered the industry through the English and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company in 1852, helped finance and organize a large number of cable companies. These enterprises established links between Britain, continental Europe, the Mediterranean, India, the West Indies and South America. Pender was also associated with the successful transatlantic cable laid by the Great Eastern in 1866. In 1872, several of his businesses were consolidated into the Eastern Telegraph Company, which later absorbed or controlled additional cable operators and adopted the broader Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies identity. Wireless radio created a competitive challenge to the cable system around the beginning of the twentieth century. Marconi’s development of commercially usable short-wave radio demonstrated that international messages could be transmitted without submarine cables. A British conference in 1928 considered how cable and wireless technologies should be coordinated. The result was the creation of Imperial and International Communications, combining major British imperial communications interests. The company changed its name to Cable and Wireless Limited in 1934. The British government nationalised Cable and Wireless in 1947 after the Labour Party’s postwar election victory. Domestic United Kingdom telecommunications assets were incorporated into the Post Office system, while the company’s international activities continued. Privatisation began in 1981 under the Conservative government and proceeded through additional share sales in 1983 and 1985. The privatised company re-entered the British domestic market through Mercury Communications, which received a licence to compete with British Telecom. Cable and Wireless bought out its original partners in Mercury in 1984. Mercury also participated in the creation of One2One, a mobile communications business that launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 1996, Mercury was combined with Vidéotron, NYNEX and Bell Cablemedia. The enlarged operation became Cable & Wireless Communications, with Cable & Wireless plc holding a majority interest. The group subsequently pursued disposals and restructuring. One2One was sold to T-Mobile in 1999, and the consumer interests were later sold to NTL. These transactions reduced the group’s exposure to the United Kingdom consumer market and contributed to a greater emphasis on international and business telecommunications. In 1997, Cable & Wireless acquired a 50 percent interest in Panama’s state telecommunications company, INTEL, which was subsequently known as Cable & Wireless Panama. In 2004, it purchased a controlling interest in Monaco Telecom, although that holding was later sold in 2014. In 2006, the group was divided internally between Cable & Wireless International and Cable & Wireless Europe, Asia and US. The board announced a formal demerger in 2009, and the two businesses separated on 26 March 2010. Cable & Wireless International became Cable & Wireless Communications, while the other business became Cable & Wireless Worldwide. The new company initially held a broad portfolio of telecommunications operators in smaller markets. Management concluded that this collection of geographically dispersed businesses did not provide adequate scale, and it progressively concentrated the company on the Pan-American region. Between 2010 and 2013, it disposed of operations in several territories, including Bermuda, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the Maldives, Macau and the South Atlantic. It acquired 51 percent of The Bahamas Telecommunications Company in 2011 and retained a 49 percent interest in Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago. The company also maintained a managed 49 percent interest in Panama’s principal full-service operator. Liberty Global announced an offer for Cable & Wireless Communications in November 2015. The companies agreed the transaction in February 2016, and the acquisition closed on 16 May 2016. In 2018, Liberty Latin America was separated from Liberty Global, placing Cable & Wireless Communications within the new group. The Panama business later moved toward the +Movil brand. In the Caribbean, the Flow identity replaced the earlier LIME identity in most markets after the acquisition of Columbus Communications, while BTC remained the brand in The Bahamas. Cable & Wireless Seychelles was sold to local investors in November 2019. In June 2025, the company rebranded as Liberty Caribbean. Its continuing activities cover mobile, fixed-line, broadband, pay television, enterprise connectivity, wholesale networking and government communications.
- 2025
Rebrand to Liberty Caribbean
[1]Cable & Wireless Communications rebranded as Liberty Caribbean in June.
- 2019
Seychelles operation sold
[1]Liberty Latin America sold Cable & Wireless Seychelles to local investors.
- 2018
Ownership transfers to Liberty Latin America
[1]Cable & Wireless Communications became part of Liberty Latin America after that company separated from Liberty Global.
- 2016
Acquisition by Liberty Global completed
[1]Liberty Global completed its acquisition of Cable & Wireless Communications on 16 May.
- 2015
Liberty Global announces acquisition offer
[1]Liberty Global announced an offer to acquire Cable & Wireless Communications.
- 2011
BTC Bahamas stake acquired
[1]Cable & Wireless Communications acquired a 51 percent shareholding in The Bahamas Telecommunications Company.
- 2010
International and enterprise businesses demerge
[1]Cable & Wireless plc separated into Cable & Wireless Communications and Cable & Wireless Worldwide on 26 March.
- 1997
Entry into Panama
[1]Cable & Wireless acquired a 50 percent interest in Panama’s INTEL telecommunications business.
- 1996
Cable & Wireless Communications name adopted
[1]Mercury was combined with several UK cable operators and the enlarged group adopted the Cable & Wireless Communications identity.
- 1993
One2One launches mobile service
[1]One2One, the trading name of Mercury Personal Communications, began offering mobile communications services in the United Kingdom.
Products and positioning
A regional, full-service telecommunications operator focused on connectivity, communications infrastructure and digital services across Caribbean and Central American markets.
Consumer and business telecommunications
Flow
Flow is the principal customer-facing telecommunications brand used by Cable & Wireless Communications across much of the Caribbean. Its services include mobile communications, fixed-line telephony, broadband internet and pay television, alongside business connectivity in selected markets. Flow replaced the earlier LIME identity in the Caribbean after Cable & Wireless Communications acquired Columbus Communications.
Integrated telecommunications
BTC
BTC is the Bahamas telecommunications business in which Cable & Wireless Communications acquired a controlling interest in 2011. It provides mobile and fixed-line telephone services, broadband, pay television and related communications products to consumers, businesses and public-sector customers in The Bahamas.
Integrated telecommunications · 1997
Cable & Wireless Panama
Cable & Wireless Panama was the company’s Panamanian full-service telecommunications operation. Its activities included mobile, fixed-line, broadband and pay television services, as well as enterprise and government communications. The business later moved toward the +Movil identity under Liberty Latin America.
Enterprise telecommunications
C&W Business
C&W Business is the enterprise-oriented offering associated with Cable & Wireless Communications. It serves corporate and institutional customers with connectivity, communications and related network services across the company’s regional footprint.
Wholesale telecommunications
C&W Networks
C&W Networks represents the group’s wholesale and carrier-facing connectivity activities. The business supports international and regional communications traffic and provides network services to telecommunications operators and other institutional customers.
Telecommunications
+Movil
+Movil is the later brand associated with the company’s Panamanian telecommunications business. It covers mobile and broader communications services in Panama following the transition away from the Cable & Wireless Panama identity.
Brand decisions
2025
Rebrand as Liberty CaribbeanStrategyBackground
The company’s Caribbean operations were increasingly presented within the Liberty Latin America group structure.
Action taken
Cable & Wireless Communications adopted the Liberty Caribbean name in June 2025.
Aftermath
The rebrand aligned the company’s corporate identity with its parent group while local operating brands such as Flow and BTC remained important to customers.
2018
Transfer into Liberty Latin AmericaM&ABackground
Liberty Global separated its Latin American and Caribbean operations into Liberty Latin America.
Action taken
Cable & Wireless Communications became owned by Liberty Latin America.
Aftermath
The company continued operating as part of Liberty Latin America’s regional telecommunications portfolio.
2015
Agreement to be acquired by Liberty GlobalM&ABackground
Liberty Global sought to expand its presence in Latin American and Caribbean communications markets.
Action taken
Cable & Wireless Communications agreed to Liberty Global’s acquisition offer in February 2016 after the offer was announced in November 2015.
Aftermath
The transaction completed on 16 May 2016, taking Cable & Wireless Communications into the Liberty group.
2010
Demerger of Cable & Wireless CommunicationsStrategyBackground
Cable & Wireless plc sought to separate its international telecommunications operators from its enterprise business in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Action taken
On 26 March 2010, the international division became Cable & Wireless Communications and the other division became Cable & Wireless Worldwide.
Aftermath
Cable & Wireless Worldwide was later acquired by Vodafone, while Cable & Wireless Communications pursued a Pan-American strategy.
2010
Concentration on Pan-American marketsStrategyBackground
Management judged that the company’s dispersed portfolio of small and medium-sized international operators did not provide sufficient scale.
Action taken
The company sold a number of businesses outside the Caribbean and Central America and concentrated investment on Pan-American operations.
Aftermath
The Caribbean and Panama became the company’s principal operating focus.
2006
Separate international and enterprise divisionsStrategyBackground
Cable & Wireless divided its activities into Cable & Wireless International and Cable & Wireless Europe, Asia and US as a preliminary step toward separating the businesses.
Action taken
The group organized the international operator portfolio separately from its enterprise-focused operations.
Aftermath
The restructuring led to the 2010 demerger that created Cable & Wireless Communications as a standalone international telecommunications company.
Recent events
C&W Communications appoints Tony Matthews as Dutch Caribbean vice president[2]
C&W Communications announced Tony Matthews’ appointment as vice president for the Dutch Caribbean, with responsibility for Flow/UTS operations across Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten/St. Martin, Saba and St. Eustatius.
C&W Communications appoints Susanna O’Sullivan as North Caribbean vice president[3]
C&W Communications announced the appointment of Susanna O’Sullivan as Vice President for the North Caribbean, succeeding Garfield “Garry” Sinclair in the position.
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