Cable Company of Trinidad and Tobago

Cable Company of Trinidad and Tobago (CCTT), also referred to as Trinidad & Tobago Trans-Cable Co. Ltd, was a telecommunications and pay-television provider operating in Trinidad and Tobago. The company emerged from the consolidation of several local cable businesses—Transcable, Cable View, Rainbow and AJ Cable—and was founded by Phil Cleary, a businessman originally from Newfoundland, Canada. Its business combined traditional cable television distribution with broadband Internet access. CCTT's broadband service was marketed under the FiberLine name. FiberLine used a composite high-speed fiber-optic backbone distributed across much of Trinidad's interior, positioning the company as an important fixed-line alternative to the telecommunications infrastructure operated by TSTT. The service was particularly significant in the market because DirecTV, while competing in subscription television, was not licensed to provide satellite Internet service in Trinidad and Tobago. This left FiberLine and TSTT as the country's identified high-speed Internet providers in the reference period. The company's cable-television operation underwent a notable technology transition around the turn of the millennium. Scientific Atlanta digital cable boxes were supplied to customers in 1999 and 2000, after which CCTT attempted to introduce tiered service packages. The transition was not smooth: some customers returned the digital boxes after reporting that basic cable channels were being scrambled unpredictably. The company also faced recurring customer complaints about occasional service outages, including interruptions during international cricket matches, an especially visible service problem in a cricket-following market. CCTT competed with DirecTV, TSTT and other local Internet-service providers. Its combination of cable programming and fixed broadband gave it a dual role in the country's communications market, while FiberLine served as the clearest consumer-facing expression of its Internet business. In 2006, the company was acquired by a Canadian company and changed its name to Columbus Communications. The available reference material does not establish the company's current legal status, present ownership, or whether the CCTT brand remains active.

Cable Company of Trinidad and Tobago was a local cable and broadband operator formed by merging several Trinidad and Tobago cable businesses: Transcable, Cable View, Rainbow and AJ Cable. The company was founded by Phil Cleary, a businessman from Newfoundland, Canada, and operated under the CCTT name as well as the corporate-style designation Trinidad & Tobago Trans-Cable Co. Ltd. Its business model centered on the distribution of cable television together with Internet connectivity. The company developed a fixed broadband network marketed as FiberLine. This network used a composite fiber-optic backbone extending across much of the interior of Trinidad. FiberLine made CCTT an important participant in the country's high-speed Internet market and placed it in competition with TSTT and other local Internet-service providers. DirecTV was also a competitor in television services, but the reference material states that it was not licensed to provide satellite Internet service in Trinidad and Tobago. In that market context, FiberLine and TSTT were identified as the country's sole high-speed Internet providers. CCTT pursued a transition from conventional cable distribution toward digital television around 1999 and 2000. Scientific Atlanta digital cable boxes were supplied to customers during that period. The company subsequently sought to implement tiered service packages, presumably to organize programming into different levels of subscription. Customer acceptance was mixed. Many subscribers returned the boxes after reporting that basic channels were being scrambled randomly. The company also received continuing complaints about occasional outages, including interruptions during international cricket matches. The available account does not provide a detailed chronology of the merger, the construction of the FiberLine network, or the company's financial performance. It does, however, identify a decisive ownership and branding change in 2006. A Canadian company acquired CCTT, and the business changed its name to Columbus Communications. The supplied sources do not specify the acquiring company's name, purchase price, subsequent executives, or the precise legal relationship between the former CCTT operation and Columbus Communications. They also do not establish whether the CCTT brand continued to be used after the renaming or describe its present status.

• 2006

  Acquisition and renaming

  [1]Cable Company of Trinidad and Tobagoen.wikipedia.org

  CCTT was acquired by a Canadian company and renamed Columbus Communications.

• 1999

  Digital cable-box rollout begins

  [1]Cable Company of Trinidad and Tobagoen.wikipedia.org

  The company began supplying customers with Scientific Atlanta digital cable boxes, continuing the rollout into 2000.

• Formation through local cable-company merger

  [1]Cable Company of Trinidad and Tobagoen.wikipedia.org

  CCTT was formed by combining Transcable, Cable View, Rainbow and AJ Cable.

A local Trinidad and Tobago cable television and fixed broadband provider, positioned around integrated cable services and high-speed fiber-based Internet access.

• Broadband Internet

  FiberLine

  FiberLine was CCTT's branded broadband Internet service. It operated over a composite high-speed fiber-optic backbone distributed across much of Trinidad's interior and represented the company's principal fixed-line Internet offering. In the reference period, it competed with TSTT and other local Internet providers and occupied a distinctive position because DirecTV was not licensed to deliver satellite Internet service in Trinidad and Tobago.

• Pay television

  Cable television service

  CCTT's core television business distributed subscription cable programming in Trinidad and Tobago. The company later introduced Scientific Atlanta digital cable boxes and attempted to organize programming into tiered packages. The digital transition generated customer complaints about basic channels being scrambled unpredictably, and the available material does not document the eventual resolution or long-term performance of the packages.

• 2006

  Acquisition and rebranding as Columbus CommunicationsM&A

  Background

  CCTT underwent an ownership change after operating as a Trinidad and Tobago cable and broadband provider.

  Action taken

  A Canadian company acquired the business, which then changed its name to Columbus Communications.

  Aftermath

  The CCTT name ceased to be the principal name identified in the available account. The acquiring company's identity, transaction terms and subsequent corporate history are not specified in the supplied material.

  Source

• 2000

  Attempted introduction of tiered service packagesStrategy

  Background

  The digital cable-box rollout was followed by an effort to structure television services into different subscription tiers.

  Action taken

  CCTT attempted to implement tiered cable service packages.

  Aftermath

  The transition was accompanied by customer complaints about randomly scrambled basic channels and continued reports of occasional outages, including during international cricket matches.

  Source

• 1999

  Introduction of Scientific Atlanta digital cable boxesProduct launch

  Background

  CCTT was modernizing its cable television operation and moving customers toward digital delivery.

  Action taken

  The company supplied Scientific Atlanta digital cable boxes to customers in 1999 and 2000.

  Aftermath

  Some customers returned the boxes after reporting random scrambling of basic cable channels. The available source does not state the final technical or commercial outcome.

  Source

1. 1Cable Company of Trinidad and Tobagoen.wikipedia.org