CellularOne targets the TV market with cable acquisition

Bermudan mobile operator Bermuda Digital Communications (BDC), which markets services under the CellularOne banner, is moving into the domestic cable TV market via the acquisition of Hardell Cable TV Co. The takeover, which took place last month, gives the firm a back door into the domestic market where no new licences have been issued since 2005 when the government imposed a moratorium, considering the market to be too crowded for new competition. That decision came after a lengthy court battle in which rival cableco WOW! was awarded a cable licence and frequencies instead of Hardell which industry watchers considered left the latter dead in the water. Nonetheless, Hardell is thought to own its own cable licence, dating back to 1996, and is currently exploring opportunities to offer niche services in the market. Commenting on the development, a spokesman for CellularOne said: ‘Any carrier will find it’s going to be tougher going. The island’s only 22 square miles, it only has a population of 64,000 … there’s only so much you can do . . . You have to look at what’s going to bring in new revenue streams.’