C&W trims jobs in Jamaican operations

London-based telecom Cable & Wireless will eliminate about 100 jobs in Jamaica as part of a restructuring to better compete with competition in the Caribbean country, the company, quoted by an Associated Press report, said.

The Associated Press report said the job cuts at the end of March will affect about 6% of the company's 1,600 workers in Jamaica, according to spokesman Errol Miller said. He did not disclose what kind of jobs would be targeted, the Associated Press report said.

The layoffs are part of Cable & Wireless' efforts to streamline local operations as it faces increased competition, especially from Jamaica's Digicel Group.

Jamaica opened its telecommunications sector in 2002 after more than 40 years of monopoly by Cable & Wireless. The telecom remains the leading provider of fixed-line service in the Caribbean nation, but is No. 2 in cellular service behind Digicel, which launched in 2001.