Hammer Fiber and Wikibuli announced a definitive agreement to provide wireless telecommunications services in Dominica with a closing date of January 1, 2019.
Wikibuli obtained its telecommunications license in Dominica in 2013, providing services on the island until September 2017. It temporarily halted services after catastrophic weather conditions caused severe damage to its infrastructure.
Wikibuli and Hammer are primed to begin construction of a new network infrastructure in January 2019. The network will be owned by Wikibuli and operated by Hammer under its Mobile Network Services Provider program.
The initial agreement addresses the construction of the wholesale voice network, and creates the framework for the possible construction of LTE, WiFi and fixed wireless infrastructure in subsequent phases of the project. Hammer’s proprietary Air technology will provide Wikibuli a unique high speed fixed wireless solution and a powerful backhaul technology for the proposed LTE and mobile WiFi deployments.
Hammer subsidiaries 1stPoint, Endstream and Open Data Centers will provide the hosted switching services and wholesale gateway for Wikibuli’s next generation voice and SMS network. Wikibuli anticipates completion of the wholesale voice network by the end of February 2019.
As part of the agreement Hammer will purchase an equity interest in Wikibuli in exchange for cash and common stock of Hammer. Hammer CEO Erik Levitt and COO Kristen Vasicek will join the board of directors of Wikibuli. Wikibuli co-founders CEO Sean Partington and COO Glen Simon will remain on the board of directors of Wikibuli and will continue to manage the day-to-day business affairs.
