Liberty Business launches AWS cloud partnership in Jamaica

Liberty Business has launched a partnership with Amazon Web Services in Jamaica, giving local companies and government agencies access to AWS cloud services through the telecommunications provider’s own network, data centres and support teams.

“Our ambition is to help Jamaican businesses move beyond simply being connected to becoming more agile, intelligent and competitive,” said Charles Manus, senior director for Liberty Business, in a statement on Thursday.

The Jamaican launch extends a five-year strategic collaboration agreement signed in February between AWS and Liberty Latin America, the Nasdaq-listed parent of Liberty Caribbean. Liberty Caribbean operates the Flow and Liberty Business brands and BTC in The Bahamas. A comparable launch took place in Barbados in July.

Under the arrangement, Liberty Business customers can buy cloud advisory services, migration support, managed cloud operations, hybrid cloud and disaster recovery through a single provider, with billing handled locally. Neither company disclosed financial terms or customer targets.

‘Pathway to modernisation’

“By combining Liberty Business’ trusted network, regional data centre capabilities and local expertise with AWS cloud and AI services, we can provide a secure and practical pathway to modernisation,” Manus said. “From a small company preparing to scale to a large enterprise or government agency managing complex systems, we are committed to helping organisations turn technology into meaningful growth.”

The regional agreement announced on February 17 has three parts. Liberty Latin America is deploying AWS Outposts, which places dedicated cloud infrastructure inside its own facilities so that customer data stays within specified borders. It is also migrating more than 500 internal systems and customer workloads to AWS, and will extend AWS compute and storage to the edge of its network and data centre operations.

Data residency is central to the pitch. Regulated sectors in the region, including financial services and government, face rules on where data may be stored and processed, and the on-premises model is designed to meet those requirements without giving up cloud capability.

“Liberty Latin America’s strategic collaboration with AWS demonstrates how telecommunications providers are evolving from connectivity suppliers to comprehensive digital transformation partners,” Jan Hofmeyr, vice-president for telecommunications at AWS, said when the regional agreement was announced.

Liberty Business said it expects demand from government, financial services, tourism and hospitality, healthcare and business process outsourcing.

business@gleanerjm.com