Cable and Wireless Jamaica spokesman Errol Miller. - contributed

London-based tele-com Cable & Wireless PLC will eliminate about 100 jobs in Jamaica as part of a restructuring to better compete with competition in the Caribbean country, the company said Monday.

The job cuts at the end of March will affect about six per cent of the company's 1,600 workers in Jamaica, spokesman Errol Miller said.

He did not disclose what kind of jobs would be targeted.

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

C&W Jamaica has 550,000 to 600,000 cellphone subscribers, and about 350,000 to 370,000 fixed line customers, Wednesday Business understands.

The company's attempts to become leaner follows the evaporation of its profits in the past two years, and the telecom's embarassing descent into a loss position, which at December was close to half a billion dollars.

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.

- AP and Gleaner reports