Gibtelecom, Gibraltar’s incumbent telecommunications provider, has a rich legacy dating back to the late 1800s. Similar to Telefonica in Spain or BT in the UK, the company offers a comprehensive range of telecommunications services. These include fixed-line telephony, mobile services, broadband, data centre solutions, product and service bundles and more.
Over time, Gibtelecom has transitioned from being a traditional telecoms provider to becoming a strategic technology partner for businesses, embracing innovation and sustainability in a highly competitive market.
We interviewed Danny Hook, Director Enterprise, several years ago but the company, as well as his role, have changed significantly since. “In 2019, Gibtelecom underwent a significant restructuring process -, which included redefined roles and responsibilities across the company,” says. Hook. “One notable change was the integration of our subsidiary Rockolo, specialised in data centre and managed services, which I was managing back then, into the main operations.”
“As a result of these organisational changes, I am now responsible for products and services offered to enterprise customers, from our largest business customer to the small corner shop on the high street. For me personally, this has been a huge change: from operating a very small subset of product services to being responsible for a much wider portfolio.”
He points out that Gibtelecom has had to accommodate the significant challenges that the telecommunications sector has faced over the last decade, with traditional services becoming increasingly commodities traded. The company’s response has been to pivot towards becoming a technology service provider rather than just a telecom operator.
Transformed for the new market environment
“Traditional telecoms services such as telephony have been in decline for a number of years, if not decades , as technology has evolved and with market liberalisation, especially in Europe, affecting everyone and small players like us in particular,” reflects Hook. “This has led us to diversify our product sets – we are now well into our journey to becoming a technology provider and selling our telco products through our services, more akin to an IT company than a telco.”
Instead of relying solely on transactional sales, Gibtelecom, which today employs some 150 people in Gibraltar, emphasises partnership-driven solutions. By engaging directly with businesses, the company identifies and resolves technology-related challenges using customers’ specific requirements. This may include improved Wi-Fi coverage for hotels, enhanced mobile connectivity for offices, and reliable data backup systems for various clients with the need for multi-jurisdictional backup capabilities. Our portfolio has expanded as a result of listening to customer’s changing needs and now includes secure private cloud offerings and the increasingly popular bare metal as a service solution allowing for agile global infrastructure deployments.
Apart from the obvious market challenges, this transformation presented a challenge in its own right, says Hook. “Moving from being a pure telecommunications provider to a technology service provider entails not only a change in the way of conducting business but also demands a huge cultural change from the organisation.”
“No longer is there a clear demarcation as to where the supplier’s responsibility ends and the customer’s starts, we now need to be seen more as a partner to the customer rather than just a supplier. Customer service has become more important than ever.”
He further affirms that sustainability is integral to Gibtelecom’s operations, particularly in its energy-intensive data centre activities. Beyond its environmental efforts, Gibtelecom engages with the local community through initiatives such as sponsoring events, providing IT infrastructure for non-profit organizations, and offering work placements for students.
Expanded horizons
Although Gibtelecom’s primary customer base remains local, its ‘follow our customers’ strategy has driven international expansion. “As part of our change into the managed services world, we have customers who needed us to provide services overseas for them. We now have a presence in Gibraltar, Dublin, Malta, Brazil, Curaçao & Malaysia, offering different types of managed services.”
When asked what makes Gibtelecom’s successful in these foreign jurisdictions, dominated by much larger players, such as Amazon, Microsoft, IBM or Equinix, he says: “One of our unique selling points is our agility. Our size allows us to make quick decisions and enables faster turnaround times for quotes, contracts, and service delivery.”
“We are also very personal, fostering close relationships with both customers and suppliers, and our longstanding relationships with Gibraltar-based multinationals present an opportunity to showcase what we can do for them elsewhere as well.”
“Needless to say, our suppliers are key to our success – time to market, streamlining of costs are essential to being successful in a highly competitive market and we cannot do this without suppliers who must share the same ethos as we have.”
“It’s those differentiators which allow us to compete and that’s where we’ve managed to change our business round, from being a purely local telco to becoming a managed service provider, with numerous international sites.”
Poised for growth
Looking at the company’s current position, Hook acknowledges that 2024 marked a turning point for Gibtelecom, with significant growth in international operations, the fruition of years of groundwork. This growth is driven by customer demand, as existing clients seek consistent service quality across their international operations.
“We’ve been laying the foundations to get all this done for several years. Now we can see the result of all that hard work, in the influx of business that is coming in. So, the future looks really positive for us,” Hook says, pointing out that the company is looking at further expansion, assessing the emerging markets in Latin America and Asia, with potential expansions in countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Uruguay.
This must also be exciting for Danny Hook on a personal level. With 28 years at the company, he has navigated various roles, from technology and operations to commercial and strategic positions and has seen the company developing and growing to its current robust position.
“I’ve had the privilege of moving through different areas of the business and have immensely enjoyed working and growing with Gibtelecom – we’ve had our tough moments, but they make the rewards even more valuable. So, it’s exciting times for me, and exciting times for Gibtelecom, as we plan to continue to strengthen our range of services as a technology service provider both in Gibraltar and overseas.”
