Negotiating with Foreign Governments
Western Wireless International Inc. and Haitian and U.S. investors

When Western Wireless International Inc. needed to negotiate both a cellular license and an interconnect agreement with Haiti’s government, its management turned to Sequent Consulting for help.

Over the course of 20 months, Sequent founder Thomas Tesluk made numerous trips to Port au Prince to work out the details of Western’s proposed investment with the Haitian government and Teleco, Haiti’s government-owned telephone company. Tesluk met with officials ranging from the head of the local telephone company to the minister of communications to the president of the republic as he built the framework for what has become the largest single foreign investment in the history of Haiti: the cellular communications operator known as Comcel.

Today, Comcel serves tens of thousands of Haitian customers throughout the country with world-class digital wireless and international long distance services. It continues to grow rapidly and has far exceeded its initial targets. In addition, Comcel enjoys excellent relations with the Haitian government and the local telephone company.

Part of Sequent’s success in this deal can be attributed to the close cooperation and coordination the company developed with the U.S. Embassy staff and two U.S. ambassadors. In addition, Tesluk visited Washington, D.C. frequently to brief officials of the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, and the Treasury, as well as staff members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The World Bank was also a focal point of Sequent Consulting’s communication strategy as it sought to build a wide coalition to support Western’s goal of bringing digital cellular service to Haiti.

The support of the U.S. government and the World Bank was critical to the negotiations because both parties were important constituents with a vested interest in encouraging foreign investment into Haiti. When resistance to an open and transparent agreement was encountered in Port-au-Prince, Tesluk was able to keep key administration and congressional officials informed of his progress, which helped to move the process forward.

Ultimately, Tesluk’s patient, thorough approach paid off. The government of Haiti confirmed the license award and interconnect agreement for Comcel in 1998.