Digicel, the Caribbean mobile empire owned by Denis O'Brien, increased its subscriber base to 3.2 million in September from 1.9 million at the start of the year, the group disclosed yesterday

As preparations continue for a flotation in early 2007 on the New York Stock Exchange, Digicel has completed its fourth acquisition this year with the buyout of the Telbo mobile business on the island of Bonaire off the coast of Venezuela.

Digicel declined to reveal the value of the deal and the number of subscribers in Telbo. The transaction is likely to have been modest, given that Bonaire has a population of 10,791. Digicel entered this market last April when it took a majority shareholding in a group called Antilliano Por. The bulk of Digicel's recent growth has been in bigger markets such as Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago, where it introduced its service before the summer. These were among 10 markets in which Digicel launched services this year.

With more than 500,000 customers signing up in Haiti, Digicel brought its subscriber base to 2.6 million in June, adding a further 600,000 three months later.

The Telbo deal follows Digicel's acquisition of Guyana mobile operator U Mobile last month. In October, the group bought an unrelated El Salvador mobile company, Digicel Holdings Limited (DHL). It bought out Bouygues Telecom Caraibe last March, a deal which extended its reach to Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana.

Digicel has never revealed the value of these transactions. "We have expanded from 10 to 22 markets over the past 12 months and our acquisition growth has been phenomenal," said Digicel chief executive Colm Delves.