The chief executive of Digicel Group resigned yesterday just nine months after taking up the post at the mobile phone operator.

Raoul Fontanez joined Digicel in September 2004 as group chief executive with responsibility for expanding the company's presence throughout the Caribbean.

A former director at Orange's mobile phone unit in the Dominican Republic, Mr Fontanez now plans to found his own telecoms firm in the Dominican Republic.

A Digicel spokeswoman said yesterday that, for some time, Mr Fontanez had been in discussions with Digicel founder Denis O'Brien regarding his plans for the future.

She said plans to appoint a new chief executive were under way and, in the meantime, Digicel chief financial officer Colm Delves would manage the mobile phone group.

Mr Fontanez came to Digicel with more than 20 years of industry experience serving as chief executive of Orange Dominicana and Orange Caraïbe in the French West Indies.

He replaced Séamus Lynch, the Irish executive that Mr O'Brien put in place to start and run the company in Jamaica.

Digicel, which was founded by Mr O'Brien in Jamaica shortly after he made €250 million from the sale of the Esat group, now operates in nine countries in the Caribbean and covers a population of 12 million.

Earlier this week it secured a licence to operate in Haiti. Digicel now hopes to expand its operation to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago later this month by acquiring a licence in an auction.