The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), the country’s sole wireless provider has unveiled plans to roll out a 4G network at least four months earlier than previously planned. The UK-owned telco is investing USD43 million in the project, but has not stated which platform the network will be on. The most likely candidate is Long Term Evolution (LTE) which is being installed throughout the Caribbean holdings of parent company Cable & Wireless Communication (CWC). Construction of infrastructure is reportedly already underway, with the first phase to include the islands of Grand Bahama and New Providence.
CEO Geoff Houston said ‘we expect to have service here live in Grand Bahama by Christmas so you’ll be able to connect your iPad to a 4G network and the data speed we expect to achieve is probably 20 to 30 times faster than what you’re currently seeing on mobile phones’. BTC has dramatically accelerated its build-out, having previously told local press that it had hoped to begin installing a next generation network by April next year.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, BTC launched its 3G network in 2006, and had 27,000 subscribers using the service by the end of 2007. By the end of 2010 the amount had increased to 50,000.
