Nassau, Bahamas, March 3rd, 2008 The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited, BTC will launch an aggressive campaign within the coming months to migrate all of its present TDMA customers in New Providence and the Family Islands to the GSM platform. It is expected that at the end of 2008, all TDMA customers would have moved over to the GSM platform.
Vice President for Marketing, Sales and Business Development, Marlon Johnson said “This migration from the TDMA network to the GSM network is both mandated by the PUC [Public Utilities Commission] and is necessary as the TDMA parts, antennas and telephone devices are now discontinued – meaning that there are no more manufacturers that produce these items. Thus out of necessity, and to ensure that our customers are on the most widely used mobile telephone network in the world, we are moving fully over to GSM.
Mr. Johnson pointed out also that very soon TDMA customers will no longer be able to use their devices in the USA as travellers have grown accustomed to. Because of planned de-commissioning of TDMA networks by other providers, BTC will cease TDMA roaming services by the end of April 2008. This will result in our post-paid TDMA customers not being able to roam with their cell phones when travelling. BTC is urging TDMA customers who travel frequently outside the country to move over to the GSM network as soon as possible to ensure that they are not inconvenienced when they travel.
BTC is spending some $40 Million to improve the quality of service of its GSM network by improving its coverage and capacity. These improvements will facilitate the migration of our TDMA customers to a much improved GSM network.
The GSM network presently provides GPRS and EDGE technology so as to facilitate Blackberry services and data. BTC now has Voice Roaming Agreements for 145 GSM networks in 80 countries and data roaming agreements for 41 Networks in 24 countries.
When asked if TDMA customers will be able to keep their existing phone numbers, Mr. Johnson noted that this is indeed something very important to customers – especially business persons and small businesspersons whose primary business tool is their cell phone. “It is a question that is asked all the time by customers we encounter. They have made it clear that there will be a heavy cost and inconvenience to them to have to advise their contacts and customers of a new telephone number.”
“We are pleased to advise though that BTC has requested that the PUC give consideration to allow us to have customers transfer their TDMA phone number over to their new GSM account – consistent with what our customers have been asking. BTC has the technology to facilitate this, but we do require the permission of the PUC to make it happen. We are hopeful nonetheless that we will be granted permission to do this and ensure that we keep our customers happy.”
BTC introduced analogue Cellular services to The Bahamas in 1988 and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) services to The Bahamas in 1998. GSM services were introduced in 2004. To date, GSM services are available in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros, Berry Islands, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Inagua, Rum Cay and San Salvador. |