New Providence, The Bahamas, September 18, 2008 – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC) has today reminded its pre-paid TDMA customers in New Providence that there is a schedule for switching over to GSM. At the end of the prepaid ‘Switch it Up’ schedules, customers that have not switched over to GSM will have their accounts suspended.
Vice President for Marketing, Sales & Business Development Marlon Johnson said, “We want to make this process as smooth and efficient as possible. Accordingly, we have decided to tightly enforce the schedule we implemented for our pre-paid TDMA customers. What that means is that when your scheduled days are advertised, you will be required to make the switch to GSM. At the end of your scheduled period, your service will be suspended until you switch over. Any credit you have on your telephone will remain until you come in to switch over.”
He added: “For instance, customers with the prepaid prefix 395 have until September 20th to make the switch. If these customers do not do so, their accounts will be temporarily shut down until they come in and switch over.”
“We are doing this to ensure that we avoid a last minute crunch, where everybody comes into change their phones over. That could mean that thousands of persons could seek to come in on the last weekend, creating a significant amount of customer frustration”.
“BTC has sought to make this process as affordable as possible, providing telephones as low as $49.99 for persons making the switch and offering 60 percent discount on most of our other inventory”.
BTC began prepaid porting on September 8, allowing customers to switch to GSM and keep their TDMA number. Prepaid porting will end on October 25, in preparation for the nationwide turn down of October 31; 2008.BTC would like to remind customers that once their cellular number is scheduled to be ported they will not have access to their text messaging and voicemail features.
TDMA customers will need to purchase a GSM phone if they do not have one. Their existing device will no longer work.
On Saturday, September 20, there will be a special “Switch Here Day” for postpaid customers and prepaid customers with the 395 prefix. The Switch Here Day will be held in the BTC office at the Mall at Marathon from 10am to 6pm
TDMA customers can visit BTC in the Mall at Marathon, Cyber World in the Mall at Marathon and Bay Street to make the switch. Customers can also visit their local BTC office in the Family Islands to make the switch. BTC has also extended its hours in Cyber World and the Wireless Department in the Mall at Marathon until 8:00pm to accommodate customers.
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