New Providence, The Bahamas, November 17, 2008 – With the flip of a switch, The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC) has completely terminated its Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network on Sunday November 16. The TDMA network is now history.
In early 2007, BTC had already begun preparing for this imminent decommissioning, embarking on an aggressive GSM expansion project. The goal was to increase the level of services provided and at the same time expand cellular coverage throughout New Providence and the Family Islands. BTC also increased the amount of cell sites, expanded existing sites and also introduced an 850MHZ frequency overlay in the GSM network. The upgrade has been largely completed in the Family Islands, with a few additional cell sites to be built and brought on line.
BTC notes that the island of New Providence however requires a different approach. “The density of the network and cell phone traffic in Nassau meant that we (BTC) could not run both the TDMA network and launch the upgraded GSM network at the same time,” stated Marlon Johnson, Vice President responsible for public relations. “Therefore we are only able to begin testing the upgraded GSM network after the TDMA network is turned down. The new upgraded system in New Providence will not be fully functional until the end of the month”.
BTC notes that over the final two weeks of November customers in New Providence will experience disruptions in the GSM service as the upgraded network is tested and optimized.
“We will do our best to minimize disruption to our customers, but unfortunately this is the only way it could be done in New Providence”, continued Johnson. “But by the end of the month, customers will begin to see substantially improved service in New Providence and throughout the country.”
BTC is asking its customers to get involved in telling the company where service is not “at acceptable levels”. The company has set up a form on its website www.btcbahamas.com, where customers can log information detailing where they are having issues with GSM anywhere in the country. Customers completing the form will be eligible to win a Black Berry Bold, the sleek new smart phone, phone cards and much more.
Once the optimization phase is completed, GSM will blanket the islands increasing cell density, providing better call quality, stronger signals, and more coverage while making the network more accessible.
BTC is moving in sync with global technology as TDMA networks have been turned down internationally. At the beginning of the year BTC announced its plans to decommission its TDMA network, as TDMA roaming would end soon, and that companies had ceased making parts and antennas for TDMA devices.
In addition to simple voice services, GSM will offer customers new features such as browsing the internet and sending emails from their cell phones. This service is currently available for both prepaid and postpaid customers. There are also additional features like Multi-Media Messaging (MMS), Office Tools, Bluetooth and a myriad of others. GSM also provides customers with the flexibility to use their cellular phones when travelling to over 145 countries.
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