Bahamas News

Bahamas Telecommunications Company officials are considering providing cable services by 2010 as a part of a $55 million expansion to its telecommunications and Internet services.

Several weeks ago, officials announced an upgrade of the company’s system to the New Generation Network System (NGN) intended to improve the current digital infrastructure.

A multi-million dollar upgrade of BTC’s GSM network is also planned.

According to BTC’s Vice President of Marketing Marlon Johnson, the new NGN system will give BTC the capacity to provide cable services.

“The $55 million is to replace our core infrastructure and we are moving it to digital and we are moving it to our IT core,” he said.

“What that will do is then put our telecommunications services online with the most modern infrastructure. It will enhance telephone services and data services for businesses and residences, more flexibility and eventually be able to things like provide cable television.”

Mr. Johnson explained that the global trend appears to be the addition of cable television services to telecommunications companies.

“You can see a lot of companies now that are getting into cable television and it will be a standard television package and we will have to position it so that it will be competitive, but all those things are things that we are looking at,” Mr. Johnson said. “It will be no different from the cable services that people are accustomed to now.”

Mr. Johnson stressed that the idea is not set in stone, but it is something that BTC officials are discussing.

He added that there are a number of things that officials would have to do in order to make cable television provided by BTC a reality.

“First, we have to develop a business case for it that needs to get board approval obviously. Once the company decides that it wants to go in that direction we still have to get a business license to make it reality, so it’s still some ways down the road,” he said.

Mr. Johnson said in the meantime, officials are in discussions about the project.

“We are getting ready to do a full business study on the prospect of that. Based on what we have discovered in the business study then we will make a corporate decision on what direction to take,” he said. “If it is something to look at, then we will make a decision on that point.”

If BTC decides to provide cable services, it would end Cable Bahamas’ 15-year monopoly.

The company has been providing cable television services in The Bahamas since March 1995, and Internet services since March of 2000.

Yesterday, details were disclosed of a deal that BTC had struck with Nortel Communications to expand the company’s GSM cellular network. The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

The upgrade will involve the installation of Nortel’s EDGE platform to enhance the system.

“This network expansion will keep BTC at the leading edge of telecommunications in The Bahamas with a fast and reliable nationwide wireless network,” said Ray Bulengo, vice president, Carrier Sales, Caribbean Region and Bermuda for Nortel.

“Nortel has a longstanding relationship with BTC which is based on out ability to deliver customer satisfaction again and again through the quality, reliability and scalability of our wireless services and solutions.”

Source: Bahamas Journal