At a glance: The latest Caribbean 5G deployments

Operators have deployed 5G in only nine of the 30 Caribbean territories followed by 5G Americas and Telegeography, establishing a total of 15 5G networks as of June 2024, not counting Digicel's recent 5G launch in Grand Cayman. 

Since the second half of 2023, various operators have launched 5G in the region and more are expected to start offering 5G services in the future.

In the upcoming spectrum auction in Jamaica, planned for June 24, a portion of the 600MHz band that can be used for 4G/5G services will be offered. The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago are also considering spectrum auctions this year.

BNamericas takes a look at the latest 5G deployments in the Caribbean.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Digicel launched 5G services in Grand Cayman on June 14. The network is first available in the West Bay area, parts of George Town and Bodden Town. 

Digicel was the second operator in the Cayman Islands to turn on its 5G network after Flow (Cable & Wireless) launched 5G earlier this month. 

The Cayman Islands was the first part of the Caribbean where Flow’s 5G services were offered.  

According to C&W CEO Ingrid Smidts, Flow has 44 mobile sites and 98% coverage in the Cayman Islands. 

At the end of 2023 there were nearly 125,700 mobile handsets in operation in the Cayman Islands, according to regulator Ofreg.

BERMUDA

After four months of testing and five years of development, the new mobile operator Paradise Mobile launched its 5G network in May. 

The cloud-native communication service provider is using Mavenir’s technology and containerized, open, interoperable components and O-RAN based radios. Paradise has not yet deployed 4G networks, however.

As of December, almost 2,000 people had signed up to test Paradise Mobile’s service for free, while thousands of people put their names on a waiting list, according to local news outlet Royal Gazette.

Paradise Mobile was the second operator to offer 5G in Bermuda, as One Communications activated Bermuda’s first 5G network in capital Hamilton last November. At the time, the company said 75% of the island was ready for 5G coverage. 

Competitors Digicel and LiveNet Communications have not yet launched 5G services.

FRENCH TERRITORIES 

After a 2023 spectrum auction, Orange Caraïbe and Outremer Telecom (SFR) launched 5G services in Guyana. 

According to French regulator Arcep, SFR and Orange had 21 and 19 5G sites, respectively, as of the end 2023. Both deployments were in the 3.5GHz band. 

Digicel and Free Caraïbe have not yet declared that any 5G sites are commercially available in Guyana.

At end-2023, Arcep reported only two 5G sites in Saint Barthélemy and two in Saint Martin. All four sites were deployed by Orange.