Bahamas telcos disagree on shared infra

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and mobile newcomer Aliv are encountering difficulties regarding the sharing of infrastructure as mandated by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) last year.

The URCA determined that NewCo, which operates under the Aliv brand in the Bahamas, could use the BTC infrastructure for two years while it rolls out its own.

The BTC said in a statement last week that both telcos had reached an agreement on an infrastructure sharing deal involving 100 sites. The agreement for co-location, or tower sharing, would enable Aliv, which has no infrastructure in the Bahamas, to provide mobile services.

The former monopoly expressed its discontent with the URCA resolution, saying the compensation it will receive from Aliv pales in comparison to its investments over the years. Furthermore, BTC said having Aliv as a virtual network operator using BTC infrastructure "is not competition in its true essence."

In response, Aliv issued a statement denying such an agreement had been reached, having only received the final terms of the co-location from the BTC, reported news outlet Tribune242. Aliv also accused BTC of being unwilling to cooperate.

Co-location would allow BTC and Aliv to share the same mobile tower sites and other network facilities. Once the agreement is reached, Aliv will be able to locate its own equipment on BTC sites, enabling both operators to deliver services using their own separate networks.