BTC investing US$43mn in HSPA+, ready by year-end

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company ( BTC), which is controlled by Cable & Wireless Communications (C&WC), is investing US$43mn in building out an HSPA+ network, with the new services to come on stream by December, the Bahamas Tribune quoted BTC CEO Geoff Houston as saying. Some of the equipment has already arrived in the country for the "4G service," which will cover New Providence and Grand Bahama. "We expect to have [4G] services here live in Grand Bahama by Christmas, so you will be able to connect your iPad to the 4G network, and the data speed we expect to achieve is 20-30 times faster than what you're currently seeing on a mobile phone," Houston said. C&WC sealed a 51% controlling stake in former government monopoly BTC in April for US$210mn. In May this year, C&WC, which operates in the Caribbean under the LIME brand, announced plans to invest US$80mn in upgrading its mobile network to introduce EDGE and 4G technologies throughout the region. The company said its existing mobile networks would be upgraded from 2G technology to EDGE in all markets, except Jamaica, where a 3G upgrade was completed earlier this year.