Nassau, New Providence - Cable
Bahamas wishes to clarify that its recent tower construction is part of
the expansion of its existing licensed services. To be clear, these
services are not mobile voice and are totally independent of the second
cellular license process now underway.
Cable Bahamas will
utilise these towers to carry high-speed mobile data. This service is a
wireless broadband service and is absolutely covered under Cable
Bahamas' existing license.
As far back as October
2002, the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) granted Cable Bahamas' 100%
subsidiary, Systems Resource Group, specific spectrum and authorised
the delivery of voice and data services on a wireless platform. Cable
Bahamas has been providing services under this license for over a
decade. Given the explosion in consumer demand for data services in The
Bahamas, Cable Bahamas is implementing a network development plan to
provide a robust wireless data service to all Bahamians. This plan was
communicated to URCA in 2013 and during 2014 Cable Bahamas field-tested
the technology. Based on the successful field testing, Cable Bahamas has
commenced a network development program, which includes tower
construction, currently at 70 per cent completion on New Providence, and
network extensions.
Cable Bahamas was
surprised to receive an order stopping the multi-million dollar program.
It is the strong view of Cable Bahamas that URCA currently has
absolutely no jurisdiction over the civil construction.
URCA's
recent press comment and the interim order is totally at odds with its
mandate for the sector and consumers. In fact, in this instance, it is
stifling the competition that URCA is specifically in place to
encourage. Furthermore, it should be noted that, far from being "a
necessary evil", a separate tower network guards against the existing
single point of failure. During times of a hurricane, as has been
experienced over the years, separate and distinct networks offer
communications, maintaining continual vital links in times of emergency
and are critical to the country's recovery effort following the
aftermath of a damaging and life threatening storm.
Cable Bahamas hopes
that this clarification on the tower issue explains the justification
for building its network to bring new and exciting wireless data
services to The Bahamas. Furthermore, Cable Bahamas, in private
communication with URCA, addressed the purpose and intent of its network
development plans in question. Cable Bahamas' business intent has
always been, and will always be, to put Bahamian communications
requirements first.
Cable
Bahamas is the communications provider of choice and the first to offer
triple play services in The Bahamas. Services are provided under the
REV suite of products including REVOICE, REVON and REVTV covering
telephony, Internet and cable TV respectively. The company has
revolutionised every area of business, delivering REVOICE landline phone
service at the lowest cost and with the most features in The Bahamas,
REVON broadband Internet, which is the fastest in the nation, and REVTV
cable TV services that includes more than 500 channels with dozens in HD
and thousands of hours of video on demand content. Cable Bahamas serves
residential and business customers on 16 islands in The Bahamas. The
company also created the Cable Cares Foundation, which has awarded over
$2 million to local Bahamian non-profit organisations since inception.
