By ABAGAIL NARANDJA
BAHAMAS Telecommunications Company CEO Geoff Houston said postpaid customers can look forward to this summer's service upgrades, which will include lower rates for minutes and free texts.
At the moment, 47,000 BTC customers have postpaid contracts and 24,000 use pre-paid phone cards.
BTC is giving every postpaid customer an upgrade which will allow them, among other things, to take advantage of a texting platform that is quadruple the size of the current model.
The new 4G system can be quite expensive for some customers at $60 a month, Mr Houston pointed out.
So, he said, BTC is bringing the price down to $40 a month.
He said the company is doing all it can to ensure there are no more system malfunctions, but pointed out that BTC faces considerable challenges, for example frequent power outages that can affect phone lines.
Mr Houston also announced that BTC will open more franchise stores in the middle of July.
BTC vice-president of grants and communications Marlon Johnson said the upgraded system being introduced over the next few months was very carefully planned.
Some of the new postpaid rates include: 120 minutes plus 50 texts for $19.99; 200 minutes plus 100 free texts for $29.99; 450 minutes plus 150 free texts for $59.99; and 800 minutes and 250 free texts for $99.99.
By comparison, pre-paid minutes, whether purchased from phone card vendors or topped up online or at retail locations, run about twice as much with a $20 card or top-up entitling the customer to 60 minutes, and a $60 card to 180 minutes.
Comments
PKMShack 12 years, 4 months ago
Another example why the sale of BTC was a good idea. When did Batelco ever drop prices? Bahamasair should be next.
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
Question, the upgrades seems to lean heavily on the post-paid benefits, but does the pre-paid customers have any benefits or is this a way to encourage pre-paid customers to transfer over to post-paid staking up another monthly bill. I doubt the ability to transfer credit would continue, so in an event where a person could top up with as little as a dollar, the total amount of pre-paid customers are now assured by BTC to be subject to the minimum monthly fee. Lets see now; my phone, my wife's phone along with my two kids phone using post paid would be cent from eighty dollars a month. However you think thats a good move wth no pay raise but making you feel you're getting better service you're now a slave to another monthly bill.
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
Which is the mis-print. BTC is said to have 47,000 post-paid customers and 29,000 pre-paid. Yet under the business section of the paper the pre-paid amount is 249,000. Now when you just jump and say how the sale of BTC was good, stop and think. These rates for post-paid may seem low but to have an active cell phone, one must have at least 20 bucks a month. Think you would be able to send a relative/friend credit from your phone. Or think the credit unused would roll over to the next month. Besides if the credit rolls over, BTC still would charge you for whatever monthly package you desire, so more or less you are forced to spend for something you have or unnecessarily use up your credit to assure you dont lose it. All that glitters isnt gold, remember that. It might be chains but chains of bill bondage.
John 12 years, 4 months ago
Obviously the 249,000 figure is a misprint. There is ony 350,000 Bahamians and everyone does not have a cell phone. But come to think of it..if you add all the illegal haitians and other illegals.. and resident immigrants...hmm HOPE B T C does something for the phone card vendors with all this upgrading..how much they making to sell phone cards
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
Is not "obviously" because 350,000 still exceeds 249,000 so its a possibility the 249,000 still could be correct. Besides within the 350,000 registered Bahamians, how many of them own more that one cell phone. How much non-registered Bahamians own a cell phone. How much illegal immigrants own a cell phone.
chosen0249 12 years, 4 months ago
Agreed, just because there are 350,000 'on paper' does not mean that we cannot have 249,000 pre-paid subscribers. There is no formal procedure to purchasing a pre-paid phone so the other, undocumented 170,000 persons that we know 'out dere' are quite satisfied!
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
if PGC doesn,t mess it up in a couple years we will have competing companies will and much lower rates ,,,if PGC gets his way gov will get the majority back ,higher 200 more people and rates will go up ,,the only thing he will have to give CWC to aquire this is a longer monopoly
chosen0249 12 years, 4 months ago
"And da moon is made of GREEN CHEESE!" Which planet do you hail from "Mr/Ms Pie high in da sky!"
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
I HAIL FROM THE PLANET THAT REALIZES THE ONLY THING PGC HAS TO GIVE CWC FOR THE 2% MAJORITY BACK IS A LONGER MONOPOLY ,,THEY WILL MAKE IT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING ELSE BUT THATS WHAT IT WILL BE....BAHAMIANFIRST ,,WITH HIGH CELL PHONE RATES,,,
PKMShack 12 years, 4 months ago
@positiveinput- Lets see now; my phone, my wife's phone along with my two kids phone using post paid would be cent from eighty dollars a month. However you think thats a good move wth no pay raise but making you feel you're getting better service you're now a slave to another monthly bill. CWC is only upgrading the system that Government did not. They do not ask or make anyone purchase cellphones. My thought of it as being a good sale away from Government is the service they provide not that Bahamains are being a slave to another bill, Bahamains have to look at their pay checks and weigh how much they want to give away and how much they want to save. Two different subjects. Like my mother always told me ,,,You can't have money and moneys worth. You have to choose which one you want to have.
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
So like I was saying, if I switch to post-paid and choose any package, when credit is left over from the previous month, what happens to it. Does it roll over to the next month, or does it becomes void. Again every month your new post-paid bill comes so if you had existing credit using your mothers words, "You can't have money and moneys worth. You have to choose..." Why choose to get moneys worth when you already had it.
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
There was a talk show today 14/06/12 wtih the rep from BTC the guest. My question of roll over minutes was answered whereas he stated there would be no roll over minutes at 'this point'. Again using mothers saying, I'm sure your mother expected you to know not to spend twice for monies worth. Or not to throw money down the drain which you would be doing when you cant use all of your cell phone credit by the end of a months period.
Stameko 12 years, 4 months ago
the 249k is probably correct. Mobile penetration can be greater than the number of residents as i) some residents are not legal residents and ii) quite a few people have 2 phones, one for business and one for home etc
On the mobile costs, I am sure BTC will rebalance slowly, and they will bring down phone call rates, because they are now hoping to offset this by earning more from data usage through the 4G network.
But one thing is for sure, they will have to bring down rates even more before competition enters the market in a couple of years time when they will need to be lean mean and low cost before a Digicel or the like enters the market. They can't just do this the day before competition comes or they will lose customer loyalty, they will probably keep feeding us reductions over time as they get BTC costs where they should be.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
the only PGC can give them to get back 2% is a longer monopoly
PKMShack 12 years, 4 months ago
@positiveinput-One has to figure how many phone cards are bought per month and find out if a paid plan is better. In my usage I pay less with a plan vs buying phone cards every few days. I still believe that if Gov,. still owned BTC we would still be in the stone age. We are at the bottom among island nations (even behind Haiti) in technology and Bahamains think all is well. Hopefully with the upgrades we can finally have access to online banking. I hope the CWC tells any Gov. PLP OR FNM that they have no plans on selling. What Gov. can do is piggy back the system and open another phone company and compete for costumers, competition certainly will drop prices. But our Gov. believes in one company and no competition which means WE as customers have to pay whatever they charge. I just think NO Government has ever run a successful business.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
HOW TRUE ,THE ONLY THING PGC CAN OFFER THEM TO GET THE EMOTIONAL 2% BACK IS A LONGER MONOPOLY ,,THEY WILL SELL IT AS SOMETHING ELSE BUT THATS WHAT IT WILL BE ,,CWC DON,T PLAY BALL,,TELL THEM A DEAL IS A DEAL AND STATE YOUR CASE IN PUBLIC
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
but with the minimum post paid package, the could give four per paid phones minimum credit instead of the nearly eighty dollars one would need.
PKMShack 12 years, 4 months ago
At the end of the day CWC is and will be better maintained and operated than in the hands of the PLP/FNM = better for the everday Bahamain. If it so important and can a better run business let the Govenrment open up another Batelco. And you and me know that as overstaffed and over price Batelco was they won't be able to compete. So once again if you want to be part of the advanced mobile society you have to make changes, either in product or in ownership. My friend you can pay bills sliding a credit card using a cellphone, will we ever see that if Gov. keeps ownership. All I can tell you in your case my friend is cut back on your cellphones or keep doing what you doing.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
well said ,..............
positiveinput 12 years, 4 months ago
Yes PKMShack, better technology is being offered but its at the customers expense. You may assume because the rates are lower and a percentage of texting is free it all good but stop and look for just one minute. BTC is insuring the need for customers to purchase more and more credit but because they're mentioning new technology, most people cannot see BTC's gain from it. Your advise was to keep doing what you doing but slowly but surely BTC is backing the pre paid customer into a corner. The option of transferring credit to another pre paid customer has been removed and pretty soon the minimum top up amount will increase. Gee soon they might even start a pre paid card at ten dollars, but its better technology so lets pay more or bundle up another monthly bill.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 4 months ago
compitition my friend and we will have lower rates ...
PKMShack 12 years, 4 months ago
Positiveinput, you are totally correct there will be a gain to CWC and the cost will be sent to the customer as in any business. If there was no gain to any company then the business should close i.e. Bahamasair. The package deal or contract sold by a cell phone company is best for the company because it holds the customer to an agreement. I think we are discussing two different topics. I only say the sale is best for the everyday Bahamain becasue they have/are upgrading a system givng us options we would of never had. (mainly 4 G technology), I think you are saying they are/will take away certain options that are there now. I do agree with you. The customer just has to figure out what is best for them and what they can afford. All we need is about 2 -3 companies to choose from and most of us will find a plan that suits us and enjoy the enhancements also. My friend we can agree to disagree, the heathly debate only makes our One Bahamas Better. (Our members in Government could learn a thing or two from us.....lol)
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