The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Telecommunications Company CEO Leon Williams announced the official launch of Internet Protocol Television – a product of the company’s first television service BTC Television – to residents in Bimini yesterday morning.

He said residents in Family Islands that have been “neglected” by Cable Bahamas could receive television service from BTC by March 2015.

At a launch party at BTC’s retail store in North Bimini, Mr Williams said the launch of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) trials in Bimini is a part of BTC’s “Upgrade Bahamas” initiative, which would allow the company to sped $65m “upgrading our landline, internet and mobile services.” He also said the company was considering changing the local channel lineup to incorporate more Caribbean content.

“BTC is so proud to begin its trials of television in the Family Islands where our people need it most,” Mr. Williams said.

“For almost 20 years, residents across the Bahamas have been neglected by Cable Bahamas. Cable Bahamas has had a mandate since its inception, to provide cable television services, to all residents, in all Family Islands, and has failed to deliver on that mandate.

“I say to the residents in those neglected Family Islands, hold on just a little while longer, BTC is on the way to upgrade you to television by March of 2015.

“For the residents in New Providence, BTC will be there soon to provide you with a better option for television services.

“To all residents of the country, I say to you that BTC is still the best choice for all of your communications needs.”

According to Mr Williams, in 2005 the government gave approval to construct a submarine fibre optic cable network connecting 14 islands in a “self-healing ring topology”.

The fibre optic cable network, known as BDSNi, subsequently made it possible for BTC to provide mobile and Internet services to many Family Islands.

As a result, BTC is now able to offer television services in the form of BTC TV and IPTV by extension.

In October, Mr Williams and Phil Bentley, CEO of Cable and Wireless, met managers and company executives at the Grand Lucaya Resort in Grand Bahama to discuss “the way forward” for BTC”.

Mr Bentley noted then that they would be launching TV in 11 markets across the region over the next 12 months.

With the introduction of the inaugural trial services yesterday, Mr Williams said over 100 Bimini residents were watching over 100 television channels delivered through the Internet. He said the company plans to use Bimini and the Family Islands as a “test site” before introducing the product into larger markets like New Providence or Grand Bahama.

“The feedback has been fantastic,” he said. “You’re offering a service to areas and people that really didn’t have the service. That’s different, so we will do all the bugs, all the kinks, work it all out here in Bimini, Cat Island, so by the time we get to Nassau where there has been a competitive product in the market now for 15-20 years, the lessons learned will now apply to Nassau.

“We can’t go into Nassau to learn our lessons. We want to learn our lessons out here on the Family Islands.

“Once we get the testimonials from Bahamians who are now enjoying it in Bimini, Cat Island, Crooked Island, down in Inagua, we can go to Nassau and say ‘listen, here’s some mistakes we made’.

“Additionally we’re looking at changing the channel lineup. We’ve got 130 channels plus 17 HD-TV channels.

“In the last couple of weeks, Cable and Wireless has acquired Columbus Telecommunications, which is in 42 countries. So the idea is what do we bring in, how does that benefit the Bahamas, how does that benefit BTC?

“So we intend to look at our lineup, change our lineup once our merger has been approved by the various governments, 42 countries that it’s in.

“We’ll then look at how we can make a differentiator with the channel lineup. So a Jamaican sitting in the Bahamas should be able to watch the news in Jamaica. A Trinidadian sitting in the Bahamas should be able to watch Trini-TV live. The channel lineups will change as we inject new content into it.”

BTC TV offers over 150 standard definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) channels, VOD and VR solutions, according to BTC officials.

Mr Williams said residents in Bimini who first sign up for IPTV will enjoy the trials for three months free of charge.

However, officials said pricing and packaging information could not yet be disclosed as the product was currently in its “testing phase,” and would only be released once it is commercialised in the upcoming months, as will launch dates for IPTV in the various islands.