The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

anixon@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is planning to “soon trial new technology” on Eleuthera that will improve the island’s broadband Internet connectivity amid multiple outage complaints.

“BTC is currently in the process of working on a long-term solution to connect our mobile sites in the event of a fibre cut,” the carrier said in response to Tribune Business inquiries. “We will soon trial new technology on the island of Eleuthera that is expected to deliver advanced broadband speeds to homes and small businesses.

“This new technology will rapidly expand BTC’s broadband network and improve connectivity, especially on sparsely populated islands, thus helping to bridge the digital divide.” BTC added that it is aware of landline, mobile and internet service disruptions that Eleuthera residents have encountered in recent months.

It promised that the problems, which were caused by fibre damage to its subsea and terrestrial cable infrastructure, have been resolved. However, some Eleuthera residents told Tribune Business they are still experiencing issues with phone service and the Internet.

Andrea Carey, co-owner of Pops Body Shop, a vehicle body repair shop based in Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera, said these service disruptions have caused herself and her husband to lose business. “It’s really affecting business,” Mrs Carey said.

“Sometimes people walk in and say ‘we’ve been trying to reach you’, so it’s making it look like he didn’t pay his bill or something or whatever, or you know they just can’t reach him. People will call to find the price of this to compare it to the next one. All of those calls he cannot get.”

Mrs Carey said they switched phone provider from BTC to Aliv in the hope that fixed voice landline services would improve. She added that the landline service is now a “tad bit better” but a large portion of customers also reach out via Whats App calls, which only work when BTC’s Internet works, creating the same predicament as before.

Mrs Carey said she and her husband also have the same phone and Internet problems at home, resulting in her decision to invest in a T-Mobile service. Other Eleuthera residents, including Aldred Albury, local government representative from the Current, and Marvin Gibson said they have received numerous complaints of poor BTC service on the island.

“There is still a challenge with BTC as a lot of residents are not getting proper service from them and BTC is taking an extreme time to address customer issues,” Mr Gibson began. “Private residents and businesses complain of being without service for three and four weeks at a time. Aside from that, their telephone systems are constantly down and, in some areas, BTC cell phones do not even work.”

Mrs Carey told this newspaper that, about three months ago, a truck ran into a pole in her area and phone and Internet services have gone from bad to worse since. “We had Internet issues, but now we have absolutely nothing, which is 10 times worse,” she said. “We have no form of communication coming in, and so for small businesses that’s a tragedy, you know?”

She has been reaching out to BTC concerning the issues the accident has caused but nothing has been done. “We have been going to them and asking them, and they sympathise but they said: ‘Nothing we can do.’ They said they don’t have no truck. I spoke to the truck driver, and the truck driver says all they need is an alternator in his truck for that to work.”

Mrs Carey added: “They threatening right now with the bill and I’ve been into this stuff. I paid the bill. I said I’m not paying no bill for these phones that I have not been able to use. How could I pay a bill for something I haven’t used in three months?”

She said she does not believe the service issues have been fixed, adding that others located in RockSound are still having phone and Internet issues. As for BTC’s promised new technology, she said she wants to have faith in it but does not.

“I would love to have faith in it because I don’t want it. I need it desperately,” she said. “But, at this point in time, I do not have faith. How I’m complaining, I will be praising them if they could do it, and it can be a reality.”