The Tribune

BY ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has rolled out three new mobile plans that it says are designed to address long-standing customer concerns over bill predictability, data usage and flexibility, as the telecommunications provider seeks to strengthen its competitive position in the local market.

BTC argued that the launch of its new Flex, Plus and Ultra plans reflects extensive customer research and a broader shift in how Bahamians consume mobile services. BTC’s chief executive Sameer Bhatti said the new offerings were developed after months of customer feedback and testing, with a focus on eliminating unexpected charges and giving users greater control over their monthly spending.

“We’re introducing a new way for you to stay connected with more freedom, more flexibility and more confidence than ever before,” Mr Bhatti said during the launch event.

“Over the past months, you’ve been very clear about what you want from your mobile service,” he said. “You want plans that are easy to understand. You want bills you can predict. You want to use the apps you love without constantly worrying about running out of data.”

Consumer expectations are being shaped by offerings in larger international markets, particularly the United States. Mr Bhatti acknowledged that Bahamian consumers increasingly compare local telecommunications products with those offered by major North American carriers.

“Our customers, given our proximity to the US, have the same expectations,” he said. “We know exactly what T-Mobile offers, exactly what AT&T offers, exactly what Verizon - we even know what Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile offer. We know. And so we compare those plans to what we have…

“And what I like to say is, with this step, I hope our customers see that we are up to the time, and we have rolled out plans that meet their needs and that can go toe to toe with anyone.

The plans feature unlimited local calling and texting, calls to the United States, Canada and Flow markets, along with varying levels of data allowances and social media access. BTC has also introduced rollover data, roaming add-ons and data boosters intended to give customers greater control over spending.

According to Mr Bhatti, a key objective was addressing what customers described as “bill shock” caused by unexpected overage charges and rapid data consumption.

“What a lot of the feedback we got from customers is that their data just runs away, and it disappears so fast on the current plans that they have,” he said.

“So we listened to that, and when we really got underneath it, we could see that hotspot usage was moving up faster than they could expect. These plans are designed for more flexibility, more control, more confidence for our customers, no bill shock, no surprises.”

BTC executives repeatedly emphasized that the product design was formed by focus groups and customer consultations.

Jewel Sturrup, the company’s product project lead, said consumer feedback highlighted concerns about affordability and the need for more predictable monthly costs amid economic pressures.

“Our customers said that they wanted more flexibility, better value for money, because life is very hard right now,” Ms Sturrup said.

“So we wanted predictable monthly spending, easy access to data and voice services and a simple convenient experience.”

She added that BTC had sought to create plans capable of serving a broad customer base, including students, families, professionals, travellers and everyday mobile users.

Leonora Coakley, BTC’s mobile product development manager, said the company conducted numerous focus groups over several months to better understand changing customer expectations.

“Our customers talked about being able to have the power of spend, being able to control their spend, flexibility,” Ms Coakley said.

“You don’t always travel, or you don’t use much data, but you’re paying for these things in the plan. So we created a plan that fits every customer lifestyle.”

BTC’s senior marketing manager, LaToya Moxey, framed the launch as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the company’s presence across The Bahamas while responding to evolving customer demands.

“Launching Flex, Plus and Ultra is more than introducing new mobile plans for us. It’s about delivering connectivity across the islands with promise,” Ms Moxey said.

“Most importantly, we’ve listened. We’ve had focus groups, we’ve had conversations, and you’ve expressed to us how you felt.”

Mr Bhatti said the rollout represents a substantial investment and development effort that stretched over several years.

“This kind of rollout is a significant rollout,” he said. “It’s not done in months, it’s done in years.”

“There’s some aspects of this that have been more than two years in the works.”

The launch also signals BTC’s effort to attract both existing prepaid subscribers and customers from rival networks by offering hybrid features that combine elements of prepaid and post-paid services. BTC argued that the plans remove some of the traditional barriers associated with post-paid contracts by giving customers greater control over data purchases and roaming costs.