The Bahamas Consults on 5G

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island state that consists of more than 700 islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It's located north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic); northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands; southeast of the US state of Florida and east of the Florida Keys.

Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 358.9 thousand cellular mobile connections in The Bahamas at the start of 2024.

However, note that many people around the world make use of more than one mobile connection – for example, they might have one connection for personal use, and another one for work – so it’s not unusual for mobile connection figures to significantly exceed figures for total population.

GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in The Bahamas were equivalent to 86.7 percent of the total population in January 2024.

The number of mobile connections in The Bahamas decreased by 5,154 (-1.4 percent) between the start of 2023 and the start of 2024.

In the Bahamas, two major mobile operators dominate the market: BTC for Bahamas Telecommunications Company which was the only provider until 2016 and Aliv by NewCo which changed the mobile landscape when it started in 2016. 

BTC (Bahamas Telecommunications Company): The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is the oldest and largest telecom operator in the country. Originally a government-owned entity, BTC was privatized in 2011, with the British telecom company Cable & Wireless Communications acquiring a significant stake. BTC has long been a key player in the nation's mobile and internet services, offering 4G LTE networks to residents and tourists across the islands.

2G/EDGE is on 850 MHz and 1900 MHz, 3G up to HSPA+ on 850 MHz. 4G/LTE started in 2014 on 700 MHz (band 17). In 2017 it claims to cover 99% of the Bahamas by 4G/LTE at good speeds.

Aliv launched in 2016, is the second-largest mobile operator in the Bahamas. It was introduced to foster competition and offer more choices to consumers. Aliv has rapidly gained a strong foothold in the Bahamian telecom sector, offering LTE services and emphasizing innovative mobile plans and customer service. They built up a 3G/HSPA network on 850 MHz and 1900 MHz and 4G/LTE on 700 MHz (band 13), no 2G/GSM. Voice over LTE services are available.

The Bahamas has yet to roll out a full-fledged 5G network, however, there have been steps toward its development. BTC has been actively preparing its network infrastructure to accommodate 5G technology. The company has hinted at upcoming trials and investments aimed at future-proofing its network. BTC’s current focus seems to be on upgrading its 4G LTE services while laying the groundwork for a 5G rollout in the coming years.

Aliv, the more recent competitor in the telecom space, has expressed its interest in bringing 5G to the Bahamas. The company has already made investments in advanced network infrastructure to ensure it can compete effectively in a 5G future. Aliv is also positioning itself as a forward-thinking telecom company, aiming to deliver faster speeds and better connectivity as 5G becomes a reality.

While 5G holds great promise, there are several challenges to its development in the Bahamas. Rolling out 5G is a costly endeavour, particularly in a country like the Bahamas, where many of the islands are sparsely populated and geographically spread out. The infrastructure required for 5G, including new cell towers and fiber optic networks, presents a major financial undertaking.

For 5G to be implemented, regulatory bodies need to allocate spectrum bands and ensure the technology aligns with public safety standards. The Bahamas’ Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) will play a critical role in the approval process and ensuring fair competition among telecom operators.  

The Bahamas is at an exciting crossroads in its telecommunications journey. With two major players—BTC and Aliv—competing to offer the best services, the push toward 5G is inevitable. While challenges remain, the introduction of 5G technology in the Bahamas holds the potential to elevate the nation's digital infrastructure, offering benefits for both residents and the millions of tourists who visit each year.

Mobile Users in Botswana have recently started enjoying 4G LTE-A

 

Botswana whose population is around 2.33 million, has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in Africa, estimated at over 150 percent (or around 3.4 million), due to high levels of SIM ownership.

Despite one of the highest mobile penetration rates in Africa, though with this growth in the number of subscribers has slowed sharply in recent years. The popular use of multiple SIM cards from different operators has delayed the introduction of mobile number portability. Although the telecom regulator has not been convinced of the facility’s economic benefits the government insists that the facility will be made available. In a bid to generate new revenue streams and secure market share, the three MNOs – Mascom Wireless (an affiliate of South Africa’s MTN), Orange Botswana (backed by Orange Group) and BTC – have entered the underdeveloped broadband sector by adopting 3G, LTE and WiMAX technologies. In the fixed-line broadband market they compete with a large number of ISPs, some of which have rolled out their own wireless access infrastructure.

After a period of stagnation, the number of internet users has risen strongly in recent years, largely the result of lower prices following improvements in international connectivity. Historically, the landlocked country has depended on satellites for its international bandwidth, and on other countries for transit capacity to landing points of international submarine fibre optic cable systems. The landing of additional cables in the region in recent years has improved the competitive situation in this sector, while prices for connectivity have fallen dramatically. Paratus Teleco (a pan-African telecommunications operator) in mid-2020 announced plans to build a private network covering the entire country and linking to the company’s international cables.

The three main operators provide fairly good coverage and speeds for African standards. 2G is mainly on 900 and some 1800 MHz, 3G/UMTS on 2100 MHz and 4G/LTE has started on 1800 MHz (band 3) with all 3 providers.

Wide areas of the country are not covered by the mobile network, in towns and villages you can expect some coverage. The map for the two main providers is improving each year, but when deciding whether to get a local SIM card, remember that there’s simply no mobile coverage across large parts of the country (including much of the Kalahari and Okavango Delta). That said, the main highway system is generally covered.

Mascom Wireless, a private Botswanan mobile company controlled by Portugal Telecom is the market leader in the country. It has the best 3G coverage and in 2014 their 3G covered 70% of the population. In 2015 Mascom started with 4G/LTE in Gaborone.

Orange by French Télécom is the second operator in the country with a 27% market share. It has a lower coverage, but they were the first to start with 4G/LTE on 1800 MHz to be available in Gaborone and some other towns in 2015.

In June 2020 Orange Botswana announced the launch of LTE-A services, increasing data transfer rates on its 4G network. The upgrades are being branded 4G+ and have already rolled out in Greater Gaborone (which houses about 10 per cent of the country’s population) and Francistown, the country’s second-largest city

LTE-A services will eventually be available in most parts of the country – both urban and rural – according to Orange, allowing customers to experience better streaming, faster downloads and quicker browsing as well as quicker sending and receiving of big files.

BTC Mobile (rebranded from be Mobile) is the brand name of the state-owned Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), that combines the operations of fixed line operator BTCL and wireless operator be Mobile. It's the third operator with 16% market share. 4G/LTE has started in 2016 in Gaborone, is rolled out in the country and it claims the best 4G coverage right now.