Nassau, The Bahamas. March 6, 2016. Over the last two years, BTC has been hard at work on a number of initiatives to progress the “Smart Island” agenda for the country. Last year, the company began a focused partnership with the Registrar General’s office aimed at making the registration process for all Family Islanders seamless.
The mandate to make The Bahamas a “Smart Island”, was given by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) a year ago. In the islands of Eleuthera, The Berry Island and Andros, Family Island Administrators are now able to process births, deaths and other official documents through the use of modern technology. BTC is the official telecommunications provider working along with the Government to make this initiative a reality.
CEO Leon Williams noted, “The need to be connected is no longer a privilege, it is a necessity. Access to data is essential, as we continue to modernize our country and propel the discussion of smart cities forward.
“About a decade ago, BTC made a significant investment in the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network (BDSNi), which connects every island and cay throughout the country, and provides the infrastructure and framework.
“As a result of that investment, we are able to meet the needs and demands of our residential and business customers. Our team has been working along with the Registrar General’s office, to ensure that the Administrators on the Family Islands, have access to broadband technology, to ensure that they are able to serve the public.
“As a solutions based company, we talked with the Registrar General’s office about the problem they wanted solved, and we were able to create solutions by island to meet that need.”
In addition to its work with the Registrar General’s office, BTC is continuing to test the viability of its prepaid metering solution. The project was pioneered in 2016 and the company is confident that it will be well received by the public.
“In just a few weeks, we intend to make a joint announcement on the next phase for our prepaid metering initiative. We are still currently testing in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera with the private power provider there. When our prepaid metering project is launched, in its first phase customers will be able to better manage their energy consumption,” Mr. Williams commented.
BTC is also continuing to rollout fiber to the home throughout the country. Rum Cay and San Salvador are among the islands that have been completely “fiberized”.
