Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) has unveiled a plan to spend more than $1 billion on network upgrades in the Caribbean.
The plan is known as "Project Marlin", and through the project, LIME Caribbean - CWC's Caribbean operation - will see a major network upgrade investment of US$1.05 billion, a 30 percent ($250 million) increase in capital expenditure over the previous year.
Project Marlin is expected to bring island-wide Superfast 4G and 4G LTE plus Superfast fiber optic broadband to the 13 Caribbean markets that make up the LIME portfolio.
CWC CEO Phil Bentley is presently touring The Bahamas, having been in office for nine months, discussing recent improvements and expansions to the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) network. He revealed that $65 million will be invested in BTC by CWC through year-end for improvements and the expansion of network and product services, including fixed mobile conversion, IPTV, which is launching in 11 markets across the region, and B2B commercial customer solutions.
CWC's LIME Caribbean has already pumped $80 million into Barbados and is soon to complete the first phase of a fiber optic rollout.
LIME also invested another $20 million into its Cayman infrastructure; the money went toward investing in cables that better connect Cayman with the rest of the world.
The company has set aside $92 million for upgrades in Jamaica. Since April 1, approximately 126 mobile sites there have been upgraded with 4G technology, and this upgrade is expected to be completed by year end.
A total investment of US$44.5 million has been allocated to transform the network in the northern islands cluster of Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis and Montserrat. These islands will benefit from maximum reliability and 100 percent coverage of Superfast 4G and 4G LTE mobile and Superfast Broadband penetration.
St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Dominica are set to gain US$42.5 million worth of network upgrades, bringing 100 percent coverage of Superfast 4G and Superfast Broadband penetration to these island nations.
Martin Roos, LIME Caribbean CEO, said network speeds, capacity, reliability and resilience are non-negotiable for businesses and governments.
"As the 'technology backbone' of the Caribbean for over 140 years, LIME also has the best enterprise connectivity network in the Caribbean with 184 Internet protocol/multi-protocol label switching (IP/MPLS) nodes across 14 markets including The Bahamas and our seven partner networks. Undoubtedly, LIME has the biggest and most resilient corporate data network in the region. LIME has more of our network in ducts, in buildings and provides more alternative routes on and off island in case of 'drunk driver' fiber cut," he said.
LIME has embarked on a US$750 million major network upgrade investment over the next three years, increasing superfast mobile and broadband penetration across the region.
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