The top executive at Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) says a future meltdown of the network is "less likely" to happen following new measures to back-up the system.
Geoff Houston, the CEO of BTC, told Guardian Business that the company has taken a "proactive approach" to the problem, rather than waiting for an upcoming determination by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA).
Back in June, The Bahamas experienced a nationwide blackout on the very day Tony Rice, the CEO of parent company Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC), visited the country to meet with the prime minister.
BTC attributed the meltdown to a commercial power failure at the Poinciana Drive facility, which houses the majority of the company's telecommunications facilities. The plant's generator and batteries failed to kick in and keep the system running, according to the company.

Houston told Guardian Business yesterday that BTC has spent $750,000 on a new generator for that site to ensure appropriate back-up power.
"We have a redesign of the power supply on that site to make sure it never happens again. So we're increasing our resilience on a number of levels," he explained. "It is less likely to happen now than before. You can never say 100 percent it won't happen. But we are taking all the appropriate steps."
Houston further noted that the network had a number of "time bombs" when CWC acquired a majority stake in BTC back in 2011. He called the list "quite significant" and a specific program is now in place to address back-up systems.
"Rather than wait for the report, we have gone ahead anyway to continue to improve all of the infrastructure, to build a higher degree of resilience and redundancy on our networks. We are making sure everything has an appropriate level of redundancy. We make sure we have two of everything. If one side fails, it works on the other," according to the CEO.
When the meltdown occurred last June, rumors of sabotage spread through the company due to BTC's ongoing negotiations with the government. The Christie administration is seeking to regain majority control in the telecomunications firm after the previous government sold 51 percent to CWC in 2011.
Head of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) Bernard Evans called the idea of sabotage by BTC workers "ludicrous".
He felt it simply showed that BTC had not put in the right maintenance to stop these incidents from occurring.
"The attention that is necessary to sustain a good power grid wasn't there, and that power should be looked at with more keen eyes. It should have been a top priority for the company," Evans said.
URCA's final determination on the incident is expected soon.

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