Launching its latest technological innovation in the form of 4G Long Term Evolution, BTC said the new standard for wireless data communications technology is something its mobile data users and business customers in particular have been demanding, adding that it should help position the company for competition.Marlon Johnson, senior vice president of marketing and communications for BTC, said the introduction of LTE will contribute "very incrementally" to the company's bottom line and is more about increasing customer satisfaction.He added that BTC will now have the largest LTE footprint in the Caribbean region, and be further ahead in this regard than some countries in Europe, which are "barely rolling it out".Mobile data usage has grown by 27,000 percent in two years in The Bahamas, according to Johnson; a key impetus for the decision to invest in this area.LTE is designed to increase download speeds from eight megabits per second (mbps) to up to 100 mbps, enabling BTC customers to download videos, documents, or songs in seconds, and engage in video chat and live streaming of full-length movies.In order to access it, customers will have to purchase LTE-enabled mobile devices, which Johnson admitted are presently "premium and pricey".However, it is anticipated that over time the cost of these handsets will fall, enabling greater uptake of LTE data speeds.BTC is spending $18 million this year on mobile upgrades overall, including around $5 million to $6 million in LTE alone, and the rest in expanding capacity its 2G and 4G network and doing other investments in core areas.During a launch event in Pompey Square last night, BTC announced that 4G LTE will be "networked-in" on New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera across the coming months. Other islands will follow.In an interview with Guardian Business, Johnson said that the move will position BTC well for competition."We want to certainly be able to match whatever offering any competition comes in with. For our business customers, they want to be able to download large files, email a big PDF file, or email things with graphics on the move and speed is critical for those who want to be able to do that."There are commercial applications that become more fluid to do (on your phone); if you have an LTE-enabled instrument you can do those with a lot more stability and speed. The business users want access to speed and commercial deployment," said Johnson.The SVP said that the company is projecting that over the next four to five months around 4,000 to 5,000 customers will have moved to using 4G LTE."The price of the devices is the single greatest inhibitor," he added.

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