Infrastructure: Building The Bahamas into the Future
The Bahamas has made significant investment to guarantee modern transportation and telecommunications infrastructure. As Bradley Roberts, Minister of Works and Utilities, points out, “We are committed to investing in cutting-edge technologies.”
State-of-the-art transport and telecommunications facilities
Bradley Roberts , Minister of Works and Utilities
The country has six major airports served by international airlines as well as national carrier Bahamair, and Nassau International Airport, recently placed under private management, is being upgraded to provide even better international-class facilities and services. Freeport International Airport is considered one of the region’s largest privately-owned airports.
The Bahamas also has a well-maintained road network as well as 23 well-equipped sea ports, including the busy deep-water international cruise-ship and container shipping ports at Nassau and Freeport. The free-trade zone around Freeport Harbor has proved a mecca for international investors.
Telecommunications services in the islands are state-of-the-art thanks to a digital switching system, while broadband Internet access is widespread. Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is steadily improving the country’s telecom services, and The Bahamas now offers BlackBerry and improved GSM services. In addition, the Water and Sewage Corporation is developing state-of-the-art facilities throughout the country.
As major anchor projects get underway on the Family Islands, transport and telecommunications infrastructure is being expanded and upgraded to keep pace with the new developments. Minister Roberts explains, “We have a major investment with Tyco, a project budgeted at almost USD 75 million, to put in a fiber-optic cable that will connect 14 of the islands.”
One priority for the government, in fact, is to provide those living on or investing in outlying islands the same quality of infrastructure as that available in Nassau. As Roberts points out, “The government of The Bahamas is committed to ensuring that when investors come here to build their second homes or anchor projects, they will be fully satisfied with the infrastructure.”
Water and Sewerage Corporation
“Investors are our customers.”
Donald Demeritte, Chairman
As new mega-developments in The Bahamas are launched almost daily, The Bahamas Water and Sewerage Corporation is focusing on meeting the country’s growing infrastructure needs. Applying world-class standards, the corporation ensures reliable supplies of clean water throughout the country and provides efficient, environmentally responsible sewerage treatment.
Under the direction of Donald Demeritte, Chairman, the corporation has been transformed into a dynamic, market-oriented business enterprise that offers top-quality facilities and services. As Demeritte puts it, “We have created a paradigm shift. Our corporation is now market-led rather than engineering-led. We have created a better work ethic, which has resulted in better quality and better returns.”
Given the government’s recent focus on developing outlying parts of the country, the Water and Sewerage Corporation has been particularly active in the Family Islands, and has recently launched 11 new projects, more than any previous water and sewerage administration has tackled in The Bahamas before.
Demeritte guarantees that as far as water and sewerage services are concerned, The Bahamas will be ready for the mega-projects now underway or planned for the future. As he puts it, “I spend four or five hours with Bradley Roberts, Minister of Works and Utilities, every week to exchange ideas and make sure that we can achieve progress. He knows that I am going to push ahead and do what I promise. The trust is there.”
The Water and Sewerage Corporation is in the process of building new water-treatment plants and has positioned itself as an essential partner for developers wishing to ensure a reliable supply of water and sewerage services for their projects. As Demeritte explains, “Investors are our customers. We recognize that they need the best. Our model is to create strategic partnerships with leading brand names so that our investors get the best when they come here.”
Bahamas Telecommunications Company
“The Bahamas is competitive with any other region in the world!”
Leon Williams, President and CEO
Anyone who establishes a business or residence in The Bahamas can count on world-class telecommunications facilities and services. The latest advances offered by The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) include Blackberry, broadband Internet service, and GSM roaming agreements with 87 partners in 56 countries, with more GSM roaming partnerships planned.
Providing cutting-edge services like these is an impressive accomplishment for a country with a population of only 300,000, especially an island nation that has to deal with a challenging geography. Now, as Leon Williams, BTC President and CEO, explains proudly, “From a facility-based perspective, The Bahamas is competitive with any other region in the world.”
“Customer-centric” Strategy
Williams has been instrumental in transforming BTC into a dynamic, market-oriented organization. He says, “When I was appointed acting President and CEO of BTC in December 2005, we decided that this Company was going to become customer-centric. We are changing what has typically been an engineering-led corporation into a market-led company. When we speak about changing BaTelCo to BTC (re-branding the Company), it is not just a name change; it is about changing the very essence, the DNA of the company. Change is not easy, but the company has to be market-led in a liberalized sector.”
The new strategy is obviously working. BTC anticipates profits of some USD 40 plus million this year and Williams expects that figure to rise to USD 50 million next year.
Fiber-optic Connections Link 14 Islands
A major project for BTC in 2006 was to complete the installation of fiber-optic submarine cable links connecting 14 of the major islands in The Bahamas, a giant step forward in making sure world-class infrastructure is in place for the many major developments in progress or planned for the future by the Government of The Bahamas. The project, budgeted at USD 60 million, also includes a submarine fiber-optic cable link between The Bahamas and Haiti. This project was completed in October 2006 and officially commissioned in December 2006. BTC also built a fiber-optic cable linking the Island of Bimini to the Island of Grand Bahama at a cost of USD 6.1 million.
This year marked a number of milestones for telecommunications in The Bahamas. It was the 114th anniversary of telecom service in the islands, and the 100th anniversary of telephone service. BTC is building on this foundation to make sure the Bahamian telecom infrastructure can meet the needs of customers in the new century. As Williams says, “The two main pillars of the economy are tourism and finance. We want to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to keep the financial sector and the tourism industry competitive with the rest of the world.”
Telecom Hub of the Caribbean
Another key goal for BTC is to position The Bahamas as the telecommunications hub of the Caribbean – and a gateway to other Caribbean economies – by making sure that the country’s telecommunications infrastructure goes beyond the needs of The Bahamas alone.
As Chairman of the Board of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO), Williams also aims to give the region as a whole a stronger international presence. “CANTO can benefit the Caribbean because we can approach institutions like the ITU and FCC as many nations with one voice when we are faced with common issues such as reduction of International Long Distance Rates or Mobile Terminating Rates, issues of harmonization of spectrum, Interference, mis-use of Home Number Identifier Codes and Mobile Country Codes, asymmetric costs and other challenges facing our Island nations’ telecommunications companies,” he says.
Williams has ambitious goals for telecommunications in The Bahamas. When he was appointed to his current post, he explains, the Board of Directors gave us 10 major objectives to be met; on our own initiative we raised this total to 17. He says, “I have three guiding principles: first, you have to think outside the box. Second, you have to execute at the speed of thought, not be hampered by a civil-service mentality. Finally, if you are not walking on the edge, you are taking up too much space. You have to take risks.”
Thanks to BTC, investors in The Bahamas can be certain their telecom needs will be met.
