Three mobile operators were granted 2016 spectrum awards, which will allow each to provide higher speed internet to residents.

The operators, Flow (BVI), CCT, and Digicel (BVI), were granted the awards by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) yesterday August 23.        

CCT was awarded 30 MHz of spectrum

- 1865 - 1880 MHz Uplink and 

1945 - 1960 Downlink

Digicel was awarded 52 MHz of spectrum

- 700 MHz Band: 776 – 787 Uplink and

746 – 757 Downlink

- AWS-1 Band: 1725 – 1740 Uplink and 

2125 – 2140 Downlink

Flow was awarded 54 MHz of spectrum

- 700 MHz Band: 704 – 716 Uplink and

734 – 746 Downlink

- AWS-1 Band: 1740 – 1755 Uplink and

2140 – 2155 Downlink

Minister for Communications and Works, Honourable Mark Vanterpool said that the Government is pleased that the TRC and the operators are at the point where they are settled on the spectrum award so that they can provide better services.

Minister Vanterpool said, “We hope that as quickly as the award is made the operators can quickly thereafter implement their systems and be able to provide to the public good modern day high internet speeds, and better telecommunication systems on telephones and the like. We are pleased and anxious to see what is to come.”

The TRC in a statement said that each operator was successful with their first or second spectrum preferences in the Award, and that higher speed internet will be provided through the technology of LTE which is a 4G mobile communication standard.

The Commission said, “The aim of the Award has been to provide the three mobile operators with spectrum they can use to deliver high speed mobile broadband services using LTE technology.The implementation of this technology in the Virgin Islands will provide enterprises, consumers and citizens with better quality mobile broadband services and is in line with developments that have already occurred in North America and Europe and being implemented elsewhere across the Caribbean.”

The Spectrum Award 2016 process began on May 26 when the Commission gave Notice of Consultation on the Modified Invitation to apply for the 700, 1900 MHz and AWS-1 Spectrum Award (MITA).The final MITA was published on July 5, 2016, together with the Consultation Report.  The deadline for registration for the Award was July12, 2016.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission is statutory body under the Ministry of Communications and Works responsible for regulating the telecommunications sector of the British Virgin Islands.