Digicel’s network rebuild enters final phase

PRESS RELEASE: Another milestone has been reached for Digicel with the welcomed addition of a number of new permanent sites in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), six months after the territory was impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, followed by Digicel’s quest to build back better.

The construction of the permanent sites marks the third and final phase in Digicel BVI’s network restoration plan, as engineers forge ahead with the rebuild of its brand-new network. The new sites will replace the temporary ones that were constructed to restore maximum coverage quickly in the aftermath of the hurricanes.

Areas with improved capacity include Zion Hill, Fish Bay, Balsam Ghut, Long Trench and Windy Hill. New areas being worked on in the coming weeks include East End, Hodges Creek, Purcell Estate, Baugher’s Bay, Road Town, Nanny Cay, Sea Cows Bay, Sophie Hill, Steele Point, Hodges Creek and Huntum’s Ghut.

Kevin Gordon, Digicel BVI CEO, in commenting on phase three, the rebuild and future-proofing of the new network said, “We understand how important it is for BVI’s recovery and the Territories’ future, that all residents and businesses have access to reliable high-speed internet services. This is our main priority and why we are rebuilding our network from scratch. Every site is new, we are building back smarter with all new infrastructure.”

He added: “Restoring voice and data coverage quickly with temporary sites was phase one. Phase two included the importation of infrastructure and planning of our new network. We are now nearing the end of phase three, which encompasses future-proofing and rebuilding all of our sites, managing capacity to those sites and then optimizing speeds so that our customers can get the best possible experience.”

The new permanent sites can carry more efficient antennae and new technology that will increase speeds and coverage.

Digicel’s new network build-out is expected to be completed by the end of April. Customers can expect to experience improvements in data speeds and coverage once completed. “We would like to express our thanks to our customers for their patience and understanding as we build a new network for the future,” finished Gordon.

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