National Anthem
Basics[]
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island state that consists of more than 700 islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It's located north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic); northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands; southeast of the US state of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. The territory of the Bahamas encompasses 13,878 km² with around 300,000 inhabitants.
Since 2016 two mobile operators are in the Bahamas:
- BTC
- aliv (by NewCo)
Originally the mobile network was monopolized by Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), that was critisized for bad service and high prices. In 2015 Cable Bahamas (CB) was approved by the government as recipient of a second license. Thus NewCo Ltd. was born and started to compete from 2016 under the brand aliv.
From the start in 2016 the two competitors have been at locked horns. The regulator demanded from BTC to give aliv roaming service for two years during its roll-out. But BTC has been slow to cooperate with the newcomer, forcing aliv revert to simply roll out all new infrastructure.
The prices are given in Bahaminan dollars (BSD), which is linked 1:1 to the US dollar. In 2015, a new Value Added Tax was introduced on all goods and services. Unlike most countries where it is unlawful to exclude VAT from prices to consumers (in contrast to sales taxes which are more commonly excluded), Bahamian VAT is often misleadingly omitted from published prices, but is included in aliv's prepaid prices. So beware that sometimes you will need to add 12% VAT to the published price.
BTC[]
BTC for Bahamas Telecommunications Company was the only provider until 2016. It's the primary telecommunications provider for the Bahamas and offers telephone, internet and wireless services. It's partly owned by the government and Cable & Wireless, sold to Liberty Global. The incumbent still has the better coverage and more customers, but faces competition now.
2G/EDGE is on 850 MHz and 1900 MHz, 3G up to HSPA+ on 850 MHz. 4G/LTE started in 2014 on 700 MHz (band 17). In 2017 it claims to cover 99% of the Bahamas by 4G/LTE at good speeds: coverage maps. It's still the better choice when you go to remote islands and service quality has improved.
Availability[]
Their SIM card is available for $ 15 in their shops (locator) and other stores throughout the islands. Be sure to get an LTE-enabled SIM card. Expect to show a passport for identification.
You can top-up online through EZ top-up by credit card from $ 5 to $ 100 or by refill cards called Prepaid Card sold in many shops and outlets. VAT will not be charged at point of purchase, instead when you use your phone (example make a call, send a text or activate a data plan).
Top-up by voucher: *202#, top-up one BTC number by another: *203#, check balance: *201#.
Data feature packages[]
There are no data without a plan
- combo plans:
- $ 3.49 for 1 day: 500 MB, unlimited on-net calls and texts, 100 mins to CAN und USA, no roll-over, no auto-renew
- $ 9.99 for 7 days: 2 GB, unlimited on-net calls and texts, 500 mins to CAN und USA, roll-over, auto-renew
- $ 19.99 for 15 days: 15 GB, unlimited on-net calls and texts, 1000 mins to CAN und USA, roll-over, auto-renew
- data only plans:
| Data | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 500 MB | 1 day | $ 2.99 |
| 1 GB | 10 days | $ 7 |
| 2 GB | 30 days | $ 12.99 |
| 6 GB | 30 days | $ 25 |
| 15 GB | 30 days | $ 35 |
To activate a bundle dial *203#. All bundles are on 4G/LTE too, renew automatically, roll-over unused data, if you buy a new bundle. 12% taxes need to be added for all bundles.
More info[]
- APN: internet.btcbahamas.com
- Website: http://www.btcbahamas.com
aliv (by NewCo)[]
Aliv (spoken: alive) by NewCo changed the mobile world when it started in 2016. NewCo is partly owned by triple-play provider Cable Bahamas Ltd. and the government. In 2018 they've reached a market share of 32% already.
They build up a 3G/HSPA network on 850 MHz and 1900 MHz and 4G/LTE on 700 MHz (band 13), no 2G/GSM. Voice over LTE services are available.
NewCo has a strict timeline given by the regulator for its two-year network rollout period, including covering 99% of the population of six largest islands (New Providence, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Abaco, Bimini and Exuma) by February 2017. For now it's a good alternative in the main islands only as they still don't offer any roaming with BTC in more remote islands as demanded by the regulator.
Availability[]
You can purchase a SIM card at any of their retail locations, from any authorized SIM-only resellers and at many kiosks (locator).
You can buy top-up online through your account by credit card. Refills are also sold at their retail stores, local top-up distributor locations (locator) from $ 5 to $ 100. To top-up by voucher dial *202#, to check account balance *201#.
Data feature packages[]
There are no data without a plan. For the final price add 12% taxes:
| Plan | Time | Data | Voice | SMS | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom 5 | 7 days | 500 MB | 50 mins | 50 | $ 5 |
| Freedom 10 | 2 GB | 100 mins | 100 | $ 10 | |
| Freedom 20 | 4 GB | 200 mins | 200 | $ 20 | |
| Freedom 30 | unlimited* | unlimited | unltd. | $ 30 | |
| Liberty 30 | 30 days | 3 GB | 300 mins | 300 | $ 30 |
| Liberty 45 | 6 GB | 400 | 400 | $ 45 | |
| Liberty 60 | 12 GB | 500 mins | 500 | $ 60 | |
| Liberty 90 | 18 GB | 900 mins | 900 | $ 90 | |
| Liberty 140 | unlimited* | unlimited | unltd. | $ 140 | |
| Mifi75 (#) | unlimited* | - | - | $ 75 |
(*) = "unlimited" is governed by a FUP. If you exceed more than 300 GB in any month on a 30 day plan or in any week on a 7 day plan, they can throttle your speed or suspend your plan.
(#) = Mifi75 is a data-only package. There are no minutes or texts included.
On all other plans allowances include all calls and texts to the Bahamas, US and Canada. All plans renew automatically, if there is enough credit.
Activation of plans is via their myALIV app, on your phone, bealiv.com, calling 611 or visiting a store.
Roaming[]
They have started to offer roaming plans valid in the US, Canada and all Digicel markets in the Caribbean:
- 250 MB for 7 days: $ 17.85
- 500 MB for 7 days: $ 26.85
- 1 GB for 14 days: $ 46.51
More info[]
- APN: pda.newcomobile.com
- Website: http://www.bealiv.com/