Basics
Barbados is a sovereign island country in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. It's covering an area of 432 km2 and is situated about 168 km east of the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and 400 km north-east of Trinidad and Tobago. Almost 300,000 people live on the island.
Like on many Caribbean islands there are these two usual providers plus a newcomer:
- Digicel Barbados
- Flow (by Cable & Wireless)
- Ozone Wireless (due to start in July 2017)
Flow is the incumbent provider and Digicel came to the Caribbean 2001-6 to end this monopoly. A third provider called Sunbeach on CDMA was closed in 2013. Digicel has become market leader and commercially launched its 4G/LTE mobile network in the capital Bridgetown in 2016, Flow in 2017. A third provider has received a LTE license in 2014 and is finally due to start in 2017.
Flow is on US frequencies of 1900 MHz for 2G and 850 MHz and 1900 MHz for 3G, while Digicel uses European bands of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz for 2G and 2100 MHz for 3G. 4G/LTE has started on 700 MHz and 1900 MHz (bands 17 and 2). Ozone will only operate on 4G/LTE on 700 MHz.
SIM card prices are somewhat variable between BDD 10 and 30 with or without some included credit.
Currency of rates in this article is the Barbadian, Bajan or Barbados dollar (BBD, Bds.$) that is linked to the US$ in ratio BDD 2 : US$1. The new cellphone tax of 22% is included in the given prices.
Digicel Barbados
Digicel started in 2004 to challenge the monopoly of Lime that is called now Flow. They have been so successful in Barbados to reach 57% market share in 2015. In 2016 it launched as first operator 4G/LTE in Bridgetown. For frequencies check Basics section. It has a good coverage all through the island: coverage map.
Availability
SIM cards are sold in their stores (locator). Be prepared to show a passport for purchase. Users report variable charges for the SIM of BDD 25 or 30 for the micro SIM card while standard SIMs come much cheaper. So it may be better to cut them to size.
Top-ups can be made online by credit card without surcharges or by vouchers sold all over the island. Values are BBD 5 to BBD 250. Digitel offers CreditU where you can top-up one number by another: dial *128*<receiving mobile no.>*<top-up amount>#. Wait for confirmation and then dial *128*1# to confirm. BB$ 0.25 is charged for this service.
Dial *120# to check your account balance.
Data feature packages
These data plans called Smart Plans are on 2G, 3G and their new 4G/LTE too:
| Volume | Time | Price (BBD) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 MB | 1 day | $ 4 |
| 100 MB | $ 6 | |
| 500 MB | 3 days | $ 10 |
| 500 MB | 7 days | $ 10 |
| 1 GB | $ 14 | |
| 2 GB | $ 21 | |
| 1.25 GB | 14 days | $ 28 |
| 1.5 GB | 30 days | $ 30 |
| 3 GB | $ 45 | |
| 5 GB | $ 50 | |
| 10 GB | $ 60 |
Activation us by code *246# and choose bundle. To check your data balance on a data plan, dial *120*131#. Taxes (VAT) are included.
International roaming
Digicel sells their Roam Like You're Home plan at BBD 21 valid for 10 days. This service allows Digicel customers travelling to the USA, Canada and all other Digicel Caribbean territories to call, text and use data at domestic Anguillan rates. You will need to connect to AT&T or T-Mobile in the US, Rogers in Canada or Caribbean Digicel networks. To activate Roam like you are Home dial *153#.
Note that data bundles don't apply while on the Roam Like You're Home plan. You will be charged the domestic default rate of BBD 0.45 per MB while roaming.
More info
- APN: web.digicelbarbados.com
- Website: http://www.digicelgroup.com/bb/en/mobile.html
Flow
Flow, up to 2015 called Lime and rebranded, is the incumbent provider in Barbados. It's operated by Cable & Wireless that has been sold to Liberty Global. In recent years they have fallen back against Digicel, but lowered rates in 2017. They offer a good 2G and 3G coverage, and launched 4G/LTE in 2017 (for their frequencies check Basics section).
Availability
Their SIM card is sold in their stores for BBD 25 with BBD 10 credit. Be prepared to show your passport at the point of purchase.
Top-ups of BDD 5 to BBD 120 can be made online or in top-up kiosks, supermarkets and gas stations all over the island. Any top-up stays valid for 90 days irrespective of the amount. Check your balance by *120#.
Data feature packages
Default rate outside packages is BBD 0.61 per MB. These data packs are offered (VAT included):
| Volume | Time | Price (BBD) | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 MB | 1 day | $ 4 | *146*50# |
| 150 MB | $ 5.99 | *146*150# | |
| 200 MB | $ 7 | *146*200# | |
| 400 MB | 3 days | $ 7.99 | *146*400# |
| 500 MB | $ 10 | *146*500# | |
| 600 MB | 7 days | $ 10.99 | *146*600# |
| 700 MB | $ 12 | *146*700# | |
| 1 GB | $ 14 | *146*1007# | |
| 1 GB | 14 days | $ 18.99 | *146*1014# |
| 1.5 GB | $ 28 | *146*1500# | |
| 2.5 GB | $ 35 | *146*2500# | |
| 2 GB | 30 days | $ 36 | *146*2000# |
| 4 GB | $ 48 | *146*4000# | |
| 5 GB | $ 49.99 | *146*5000# | |
| 7 GB | $ 55 | *146*7000# | |
| 8 GB | $ 56.99 | *146*8000# | |
| 10 GB | $ 60 | *146*10000# |
All plans will automatically renew once the plan expiry date has been reached provided that there is sufficient credit on the account. If you want to disable the auto-renew feature, you dial *363*1#.
International roaming
For roaming in the US (on AT&T) and all Flow markets in the Caribbean they sell these roaming plans:
- 250 MB data + 60 internatl. mins for 3 days: BBD 41.99
- 500 MB data + 150 internatl. mins for 7 days: BBD 78.99
You need to activate roaming first and choose package by *190#. Overuse fee is BBD 0.61 per MB.
More info
- APN: ppinternet
- Website: http://discoverflow.co/barbados/
Ozone Wireless
Barbados’ newest mobile licensee Ozone Wireless has announced that it will launch commercial 4G/ LTE network services on 17 July 2017. The launch is confirmed by the start-up company on its Facebook social media pages, will initially span 31 cellular sites across the island, using Ozone’s 4G 700 MHz band licensed frequencies and sharing space on existing operators’ cell towers. The privately-owned newcomer holder of a mobile licence since 2014 is aiming to take on the island’s established network operating duo of Digicel and Flow by promising ‘attractive data packages and flexible contracts with no long-term commitment’. Details are still unknown. Check their website.
- Website: http://www.ozonewireless.com/