Digicel has invested some $6M into the Virgin Islands (VI) network to bring 4G technology to the population and says it was necessary since it believes the population deserves more competition within the marketplace and that broadband infrastructure is very important for business. Photo: VINO

Digicel's Commercial Manager, Su Thomas could not give a specific date for the launch of the 4G technology but said it would be before the end of November. Photo: DigicelBVI

Digicel has invested some $6M into the Virgin Islands (VI) network to bring 4G technology to the population and says it was necessary since it believes the population deserves more competition within the marketplace and that broadband infrastructure is very important for business.

“It’s an exciting time for Digicel so we are investing all of this money into a technology that will be launched very soon and we hope to bring better value again to the BVI as we have done with phones and calling rates and we are going to endeavour to bring that with the 4G launch as well,” Digicel’s Commercial Manager Su Thomas told Virgin Islands News Online.

Ms Thomas could not give a specific date for the launch but said it would be before the end of November.

Digicel’s 4G Mobile, based on HSPA+ technology, leapfrogs traditional 3G technologies, will take mobile internet browsing to the next level with speeds up to five times faster than 3G.

Dubbed the bigger, better network, Digicel has been rolling out the 4G technology across the Caribbean with countries such as Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago and the Cayman Islands already boasting theirs. The Virgin Islands will be the second country in this part of the region to receive 4G. Antigua is the first.

Ms Thomas said the operation is an expensive one so Digicel has chosen countries deemed to need the technology most in terms of the profile of businesses.

The $6M invested in the 4G technology here brings the running total of investment in the VI to more than $30M, according to Ms Thomas.

“It’s an investment that we are very excited about and it is going to deliver something extra to our customers that they have not had before.”