The British Virgin Islands (BVI), a group of islands in the Caribbean, is geographically dispersed, consisting of around 60 islands and cays, with roughly 30,000 residents spread across 15 inhabited islands. This presents unique challenges in terms of telecommunications infrastructure due to the difficulty of connecting such a variety of islands. Technological innovation in BVI sees the country leveraging satellite communication for telephony and internet services. Being a major offshore financial centre also necessitates a robust telecommunications infrastructure for secure data transmission. BVI’s telecommunications sector faced the major challenge of restoration and upgrade after being devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The rebuild saw the enhancement of infrastructure that is now more hurricane-resistant, with enhanced internet speeds and bandwidth capacity. This example of resilience and adaptation highlights the infrastructure solutions that were implemented to tackle the geographical and environmental challenges.
Mobile Network Operators
The are 3 companies operating mobile networks in this region.
Caribbean Cellular Telephone Ltd (CCT) was founded in 1986 as CCT Boatphone. Back then CCT was known for providing tourists with radio boat phones. Later rebranding to CCT Global Communications and expanding to mobile telecommunications, the company wouldn’t become 100% locally owned until April 21, 2013.
Flow BVI is a telecommunications company that operates within the British Virgin Islands. The company was established as part of the wider Flow network, a telecommunications brand owned by Cable & Wireless Communications. Flow BVI provides a range of services including mobile, internet, and television to the residents and businesses of the British Virgin Islands. Cable & Wireless Communications, the parent company, has a long-standing history in the telecommunications industry, with operations in various Caribbean and Latin American countries.