The Tribune

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) will on October 8 offer customers Apple iPhones complete with an annual plan that includes voice, data and text.

BTC said it was the first time the company is offering consumerd postpaid bundles inclusive of minutes, text messages, MMS, data and a device with an annual contract. It is a model used by mobile phone providers around the world and comes just weeks after the successful launch of the Samsung Galaxy S3.

That launch and the new iPhone bundle offer are part of an overall strategy to introduce customers to the high-speed 4G network.

“The iPhone 4S bundles are the result of BTC’s affiliation with LIME, as Apple has specific population size requirements in order for international businesses to become authorised distributors,” explained BTC spokesman Jerome Sawyer.

“The company’s partnership with LIME’s brand throughout the Caribbean now makes it possible for it to meet the minimum requirements, and as a part of the agreement, BTC must adhere to strict Apple brandling guidelines to prevent breach of contract.”

Mr Sawyer said BTC is offering the latest model of iPhones available in the Caribbean. “Apple has only released the iPhone 5 in limited jurisdictions,” he said, “none of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The iPhone and other smart phones are changing the way we live with multiple apps that can be tailored to fit our lifestyles, no matter where that might be in the Bahamas.

The demand for such phones, especially iPhones, is growing in the market and the introduction of complete bundles makes the overall experience more attractive and convenient.”€

The new plans range in size and price, including $41, $66, $82, $127 or pay as you go (prepaid). All plans are data rich, ranging from 1 gigabyte (GB) to 5 GB.

“A customer’s phone habits will determine which data package is right for them,” Mr Sawyer said, “so we are advising customers to consider how they intend to use the phone when they make their purchase. Online games, video streaming and Skype all consume a lot of data.”

Data plans are capped at roughly 1 GB each month (1,000 megabytes make up 1GB). A movie ses roughly 700 megabytes and music videos use an average of 50 megabytes. Once a customer has xceeded his or her data within a month, BTC does not turn off your data, but simply slows down your data speed for the remainder of the month.

Under BTC’s agreement with Apple, the company will not activate iPhones that are not purchased from the BTC store. iPhone customers contracted with BTC are free to use their iPhone on the BTC network and travel abroad using the roaming feature. Users who attempt to replace the SIM card for usage on other networks, Mr Sawyer warned, risk locking the phone and voiding their contract.