Bermudan telco One Communications (OneComm) has announced the launch of a 5G mobile network, beginning in Hamilton, ‘just in time for the Christmas Holiday’. As the first provider on the island to launch 5G, OneComm claims it is continuing on its commitment to invest millions in technology and deliver value to its customers. 5G services will initially be accessible to post-paid customers only with iPhone 12 models and newer. The company declared: ‘Echoing the successful 4G LTE launch in 2016, the first phase of ultra-fast 5G performance will begin in Hamilton, and up to 75% of island coverage is 5G ready. 5G performance will continue to expand throughout the island in a phased approach based on capacity and traffic requirements.’
The news comes as OneComm rival, start-up Paradise Mobile revealed in a YouTube post on 22 November that it would be launching in ‘the next ten days’. Indeed, according to the newcomer’s website its 5G network is already live in an invite-only preview, while on 1 December it plans to open it up to a public beta test that runs until 31 December and includes free connectivity to those signing up; the standard cost of its Simply Unlimited Beta plan is listed as BMD99 (USD99) per month with unlimited local calls and data. Claiming that it will revolutionise the sector with a focus on a more modern approach based on ‘trust and transparency’, Paradise Mobile also says it will introduce an innovative approach to customer service, onboarding and how it structures tariff plans for its customers. ‘We’re really taking the telco legacy mindset and changing it to fit the 21st century,’ a spokesman said.
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate in late May 2023 the privately owned start-up revealed that its 5G network rollout was almost complete. CEO Sam Tabbara revealed that his company was on track to hit its target of island-wide 5G coverage ‘within a few weeks’ adding that ‘some testing and tweaking is already under way’. Tabbara explained that Paradise Mobile’s 5G network requires ‘only a handful of transmission sites’ because of the island’s relatively small size.
US-based network software provider Mavenir provided Paradise Mobile with a cloud-native solution for its new 4G/5G network, in a deal announced back in February.
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