IN REVIEWING A WEB PAGE THE OTHER DAY I NOTICED THAT IT WAS STATED THAT BIMINI WAS THE CLOSEST FOREIGN ISLAND TO THE UNITED STATES. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE WEB PAGE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO ATM (AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES) IN BIMINI. BUT THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PAGE STATED HE DID NOT KNOW WHY. SINCE HISTORICALLY IT IS STATED THAT THE “FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH” IS LOCATED HERE, I ENCOURAGE THE VISITORS WHILE YOU ARE HERE TO GET A DIP OR SPRINKLE.  I AM ALSO PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE BANK HERE WILL BE ABLE TO  OFFER ATM SERVICES TO BAHAMIANS AND  VISITORS ALIKE.

I  WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE OF MY PARLIAMENTARY COLLEAGUE, THE HON. OBIE WILCHCOMBE, MINISTER OF TOURISM AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR WEST GRAND BAHAMA AND BIMINI, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF BTC, EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM OF BTC AND THE BTC PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM.

I ALSO WISH TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO MR. OSPINO AND THE TEAM FROM NSW THE CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR BUILDING THE CABLE AND GNCI BTC’s CONTRACTED MANAGEMENT TEAM.

WE ARE ALL HERE TODAY TO WITNESS THIS HISTORIC MOMENT IN THE WONDER ISLANDS OF NORTH AND SOUTH BIMINI...

I WISH TO REPEAT A FEW REMARKS I MADE EARLIER IN DIFFERENT QUARTERS.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS FIRST CAME TO BIMINI WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY IN 1920. THIS WAS FIVE YEARS BEFORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS WAS ESTABLISHED IN GRAND BAHAMA.

IN 1957, A RADIO BEACON WAS INSTALLED IN BIMINI.

SEPTEMBER 22ND 1964, FORTY ONE YEARS AGO  THE TROPOSPHERIC DISH STILL STANDING IN PORGY  BAY WAS INSTALLED WITH THE CAPACITY OF SIX SIMULTANEOUS TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. THIS WAS THE INTRODUCTION OF VOICE TELEPHONY TO BIMINI. THIS TROPO SCATTER SYSTEM WAS UPGRADED IN 1976 WITH ONE KILO WATT AMPLIFIERS.

IN 1980 AUTOMATIC NUMBER IDENTIFICATION WAS INTRODUCED.

CELLULAR SERVICES WAS INTRODUCED ON MARCH 20, 1989, JUST TWO MONTHS AFTER CELLULAR WAS INTRODUCED TO GRAND BAHAMA AND DURING THIS SAME YEAR, DIGITAL TELEPHONE SERVICES WERE INTRODUCED TO THE RESIDENTS OF BIMINI.

IN 1990, THE BIMINI TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK WAS COMPLETELY DIGITIZED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DIGITAL TROPO SCATTER SYSTEM IN ALICE TOWN SITTING NEXT TO US. NOT ONLY WAS THE NETWORK DIGITIZED, THE CAPACITY WAS INCREASED FROM THIRTY-SIX SIMULTANEOUS TELEPHONE CALLS TO ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SIMULTANEOUS TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS.

THIS SYSTEM, WHICH WAS INSTALLED IN 1990, IS STILL IN SERVICE TODAY CONNECTING BIMINI TO THE REST OF THE BAHAMAS AND TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. BUT THE SYSTEM IS MANUFACTURED DISCONTINUED, LACKS CAPACITY, IS UNABLE TO SUPPORT GSM AND DSL AND IS FAILING CHRONICALLY.

A FEW MONTHS AGO THERE WAS A MULTI DAY OUTAGE DISCONNECTING BIMINI FROM THE REST OF THE BAHAMAS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.

A FEW MONTHS AGO, I ANNOUNCED THAT MY GOVERNMENT AND YOUR CARING PLP, HAD GIVEN BTC THE GREEN LIGHT TO CONSTRUCT A SIX MILLION DOLLAR FIBER OPTIC SUBMARINE CABLE CONNECTING BIMINI TO GRAND BAHAMA AND TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

THIS CABLE WILL HAVE THE CAPACITY OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SIMULTANEOUS TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS COMPARED TO THE SYSTEM TODAY THAT HAS A CAPACITY OF ONLY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY CONVERSATIONS.

THIS NEW SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR BTC TO PROVIDE GSM CELLULAR AND DSL HIGH SPEED INTERNET SERVICES TO THE CITIZENS OF BIMINI.

 IN THE SPIRIT OF FORMER PLP MINISTERS OF COMMUNICATIONS WHO BROUGHT BIMINI RESIDENTS AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE SERVICES AND AUTOMATIC NUMBER IDENTIFICATION IN THE SEVENTIES, CELLULAR SERVICES AND DIGITAL TELEPHONE SERVICES IN THE EIGHTIES AND DIGITAL RADIO SYSTEMS IN THE NINETIES, I AM PROUD  IN 2005 TO ANNOUNCE THAT SUBMARINE FIBER OPTIC CABLES HAVE COME TO BIMINI.

I AM ADVISED THAT THIS SIX MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT, NOTWITHSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE RITA AND HURRICANE WILMA WAS BUILT IN WORLD RECORD TIME AND ON BUDGET.

IN MY ADDRESS TO THE PLP CONVENTION A FEW WEEKS AGO I COMMENTED ON THIS BIMINI CABLE AND I INDICATED THAT WHAT YOUR CARING PLP GOVERNMENT WAS DOING IN BIMINI WAS TRANSFORMING BIMINI RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES.

THIS SIX MILLION DOLLAR CABLE WILL ALLOW GSM TO BE DEPLOYED AND I CAN TELL YOU GSM IS WELL ON THE WAY.

THIS SIX MILLION DOLLAR CABLE WILL ALLOW DSL TO BE DEPLOYED AND THE SCHOOL IN BIMINI WILL HAVE DSL VERY SHORTLY.

THIS SIX MILLION DOLLAR CABLE WILL ALLOW ZNS TV AND RADIO TO BROADCAST LIVE CHURCH SERVICES AND OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS LIKE THE BIMINI REGATTA LIVE FROM BIMINI.
 
LAST YEAR BTC GAVE COMMISSIONS OF MORE THAN $8 MILLION FOR TDMA AND GSM CELLULAR PHONES TO VENDORS AND RESELLERS. SO FAR THIS YEAR BTC HAVE ALREADY GIVEN SOME $13 MILLION IN COMMISSIONS. THE ENTREPRENEURS IN BIMINI HAVE AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO GET THEIR SHARE OF THE PIE.

YOUR CARING PLP GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR BAHAMIANS.

I IMPLORE BIMINITES TO GET YOUR CREATIVE JUICES GOING ON HOW YOU CAN CREATE CYBER CAFÉS, INTRODUCE ATMs AND AVAIL YOUR SELVES OF THE OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE YOUR OWN NICHE BUSINESS AS A RESULT OF THIS CABLE.

I WISH TO EXPRESS MY GOVERNMENT’S APPRECIATION TO NSW, GNCI, BTC’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM OF BTC AND THE STAFF OF BTC FOR A JOB WELL DONE.

I WISH TO THANK YOU THE PRESS WHO HAVE TRAVELED FROM NEW PROVIDENCE AND GRAND BAHAMA TO SHARE IN THIS RED LETTER DAY WITH BTC AND THE PEOPLE OF BIMINI.

I WISH TO THANK THE OTHER INVITED GUESTS.

AND NOW BY THE POWER INVESTED IN ME AS THE MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN THE GREATEST SMALL ISLAND NATION IN THE WORLD, I DECLARE THIS GRAND BAHAMA BIMINI FIBER OPTIC CABLE NETWORK OFFICIALLY COMMISSIONED.

I WILL NOW MAKE AN OFFICIAL CALL TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER WHO IS PROUDLY AWAITING CONFIRMATION THAT THE PEOPLE OF BIMINI ARE NOW CONNECTED WITH WORLD CLASS FIBRE OPTICS……..