Good Morning.

It is my pleasure again and on behalf of the Government to make another significant announcement concerning the progressive steps of BTC.  But first let me give you the history of Telecommunications in The Bahamas.

In 1892, a telegraph cable connecting Jupiter Florida to Goodman’s Bay, now called Cable Beach, Nassau was completed.

This joint venture between the Government of The Bahamas and Marconi Communications heralded the advent of telecommunications in The Bahamas.  This Cable was constructed at a cost of 30,000 pounds.

Just fourteen years later in 1906, telephone services were introduced to Nassau.
This event was two years ahead of commercial electricity being offered by the Government and the establishment of the department of electricity in 1908 now known as the Bahamas Electricity Corporation.

In 1972, The Bahamas I Submarine Cable was built connecting New Providence from Cable Beach to West Palm Beach Florida via Eight Mile Rock Grand Bahama.

This was a joint venture between BaTelCo and AT&T.  This analogue cable had a capacity of 1,380 simultaneous phone calls, cost $7 Million and the cable landed at Goodman’s Bay, Nassau.

In 1997, The Bahamas II Fiber Optic Submarine Cable with an initial capacity of 30,240 simultaneous telephone calls was brought into service at a project cost of approximately $26 Million. This was a consortium cable with BaTelCo and AT&T as the landing parties. This cable also landed at Goodman’s Bay Nassau.

In 2001, after hurricane Michelle disrupted telecommunications services to the Central and Southern Bahamas, sections of the Arcos Cables (project approximately cost $420 Million) landing at Cat Island, Crooked Island and Nassau were brought into service to facilitate restoration of telecommunications to those Islands.  It should also be noted that this cable also landed at Goodman’s Bay Nassau.

A few weeks ago, I was here in this very room to announce that my Government had approved BTC to build a Fiber Optic Submarine Cable between Grand Bahama and Bimini.
This cable is intended to replace the present capacity exhausted forward scatter tropo microwave system that is failing chronically.

I am advised that the Fiber Optic Submarine Cable will allow BTC to install GSM cellular technology, DSL high-speed Internet services and better serve the telecommunications needs of the residents of Bimini.

I wish to announce that this project is well on the way. BTC’s Engineers have just returned from Germany where they have completed the factory acceptance on the cable and the cable is now being shipped to Charleston South Carolina where it will be transshipped to The Bahamas.

The installation completion date for the cable is the end of September 2005. The cost of this project is approximately $6 million.

Today is another red-letter day in the annals of BTC.

Perry Christie’s Government, a few months ago, gave BTC approval to construct a Fiber Optic Cable connecting fourteen (14) islands of The Bahamas in a self healing ring topology.

This Submarine Fiber Optic Cable Network referred to as BDSNi will:
• Replace the existing capacity exhausted and in some case manufactured discontinued and chronically failing microwave and tropo systems connecting the islands.
• Allow BTC to deploy GSM cellular technology on these islands
• Allow BTC to deploy DSL high speed Internet services in these Islands.
• Provide capacity for two hundred (200) digital television channels
• Facilitate my Government’s pronouncements concerning anchor properties on these islands.
• Provide a platform for my government’s additional initiatives like eCommerce, eEducation, eTrade and eGovernment on these islands.
• Reduce or eliminate disruptions as a result of hurricanes.
Today, BTC will formally sign a contract with TYCO Telecommunications for the deployment of this submarine cable network. The contractors’ cost is $49.3 Million and the total cost is $58.9 million.

The network is being built in three phases namely:
• Phase I will include connecting New Providence to Inagua via Andros, Exuma, Long Island, and Ragged Island.
• Phase II will include connecting Inagua to New Providence via Mayaguana, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Abaco and Grand Bahama.
• Phase III will allow BTC to connect this cable internationally.

I am advised that a completion date of the end of December 2005 has been established for Phase I and Phase II is expected to be completed by the end of second Quarter 2006.   Phase III’s in service date has yet to be determined. I hope to be able to announce that date in the coming weeks.

I wish to express my government’s appreciation to the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of BTC for taking on this ambitious project.

I wish to congratulate TYCO International for winning the bid and I look forward to a successful, timely completion of this project. I am advised that the completion time for this project is pushing the industry’s envelope and a record be established.

Last but certainly not least, I wish to thank GNCI, the Project Management team contracted by BTC to assist with project management of both the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Cable Network (BDSNi) and the Grand Bahama Bimini Submarine Network (GBBSN).

To you the Press, I wish to thank you for coming.