URCA Releases Public Consultation on Roadmap to Enable 5G Deployment in The Bahamas

22 August 2024

URCA recognizes that reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity and technological advancements like the Fifth Generation of International Mobile Communications technology (IMT-5G, hereinafter referred to as “5G”) are catalysts for innovation and future development in The Bahamas and that 5G can therefore play a crucial role in achieving the EC Policy objectives. To this end, and in accordance with its respective Annual Plans 2022 and 2023, URCA has engaged with stakeholders to assess demand for 5G and develop the roadmap to enable the provision of 5G services in The Bahamas. In summary:

• In a first step, URCA conducted a consultation in late 2023 to better understand and develop an evidence base for the current and expected demand for enhanced internet connectivity and 5G-enabled services in The Bahamas. This revealed that end users are primarily focused on receiving reliable internet access at decent speeds, with the main future demand use cases being tourism and national security/law enforcement. Additionally, operators view 5G as a natural evolution to improve network capacity, but they emphasize the need for a supportive regulatory and policy environment to facilitate its rollout in due time.
• In a second step URCA is now working closely with the Government of The Bahamas and industry stakeholders to identify and address any outstanding regulatory and policy issues, in order to develop a roadmap to enable 5G deployment in The Bahamas. This phase will include stakeholder meetings, consultations on the draft framework, and finalization of the framework.

URCA has developed a draft Roadmap to enable 5G deployment in The Bahamas, set out in the remainder of this document. The purpose of this consultation is to invite comments from interested persons on URCA’s draft Roadmap. When completed, this roadmap will identify any outstanding regulatory and policy issues which need to be addressed to enable 5G in The Bahamas.

URCA invites responses on this Consultation Document from all stakeholders, licensees and interested persons. Responses must be submitted to URCA by 5:00 p.m. on 7 October 2024. Written responses or comments on this Consultation Document should be sent to URCA’s Director of Electronic Communications (or designate), either:

• by mail to P.O. Box N 4860, Nassau, Bahamas; or
• by email, to info@urcabahamas.bs.

The document can be found below: