fp Turks and Caicos

The Turks and Caicos Islands’s fastest wireless network just got faster, making the leap from 3G to 4G speed on July 27.

“You heard rumors from others this year to say that they are bringing it, but we are the first people to actually do it, as well as the first people to bring you 3G,” Islandcom Marketing and Procurement Specialist Chandra Craigg said in announcing the much faster service.

What does this mean to Islandcom users?

“With our Islandcom 4G you can download music, photos, games, and applications in seconds, video chat, stream video, or browse the web even while you’re on a call,” Islandcom says. “All smartphone devices on our network will now benefit from having a higher bandwidth that gives you more room to work with on your device and use it to its full potential. With the increase in data speeds, Islandcom allows you to fully maximize your smartphone.”

To get the most out of 4G, you need a 4G device such as an iPhone 4s, Samsung Galaxy S III or Motorola Razr Maxx, which cost “a pretty penny,” Craigg says.

For example, an Islandcom iPhone 4s costs $849 with a one-year postpaid contract, or several hundred dollars more than the 3G version.

The good news for everyone who can’t afford a new 4G device is that their 3G device will also perform better both on voice and data — at no extra cost, Craigg says. The rates for 3G and 4G are the same and are not being increased.

For BlackBerry lovers — and there are many here — the venerable device is only recently offering 4G capable devices in the United States, so it will be a while before they debut here.

Tourists who have 4G devices with the GSM technology — the most widely used in the world and often called a “world phone” — can also get 4G speed here with Islandcom. That includes most U.S. phones from T-Mobile and AT&T that use GSM.

Those roaming on Islandcom with CDMA technology phones — primarily used in the U.S. by Sprint, Virgin Mobile and Verizon — will get only 3G speeds.
Telecommunication companies Digicel and LIME currently offer 2G service in the TCI, but both confirm that they will be introducing their own 4G service later this year.