Questions over business readiness, hurricane power resilience and regulatory safeguards remain over the Digicel/BTC’s plan to shut down the remnants of its legacy copper network in favour of a modern fibre system that is already being fully used by the majority of its customers.

Potentially at risk are non-voice legacy hardware, including burglar/fire alarms, medical monitoring systems, elevator emergency lines, point-of-sale card terminals, faxes and private-branch exchange systems.

Regulatory filings show that a significant 38 per cent of commercial customers and 2 per cent of wholesale connections still rely on copper landlines.

Digicel said because of compatibility issues some equipment may be affected by the migration from copper-based services, but already the old technology has brought severe equipment obsolescence, rising maintenance costs and part shortages.

The Regulatory Authority of Bermuda opened a consultation in September and asked the public to weigh in by Monday. Officials believe it will assist them in determining the appropriate procedures, standards, consumer protection measures and implementation timetable that should apply.

Some 96 per cent of residential and 62 per cent of commercial customers voluntarily migrated to fibre after the 2017 start, and recalcitrant subscribers would be forced on to Digicel’s fibre network or told to switch providers. There has been some resistance among those representing the 2 per cent of wholesale copper-based connections yet to be transferred.

The fully fibre-based network architecture comes with higher internet speeds and better service quality, the establishment of new television and broadband products, allowing Digicel to compete more effectively in Bermuda’s electronic communications sector.

Should the company get the go-ahead, mandatory parish-by-parish cut-offs would be scheduled to begin in St George's.

Business leaders and technical experts have raised flags regarding legacy hardware compatibility.

Compounding operational concerns is the issue of severe weather preparedness. Unlike traditional copper landlines, which carry their own low-voltage central-office electrical current, fibre optical network terminals installed at customer premises require mains electricity to function.

To mitigate service loss during power cuts, Digicel offers free battery back-up units upon request. But the units are rated to supply emergency power for only “several hours” depending on usage.

In an island regularly subjected to multi-day or multi-week electrical blackouts following major hurricanes, vulnerable residents, seniors and emergency medical monitoring users risk complete isolation once battery back-ups deplete.

While Digicel states that customer billing will not increase owing to migration, consumer advocacy groups have pointed to pricing structure anomalies.

The consultation document acknowledges it does not yet contain a fully developed set of binding procedures and standards.

The RA said the consultation serves to gather public feedback and stakeholder input through targeted questions, ensuring that appropriate consumer protections and implementation timelines are established before a final decision and order are issued by March 2027.

If approved, Digicel said they can return to the migration within two months, and complete the process in about 13 months.

Contacted about the consultation, the company stated: “Digicel Bermuda continues to make progress in transitioning customers from the legacy copper network to fibre, with over 90 per cent of customers already migrated.

“We remain committed to supporting residential and business customers throughout the transition, including those with specific service requirements.

“The retirement of the copper network remains subject to regulatory approval, and we will continue to communicate updates as the process progresses.”

• For more on the Regulatory Authority of Bermuda’s consultation document, Discontinuation of the Bermuda Telephone Company Limited Copper Network, see Related Media

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RA's BTC Copper Consultation.pdf