CellularOne will be upgrading its network to 3G+ in the fourth quarter of this year as the company focuses on delivering data services to mobile handsets.

In an exclusive interview yesterday, Frank Amaral, chief operating officer at CellularOne, told The Royal Gazette that his company would be looking to offer the new and improved speed while maintaining a high level of quality and service.

But he admitted there was still work to be done to provide the customer with the best experience and there were a number of challenges facing the industry as a whole that needed to be tackled.

Mr. Amaral, who marked one year in the role in March, reflected on a range of topics from the overhaul of standards in the telecommunications sector to the future of mobile phones and devices.

Having come on board at the start of a three-month transition with his predecessor and CellularOne founder Michael Leverock, he has been busy learning about the market, the company and its staff.

"The market dramatically changed back in 2005 when Digicel came to the Island," he said.

"CellularOne has always had the best reputation in terms of quality of its network and its service."

That fact is borne out by a commissioned telephone survey of 400 residents conducted by an independent firm in July which revealed that 35 percent of the company's residential customers were completely satisfied with the company - 11 points ahead of its nearest competitor - and 99 percent expressed they were completely or most satisfied. Furthermore 28 percent of CellularOne's business customers expressed complete satisfaction - a 14-point difference between that of its closest competitor - and 90 percent were completely or mostly satisfied.

Mr. Amaral said there were three opportunities for a business to make or break its customer - the performance of the network and phone, the impression its service made, and the receipt of the bill.

Since its inception in 1999, CellularOne has been operating on the 850 MHz frequency, prior to becoming the first company in Bermuda to launch a third generation (3G) network in the form of 3G CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)/EVDO in 2005 and then 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) in September last year, with a reliable coverage and in-building (deep) penetration. CellularOne also claims that its 3G UMTS network offers customers the best roaming service of any local carrier.

Taking that a step further, the company will be enhancing its UMTS network to 3G+/HSPA+ (High-Speed Packet Access - Evolved), with download speeds of 21 Mega bits per second, in the fourth quarter of 2010.

"Our focus on the network side will be about delivering 3G data services to hand sets," said Mr. Amaral.

"It is all about how we enhance that experience for the customer."

Mr. Amaral said with customers demanding faster data delivery on their phones anywhere on the Island, it was up to CellularOne to provide the network and data plans to meet their needs.

He was also sceptical about the delivery of wireless broadband service (Internet connectivity) on a 3G+ network versus home DSL and cable broadband provision in terms of value for money and the market, particularly in light of Bermuda CableVision's two new broadband link data service packages, featuring the fastest speeds ever offered over the company's advanced, fibre-based cable network, with data speeds up to 8 Megabits (MB) and up to 6 MB through Internet Service Providers North Rock Communications, FKB Transact and Logic.

Another issue at the forefront of mobile phone providers' minds is the concept of 'bill shock' to control the amount of money a customer spends on their service or plan or the point up to which they are willing to pay, according to Mr. Amaral.

"I think the carriers are going to have to get themselves in line with this so that we think the way that the customer does," he said.

Meanwhile a move away from unlimited data plans has been a trend seen across the world in recent years and Mr. Amaral believes that Bermuda needs to follow suit in order to ensure the customer is paying for what they use.

As far as the proposed regulatory reform of the telecommunications sector is concerned, he said his company is heavily in favour of such changes, particularly with an overhaul of the current licensing structure.

"I think still think it is going to be a very tough market in terms of rolling out new services," he said.

Mr. Amaral said that the fact there have been no price increases in the past few years, coupled with service providers having to offer more for lower prices means that having access to new revenue streams would bring operational balance.

"We, in the industry, are all anxious to get our hands around some new revenue streams," he said.

Above all, Mr. Amaral said, there were some considerable benefits for the consumer, such as the provision of one-stop shops for offerings like long-distance service, ultimately leading to more competitive pricing and quality of service.

He said the future is almost limitless, with all of the mobile phone providers having the capability to upgrade their networks to the new 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) service and customers wanting to have a device that does everything.

Mr. Amaral, who describes his job specification as being ultimately responsible for "customer happiness", spent almost 20 years working in the alcohol and beverage industry with Bacardi, initially as a controller in Bermuda, before stints in Canada and Florida, returning to the Island for five years in 1999, and then joining Jupiter Adria Management, Bermuda, a private equity start-up which develops luxury leisure and tourism investments in south east Europe as a consultant and executive director between 2007 and 2009, chairing its investment committee and managing the design phase for the hotel systems.

His final word of advice to Bermudians forging a career for themselves is that international experience is key to your development, and with an impressive track record it is hard to argue with that.