Caribbean Cellular Telephone (CCT) continues to establish itself as the most reliable choice for telecommunications in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
This reputation was further solidified during the recent passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto, which has since intensified into Hurricane Ernesto. Despite the storm’s unexpected strength, CCT’s network sustained minimal damage and maintained service, underscoring the company’s commitment to reliability and a positive customer experience.
CCT’s leadership attributes this network resilience to strategic investments made following the devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
Chief Executive Officer Averad Penn remarked, “Our wireless network demonstrated incredible resilience, with only a few sites experiencing minor damage, nearly all of which have already been restored. This resilience is a direct result of significant investments in hardening and redundancy after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Our fibre network also performed exceptionally well.”
Chief Technical Officer Kyle Dasent echoed these sentiments, emphasising the durability of CCT’s infrastructure. “While the storm did cause some minor disruptions, CCT’s mobile and fibre networks held up remarkably well. We restored 99% of our mobile network functionality almost immediately after the storm. The fibre network remained robust, with most of the distribution system intact. Our teams are now focused on restoring the small percentage of last-mile connections that were affected.”
Dasent also highlighted that CCT’s commitment to resilience goes beyond infrastructure. “We’ve learned a great deal from past experiences and have implemented strategic measures to ensure we can recover quickly from any future storms. This includes keeping essential equipment stocked on the island and maintaining a team of highly knowledgeable engineers who are intimately familiar with our network.”
CCT’s resilience and rapid response have not gone unnoticed by customers. One resident of Virgin Gorda took to social media during the storm to express gratitude after her initial telecommunications provider failed to meet her needs. She praised CCT staff member Lucie Caul Thompson for her exceptional service:
“Lucie moved heaven and earth to help me find a solution for my guests and some of my senior staff. Within an hour, she arranged SIM cards for my managers and LTE boxes to provide internet connectivity. Lucie, you are worthy of a platinum and gold starfish! This is my highest customer and guest service experience accolade!”