LIME bringing 4G to CI
(CNS): Local telecommunications firm LIME has announced its intention to roll out its 4G network service in Grand Cayman by September. The superfast technology will transform life in the Cayman Islands, general manager Tony Ritch (left) said at a glitzy launch at the Ritz CArlton on Tuesday evening. He said that after forty five years in Cayman the firm had introuced many 'firsts' and this one was particularly impressive. As well as downloading and browsing at lightening speeds on mobile phones, he said, this new generation technology could offer untold opportunities for business and the private sector.
The local LIME boss said that third generation technology was not enough for Cayman and that the company recognised the need for more sophisticated technology in this jurisdiction, which was why it intended to move straight from the current EDGE service to 4G to "future proof" the firm's network. The Cayman Islands is the first jurisdiction in the Caribbean where LIME intends to launch 4G, the very latest in communication technology.
“Life in 4G is going to be amazing,” Ritch told the audience, which cheered with appreciation at the announcement. “It is fast, really, really fast. It will blow your mind.”
He explained that the new technology would allow people to pull up immense amounts of data onmobile devices. He said the download and browsing speeds would surpass the type of broadband speeds people are currently used to at home, giving them greater possibilities on the go. “The technology is seamless with no hitches or delays,” Ritch added. “It’s about being connected all the time at higher speeds.”
Talking about the evolution of mobile technology in such a short space of time, he said that just six years ago a one megabyte file would take 6 minutes to download, With 4G technology it would be less than a second.
Ritch said that the decision to move to 4G was as a result of the demand in the Cayman Islands and the continued growth on the local mobile network, as well as the introduction of technologically sophisticated hand held devices such as 4th generation phones and tablets. “It’s about redefining mobility,” he said as he explained the time line for the implementation of the service.
LIME will be rolling out the network in phase one across all of Grand Cayman, which should be completed by September, Ritch said, adding that the network upgrade will be completed across Cayman Brac and Little Cayman by very early next year.
Category: Technology
Great, so can we also get the level of customer service to match the 4G please? At the very least 3G?
I may yet have to git the smart phone ? Nascar live and streaming yeah.
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2011-05-10/
So now that the article is out in the paper we can see truely what we are getting. Here are the numbers and I believe we will all be able to see that thisis NOT and I repeat NOT in anyway near 4G.
The newspapers today states "delivering data speed of up to 21Mbps….". Well as an upgrade from our 384kbps its huge. That's 56 times faster that what we have now give or take. HOWEVER and this is a big HOWEVER it's NOT EVEN NEAR 4G speeds.
As per wikipedia and you can google it yourself. Here's what 4G looks like.
High Mobility – Meaning in a car or train. – Speeds up to 100Mbps
Low Mobility – Meaning walking or stationary – Speeds up to 1Gbps
Saying that Lime's 4G (really like 3.25G if you ask me) is only a fifth of the High Mobility while I suspect that the speed they are quoting if for their Low Mobility.
Now that we have dispensed with the fact that it is NOT 4G but some advanced 3G service I will say it will seem night and day to our current service and this is why they can say that because it will seem so much faster to the average user that they will not truly care. For me I just don't like being lied to and have to sit there and say "Thank you".
I must say tho I am looking forward to it. I can only hope that the pricing is not through the roof. My initial suspicions is that the service pricing will be in excess of $100 for even the most basic plan and probably a bit more than that also. Many of us probably will have to wait for prices to come down some before we join up.
This is awesome!!!! I applaud LIME. Most of the doubters and haters commenting here have no idea of the magnitude of the impact this change is going to have on the way we live. In 5 years time this island will be so much more liveable for those who work in finance and technology. Everyone who uses the Internet will see a direct benefit. Again, this is an awesome thing!
Cool – always good to be moving forward.
Ihope we get some more UP speed on this service, I'd like to be able to send some better quality live video. ( I know what ADSL stands for on my home line, but 512K Up is pretty poor)
I agree with some of the roaming charge comments – I never leave my phone's data on when I travel. (So you get zero $ for that Lime, instead of something if you had a resonable rate)
Well if it is real 4G network, it would only mean that customers will have to buy their very expensive 4G phones.What is the significance of having a two year contract paying $100.00 for a voice paln and $55.00 for a data plan yet still have to pay $600.00 for the for the cell phone? Then again, if it is already costing $55.00 for an unlimited data plan on the EDGE network, providing that you already have a two year contract, imagine how much this 4G thing is gonna cost??? can we afford it??
EDGE= 2.5G
For everyone with questions please have a look at the link below, it should help explain.
http://www.telecoms.com/11695/wimax-vs-lte-vs-hspa-who-cares-who-wins/
Thank you LIME for dragging us out of the stoneage. I don't care what you call it, as long as it is fast, fast, fast! This is great for business, great for social and sharing, great for geo-location apps, great for tablets/iPads. Just need decent 4G smartphones- Nexus S 4G etc.
Reminds me of when we first got City Water in Gun Bay in 2003…. you'll look back and wonder how you ever managed without it.
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I could use 10G for 5 years and still not make up for the lost time thanks to lime.
Be sure to read the fine print there….lol
4g that cost 4g 😀
You will be able to experience 4G speed once you are equipped with 4G capable handset and have a data plan. If you don't have one, we can help you in that area.
If you have a HSDPA (3G) handset (ie. Torch, iPhone, or Samsung Galaxy S) you can also use that at 3G speed.
Again anyone with any general questions or would like further information you can contact me at matthew.seales@lime.com
Matthew Seales
At what cost??? How much are they gonna jackup the cell phone bills to pay for it?
it could be 8G, it's still gonna be a rip off.
Congrats LIME!
It is real 4G and the first such network in the Caribbean!
No, not wrong! Digicel does NOT have 4G anywhere with MAYBE the exception of Bermuda! Not even 3G in JA!!!!!!
LIME should reduce price!
This a good step LIME towards delivering quality!
Good luck Cayman!
Bring it on LIME!
the proof will be in the pudding. Let's see how much it costs before we start singing the priaises!!
We all know that 'real' 4g doesn't exist in the world yet, right? What they're using in the US isn't real 4g but closer to an enhanced 3g.
I welcome the improvements though! Go Lime! … first, could you GO and improve the broadband capabilities for us all. 8mb in my house is cool, but if 4g is supposed to hit 1gb, should I cancel my broadband, sell my pc and just use my phone???
Jamaica has 'pre 4g' which is branded 4g and with right, the US is doing the same.
So… my question is, will Lime be offering true 4g or just an enhanced pre-4g that may be a little better than what's in Jam?
4G is a myth (and a confusing mess)………
http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/01/technology/4g_myth/index.htm
Give me improved/faster ADSL service (beyond 8 megabits per second) then I’ll be impressed. 98% of my Internet use is on my computer, not my smart phone. That’s just a complementary device.
But whatever LIME is totting here, it must bring an improvement. Good luck.
-sent from my HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7
If you are an avid mobile data user many of you will notice that you are regularly switched from EDGE to edge. This is because LIME has to shed load because it does not have the capacity to service all customers.
I would prefer solid reliable service over buzzword usage anyday.
So, anyone at LIME care to say how wrong I am?
You are dead wrong, perhaps you should get yourself educated in the technical field before making stupid assumptions.
like you?
Well the 'stupid assumption' came from a LIME employee. So perhaps you would like to 'educate' me how this is wrong?
Certainly if you go by the Technology Operations department at OTS and talk to the real brains in LIME. You will be "educated" properly.
Im sure I would be made very welcome if I walked into the 'OTS' department at LIME and asked to speak to the real 'brains'
Yes! Thank You Lime, now don't charge me a fortune for wanting to use it!
Let me tell you from now you won't be able to afford it.
Imagine at this point we are still paying by the kb for usage much the way we did for dialup years back. They really need a shake up in Lime.
PS: Lime really!! Lime and Lemons are senonimous with failure. Lime are sour. What would possess you to consider changing to LIME to begin with. Did people in marketing think this thru?
Anyways kind of close to accurate anyhow. The modem I bought from them is always having issues. The internet is constantly under performing.
My best guess is this will not be TRUE 4G and we STILL will not be able to afford it. It will be sold as 4G but will be something else.
they ruined the name Cable and Wireless so they just grabbed at something different
the reason you are paying per kb is because you dont have a plan. I pay $55 for an unlimited plan and my bill is the same every month. LIME you cant please all the people all the time … you get cuss when you dont deliver and you get cuss when you do…GO LIME from a customer who has tried the rest and know that you are the BEST and cannot wait to use 4G!!!
You get unlimited internet access from your mobile device (NOT BLACKBERRY) for $55 per month?
Please don't go nuts on them. They are the ones that kept us in the dark ages for so long on (1) Analog (2) Dial up (3) Pathetic picing until competition started to come here. Do you remember paying CI$1.40/min to the USA? I sure do. Do you remember paying to receive calls? I do. Do you remember paying $200-$300 a month in internet for 50kb line? I do. While the world was enjoying flat rate and digital they kept it from us until the demonopolisation. Please!! If you have a bad memory keep it to yourself. My memory is quite clear of the facts.
"Do you remember paying to receive calls? I do.".
They still do that in the U.S. They think it means that they are more advanced. LOL
I certainly don't contest the fact that back in the day Cable & Wireless milked the Caribbean for all it was worth. Still they did bring things first to the Caribbean. And sure competition is what has brought on choices, value for money and new services. Let's judge LIME on what they have brought recently and fighting to get your dollar. 4G mobile on your smart devices and phones is gonna rock Cayman. And for all those that talk about Digicel 4G – how much coverage do you get with that. Again Digicel puts in only the basic and only what they think they can get away with. LIME is spending the money to cover al of Grand Cayman even the locations where it may not make money. Plus the Sister Islands will get too. Have you seen Digicel really serve all of the Cayman Islands? What has Digicel done to really progress the Cayman Islands except pit us agaist LIME. Very counter productive I say.
Let me just finish with this. I don't want to come off like SO ANTI LIME because to be 1000% honest there isn't a company out there that isn't or wouldn't do what Lime has done here.
Actually fact is it's being done as I type this very speel. Somewhere in Cayman someone is paying 200% to 300% above cost for a product that doesn't do 100% of what it should do. Somewhere out there there is a company who buys there stuff in Panama and sell them locally as US brands. Somewhere out there an owner is laughing all the way to the bank. I can only hope it's not Butterfield. Chances are now he might not make it inside for all the police tape.
Lime is only doing what everyone I guess wish they could do. They found a cash cow in the Cayman Islands and they are milking that baby.
The fact is this. It probably will be better than what we already have. Fact is it will not be 4G or probably even close but no one will be the wiser because 99% of us have no clue what 4G looks like.
PS You are right. They do have a $55 unlimited (postpaid) but you are required to have a phone plan which the lowest is $34 which is not too bad. But yeah don't get too upity on them because the facts on the ground says they milked us for years.
You wait until you see how much they are going to charge for this!!! I'm 99.9% sure it won't be REAL 4G but I am betting we will pay more than TRUE 4G prices.
The one thing I liked about them and probably the only real thing I can put my finger on is that they didn't throttle your internet speed as others have done. Mine you later they wanted to but ICTA said no. But to their benefit they atleast applied to do it while others simply did it.
I have a mobile data plan and I don't pay per KB. Get a plan and then you don't have to pay by KB. Anyone with a smartphone needs to get on track with a data plan. I mean in this day and age and you don't have a data plan then you deserve to pay per KB.
Will this be available in Cayman Brac?
Did you read the article?
Yes! And it will be free. lol.
I hear it will be in the Sister Islands. Grand Cayman will get first though I understand, which makes sense. I know the Sister Islands want everything there but think about it – 1,500 people in the Brac to get service. It's not really the best business model. But LIME is doing it cause they want to make sure all the Cayman Islands are covered. Is Digicel doing anything like that?
blah, blah, blah… stop locking you doors during business hours so you can have staff meetings. what is that? and stop sending me stupid texts about what crazy damn day of the week it is (Hey everybody, it's wednesday!!!!!!) and hidden trezure.
are you listening to this 'fast, really, really fast'?
I agree with you, these useless texts all the time, especially annoying in the middle of the night when you are off island in another time zone. The friggin phone won't work but you still get the damn texts!!!!!!!
Congratulations, Lime. And thanks!
Great News LIME! I can’t wait!
I'm still waiting for flat rate mobile internet. I still have issues with internet on their network and it amazes me that they could even consider 4G when 3G still seems to be a mystery to them.
They do have a flat rate for mobile internet – it's $55 for unlimited internet access.
That trip to Barcelona – Deputy Prem + entourage to take the credit?
Unlikely that this will result in true 4G speeds.
Like AT&T, whose network was brought to it's knees in 2008 with the 3G iPhone, C&W will suffer the same fate unless MAJOR capacity is added to their international data pipes.
My aunt has 4G in the US and she says it's the best thing yet. Whatever the technology is gonna be for LIME Cayman it will be a whole lot better than what we have now. I can't believe people are complaining about symantics or what version or the exact technology. Who cares? Imagine the investment that LIME is making. What has Digicel invested in – some wi-max antennaes to give you their version of 4G which does not work. We are talking about multi-million dollar investment that will be good for Cayman, it's people, it's children and the future. Think about that. Yeah – LIME has it's issues but this is gonna be of great benefit to us.
good for the children and the future? What exactly do you think this 4G is going to do?
Teach kids to read and NOT to 'spelz txt stile' if you want to improve the future!
It's a fact that the level of access to the Internet and resources outside of your country is a key growth factor of an economy. Do your research before you knock the facts.
Please take a look at what 4G can do for businesses and people. It's not just about sending messages. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Take a look at this article and you can see what it means to have access to very fast mobile data service. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12068754. There are a ton of medical, business and government applications.
Does this mean LIME are upgrading from a GSM network to a CDMA network? changing all their infrastructure? GSM = 3G CDMA = 4G
That means all our phones will become obsolete? And aren't CDMA phones SIM free which means we cant just swap a SIM card over when we travel or buy a new phone. There is also no international data plans at current unless you are a blackberry user which as far as I know do work on CDMA but not on 4G only the playbook may.
Seems to me that going to 3G on GSM would make more sense for us Users anyway.
Dead right. Lime are totally unusable for business because of their ludicrous and extortionate data roaming rates. It will not be long before all businesses with any sense in Cayman dump Lime due to this one issue – any CFO worth their salary must surely be actioning this now.
do you work for Digicel… sounds like sour grapes cause they cant keep up. GO LIME those that want true 4G will come get it
Extortionate data roaming rate? Have you checked out LIME's webpage? before you travel off island, you go to LIME, they sign you up for the passport plan, you pay $20 a month or portion there of, you go off island and you do not get charged for data roaming….
That's for blackberry, not for smartphones..
Yes and thats 20 a month, EVERY MONTH, whether you are abroad or not. You can't just have it as and when it suits you, so essentially you pay 240 a year for roaming even if you go once? Try getting them to add it on for less than 12 months, they won't.
Great value for very regular users but not so much for the everyday guys going overseas only a few times a year.
GSM is not data…. GPRS/Edge is the current data protocol C&W offers. GGM voice & Edge has nothing to do with adding 4G…you will still be able to use GSM/Edge phones.
LIME roaming rates are not that much different from other providers. In fact, some other providers charge more. Have you ever looked into why roaming rate are high? I have talked to people and it's based on the rates that international carriers charge the Cayman providers. I mean do you think LIME owns the towers and the networks in the US, Europe?? They must have some arrangement with Orange, T-mobile, AT&T, etc. to use their service that allow LIME customers to connect to it.
GSM and CDMA are the two mobile technologies that phones work with. CDMAA is the sim card free phones that have to be activated by your network provider. It is these phones which 4G came to first and is true 4G. GSM phones which use 3G (hspa and hspa+) and 3GPP are not capable of 4G.
The difference comes in what you consider to be 4G many people consider it to just be faster speeds than 3G and so when 3G+ achieves those faster speeds they think they are allowed to call it 4G but it isn't really 4G it's just faster 3G.
Odds are this isn't true 4G. Most 4G networks touted by companies are just faster 3G technology. There is a 4G standard, but mostly it's just ignored and the term is just a buzz word used by companies like "cloud computing" (a whole other can of worms) that means whatever they want it to.
Quite amazing how Lime can provide 4G speeds but cant provide a simple 8mb landline fixed internet speed only 2 miles away from GT…Maybe more time on the basics????
Yeah whatever. No doubt Lime will continue to rip off their customers with second rate obsolete handsets that cannot be upgraded – 500 bucks for a Samsung Galaxy S anyone, with a version of android that is a year out of date and no chance of any upgrade?
Plus Lime's data roaming charges are quite literally extortionate – a days worth of emails can cost you 100s of bucks, making their data services useless..
Oh, and appalling customer service to the point of contempt.
agreed. contempt is what I have experienced.
gingerbread is available for the galaxy S…
Not for the version Lime sell..
Yes it is. I have it on my SGS.
Please send me an email at matthew.seales@lime.com regarding your Samsung Galaxy I may be able to assist you and answer some of your questions.
Anyone else I would be happy to assist with anything I can, please send me an email.
Matthew Seales
Now iCan invest in an iPad hopefully iWill have the cash to pay the subscription fees!
Nope, I pad will not work on 4G..
of course iPad will work on 4G. Get your facts straight before posting. Any device that takes a SIM and is 2G or 3G or 4G capable will experience great data transfer like videos, music, Internet surfing… all the stuff I want. I will be definitely looking at the iPad 2
Do your research not just go off with stupidity. The phone will still work but you will not get 4G data speeds. Google it, if you know how.
This quote is straight from Alan Dodds, commercial programmes director at LIME
"Although the network itself will be 4G, it is important to note that 3G-capable devices will be able to run at their full capacity on the new network, generating a much better user experience than possible in the current EDGE network. However, only 4G capable devices will be able to take full advantage of the new network"
Now don't you feel stupid 🙂
"The Cayman Islands is the first jurisdiction in the Caribbean where LIME intends to launch 4G, the very latest in communication technology".
I thought that 4G has been available in Jamaica since 2009. Am I wrong?
Yea you are wrong… thats 3G in Jamaica
No, You are wrong. We've had 4G here since 2009
Technically Digicel had the first 4G system since 2007 here in cayman, those wireless internet boxes are tecnically 4G see article here >> http://bit.ly/lsHKtY << LIME is just putting in place a 4G network that can accept mobile phones.
What a way to trivialize what LIME is putting in. It's not "JUST" 4G for mobile. It's 4G for mobile that really works and you will not have to hold your phone in a special way to get the service to work like the Digicel "4G" boxes. Have you called Digicel's customer service for their 4G help? You know that they tell you – "Maam, please put the box near your window and point it in x direction." Imagine the investment that LIME is making. What has Digicel invested in – some wi-max antennaes to give you their version of 4G which does not work. We are talking about multi-million dollar investment that will be support businesses, our race to stay in line and ahead of first world business. This means progress.
one is for the mobile network and the other is for internet. LIMEs 4G will be at least 5x faster than the wimax box thatonly works in some places and it will be on your mobile… actually it will just WORK…more than i can say for my digicel 4G doorstopper and i wont neet to take out a landline i wont ever use…PROGRESS
Now this is GREAT news well done LIME. I can't wait.
Yeessssssss!!!!
Quite possibly the best news to hit Cayman for a long, long time!! This is huge folks.
I for one am pleasantly surprised!
Go LIME!
(I'm beginning to believe there may be something to that May 21st theory after all!)