Lime begins roll out of 4G service across islands
(CNS): Local telecommunications company LIME said that it is on schedule to complete its 4G network across all three Cayman Islands by the middle of September and has already switched on the service around Seven Mile Beach. Tony Ritch the General Manager of LIME Cayman Islands said that because the team had been working around the clock the company was ahead of schedule and it means that Grand Cayman will be completed by the end of August and Little Cayman and Cayman Brac by the first two weeks in September. “We’ve launched 4G along the Seven Mile Beach corridor of Grand Cayman” said Tony Ritch, General Manager of LIME Cayman Islands.
“I promised customers back in May at the Ritz Carlton that LIME would be bringing 4G, world-class cutting edge technology to the Cayman Islands and today (Wednesday 17 August) I’m delighted to tell you that we have switched on the first sites,” he added.
Ritch said that in order to keep customers abreast of the progress of the service as it is switched on in various districts he said there are now coverage maps in each of the LIME retail stores which will show when sites are switched on until eventually there is 100% coverage. There is also a lot of information on the website link www. lime.com/4G/
“Even though we are in the early stages of our deployment, we are also seeing an improvement in coverage which is what we expected,” Ritch said. “4G will increase our mobile coverage by approximately 15%-20% across the islands. However obviously this is a brand new network and there will be some teething issues and I ask our customers to please bear with us and be patient over the next couple of weeks as we optimize the network.”
The company said that existing devices will work on the network and to ensure customers are getting the optimum speed they are asked to go to their mobile phone settings, select Mobile Network Options and click on 2G & 3G. It stated that customers will immediately notice the difference in download speeds and how quickly they can open files and stream video. At present as the service is only operating in the Seven Mile Beach corridor as users move away they should not notice any difference as the network is set up to give a smooth handover back to Edge.
“If you are using data your speeds will reducebecause obviously you are no longer on the 4G network, however this is going to be for a short time as we bring more sites online,” Ritch explained
LIME has also launched new plans starting at just $40 and the firm says it has “slashed” its data cost from as much as $3.59 per MB to just 30 cents per MB.
LIME has always led the way in the Cayman Islands, we are a company of firsts and we are first to bring our customers 4G not just in selected areas but we are rolling this out nationwide,” he said.
“Our tag line is ‘4G is for Everyone – Everywhere’. I’m enjoying the speed and the great experience, I’ve also set up one of the dongles on my laptop so I can work just as efficiently out of the office as at my desk. We have some very exciting events coming up soon and I encourage everyone to come out and learn more about how 4G can be for you.”
Category: Local Business
to anonymous 20:00
Thank you for comment, well said! If LIME is so bad, then I don't know why they don't go to Digicel, LIME ain't holding no guns to anybody's head.
Want to complain about something, complain about CUC!
These sorts of hick-up will happened during any technical migration. That’s just the nature of the communication business.
I did get dropped & garble voice calls as well as delayed texting/BBM, missed calls etc. But I must mention that Lime informed its customers of the upgrade via text (not sure about any other media) & is still informing up until today Aug 18/11.
For those that have smart phones, like Blackberry’s (which is the #1 h/set smartphone in Cayman Islands) you will see the 3G symbol in the upper right hand corner where it now says Edge appearing. When the 3G indicator pops up, you’re on 3G. The reason you’re seeing 3G instead of 4G, is because you have a 3G smart phone handset and not a 4G smart phone handset. The 4G smart phones coming soon to Cayman….maybe 4 Christmas!
The Tech
PS Try Apple iPhone 4G….
Well that really makes a lot of sense…… introduce 4G network and no devices to accomodate it…. nice…. sounds like how Cayman operates…. typical….. what else is new….
I presume that you would be on the other end of the stick if LIME released an 4g capable phone and they didnt have a network that could accomodate it. bet you would be shouting, "LIME is not up to the times!" they have the worst network and highest cost right? Its people like yourself that makes everything negative. No one can win.
LIME is preparing their network to be able to handle the new phones on the market, shut up and enjoy the fact that they are being proactive. If you are so concern about them not having any 4g phones YET.. why dont you go to degicel and get one over there and use it on their network…OH SNAP! they dont have any phones or 4G network either. LMAO.. loser
Some of you people complain just to hear yourselves talk. Lime not doing this , lime not doing that, we want discounts, they dont give that, somewhere else has this but lime doesn't have it..
While I wont argue that lime does have to clear up some issues, just as all the telcoms companies in Cayman have issues to, give them credit for still investing in Cayman, instead of being at a stand still like other companies.
I dont understand some people, they want the latest things but think that they should get it cheaper. If you still at this time and age of information, compare the price of telecoms to the US, you should get a life. Your comparing thousands of people in a market to millions, ofcourse it will be cheaper there.
If you see it cheaper, then tell yourself that they laid off more people, and the 5 dollars you saved cold have been part of someones salary. Some people just think about themselves and nothing else…
LIME cell coverage is deplorable in the corridor from Red Bay to Savannah Newlands. Intermittent signal strength every few minutes. Has been this way for years though, obviously the company has limited concern on customer satisfaction.
The up grades on Tuesday caused my apartment in South Sound to be in a dead zone. I had great signal in town but any time I got near my place it went to SOS. Did any other South Sounders have this problem?
FREAKING annoying and unnaceptable for the amount I pay for my monthly contract.
Way to go LIME!
So….. IS IT REALLY 4G NOW????? Who can confirm this…. we need some experts from abroad WHO KNOW THEIR STUFF to test and prove this….. OTHERWISE….. LIME will be getting some serious flack when the 4G is still too slow…. my understanding is, from a good source in the field, that even in the U.S.A. their is no true 4G so….. how can Cayman be the 1st even internationally…. ? Highly unlikely..
Congrats LIME and thanks for keeping abreast with technology. I now implore you to put as much effort (or perhaps even more) in:
Providing a bill that can be clearly understood.
Advise clients EXACTLY what each of your plans cover? i.e. What area does it cover? When it is not covered and when superceeded what the real charges will be.
Also, be nice enough to tell clients that now that 4G is here, while they enjoy that great speed and the more they like it the bigger the bill.
This would also be great for our other local provider as well, but since I am a LIME subscriber and one that has always been I have to try another method other than "Customer Service".
May I suggest that you also monitor the amount of requests for this service and use some of your video coverage to get an average of how long it takes to get to and use this? Finally, are clients actually getting results?? ( I have not after months of trying )
This is another area that needs the massive amount of attention as the 4G Coverage!!
Charging $40.00 for giving us what we already pay for every month and do not get—a good reliable and fast internet connection. Oh come on LIME stop playing games and imrpove your service without overcharging customers.
"At present as the service is only operating in the Seven Mile Beach corridor as users move away they should not notice any difference as the network is set up to give a smooth handover back to Edge."
what's that supposed to mean?
you're saying there's no noticeable difference between your "4G" and EDGE?
and what exactly is a "smooth handover" between bandwidth speeds?!!
One more G. Excellent!
I'm already bored…. want 5
Could this major 4G upgrade operation not have been planned with less interruptions as we have now? My phone doesnt ring and I get 5 messages in a row saying I've got all these missed calls. Is this how all "4G Networks" roll out with major interruptions? Is this how they are done in other countries?
00:04
Why wont you stop complaining and LIME should no give discounts while doing this. All LIME customers should be thankful they are getting this service and of course there will be interruptions. Do you know how many hours a day these people put in on making this services work? I know because my husband has been on this project and has no time for his family. So shut up and be thankful.
If you cant take the heat, get out the kitchen!
XXXX, Degicel is selling BB in the Brac for $199 plus 1 month free internet. LIME needs to remmeber they do have competition and I shouldn't have to put up with the bad service that they give me.
I have a cell phone so that I can receive phone calls and make phone calls to my children. For me, it's unacceptable to be having this problem with missed phone calls. My children are very important to me. More important than 3G 4G, or 5G. I just want to be able to get my children phone calls in a timely manner.
They should be giving discounts for interrupting our service. My son called me and my phone didn't ring. Several minutes later I got a text message saying that I had a missed call.
Completely agree………the text messages for every missed call is very annoying…….in any event the phone gives you an indication that you had a missed call so the text is not necessary. Is there anyway to turn off this feature?
I would LOVE to turn off ALL texts from Limey
Congratulations to Lime for moving in the right direction but 4G "everywhere" is blatantly deceptive. What good is a 4G network if it is connected to a slow internet connection offshore? Most of the content that is available for mobile devices is not from servers within our islands, it is offshore. What Lime needs to do is show that they have acquired additional capacity to the internet that will support a true 4G experience.
I just love there full page adds in the compass. What a waste of money. You know were i am going with this…