TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Best Option - On Boat Internet Services

Although Rick and Evan certainly have a point for business owners who have a stake in their own businesses but can steal some time to go to the islands but for wage slaves I certainly agree with you. Now that I'm retired I don't have anything to get away from but I do like to check the weather, my emails and TTOL! Being "connected" at the bars or onboard is discretionary for us!

It all depends on the frequencies and protocols the carrier is using and that the device can support. I don't know that cdma is available in the BVIs (except Verizon/Sprint from the USVIs) so the GSM connection is probably your best bet on that device. I do know that on Lime's website they state that 850 mhz provides 3G speeds using hpsa+ which is pretty good. I believe Digicel is using 2100 for UMTS which is 3G but am not sure what level of protocol/speed that includes. So first figure what frequencies the device is capable of and which protocols it supports on that frequency then make sure the carrier matches or exceeds that level of support for the device.

People we were with in October who had ATT had service for what seemed almost everywhere! Maybe not Leverick but certainly Tortola (even east), Cooper and Jost. My Verizon had better service 5 years ago when I could hit St Thomas towers, this time I might has well have been in the Amazon jungle. So frustrating, I would love to be disconnected but alas I don't have that luxury as a business owner either.

We have AT&T service in Leverick. I have Virgin. I look out at Sir Richard's new house but can't get service. He must be on AT&T.

Sorry but I have had Sirius on my boat in North Sound for 10 plus years now! Key is using the proper antenna.

ATT recently added a cell tower on the east end of St. John. The south side of St. John now has signal. The furthest out I got ATT signal was the anchorage outside of Spanishtown, VG - St. Thomas Bay. The furthest we used to be able to get signal from the beach at Nanny Cay, Norman Island and Jost with line of sight to St. Thomas or Bordeaux Mountain, St. John. ATT has certainly gotten better.

I saw 5mbps/2mbps (speedtest.net) on Digicel throughout the BVI with link layer speeds reported as 7mbps/3mbps by the router's diagnostics. We had some Digicel signal at Christmas Cove and Independent Boat Yard.

With any luck, we'll see a day soon where we have gsm signal well overlapping the USVI and BVI.

Open wifi options are decreasing and I saw quotas and rate limiting on the open networks in the BVIs last week. In the evening I also saw networks that had no free remaining IP addresses - too many users online. I put an Alfa wifi amplifier up our signal halyard in Biras Creek and at Leverick and was able to get some access for a short bit on a few networks. We were art the back of the Leverick mooring field and could not see the JumbieBeachBar network from there. At this point, I'd use a wifi amplifier as backup.

Zanshin has been around a good number of times with a much better wifi amplifier.

Cheers, RickG

The rental car I had for a day in Tortola in December had a Sirius radio and it had service.

Opps! I meant Digicel's website said they have hspa+ on 850MHz. Reference Digicel 4G Phone Services
I have an email in with Lime asking what protocols they are using on what frequencies and will report back if I am able to get information from them.

World Timezone GSM claims that Lime and Digicel both have 3G in the 2100MHz frequency.

Finally, Wikipedia's list of mobile network operators in the Americas claims that LIme has hpsa+ on 850MHz and Digicel has hpsa+ on 1900MHz.

I will try to contact both companies to see what they say and will report back.