Digicel Barbados has announced an ambitious dual drive to revolutionise the island’s mobile connectivity and sustainability, unveiling a nationwide rollout of solar-powered mobile sites alongside the upgrade of its mobile broadband network to 5G+.
The announcements were made on Tuesday in Warrens,
St Michael, where the mobile provider’s executive team, alongside key partners and government officials, outlined plans for what they described as a “smarter, and more resilient digital future for every region.”
Chief Executive Officer Natalie Abrahams said the partnership with Caban Energy, a Guatemala-based clean-power provider for critical infrastructure, marked a significant step in Digicel’s environmental and resilience strategy, as the company began moving away from diesel generation.
“This strategic partnership will deploy solar power and battery storage across our mobile sites to keep our network running even during natural disasters,” Abrahams said. The project begins in January 2026 and is expected to be completed by November of the same year, converting 60 per cent of Digicel’s mobile sites to clean energy.
Alexandra Rasch, chief executive and founder of Caban Energy, explained that each revamped site would generate solar power onsite, support daytime loads, and store excess energy in battery systems for uninterrupted supply.
“That allows us to have higher resiliency, lower costs, and most importantly, modernisation of the sites,” Rasch said. She added that the company had already achieved success with Digicel’s Jamaican network, noting that during a recent hurricane, every solar-powered site remained fully operational.
Abrahams also announced the launch of Digicel’s 5G+ network, promising “lightning-fast speeds, ultra-low latency and the ability to connect more devices than ever before.”
She said the new network would allow Barbadians — from small business owners to students and developers — to take full advantage of next-generation digital services. “Today, we are unwrapping the future of connectivity in Barbados,” she said. “A future that’s faster, smarter, greener.”
Science and technology minister Senator Jonathan Reid commended Digicel for aligning its operations with Barbados’ national digital and sustainability goals.
Reid said the initiative addressed a critical concern: ensuring secure, reliable power for the growing demands of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, compute-heavy technologies, and climate resilience.
“I congratulate you on the foresight of anchoring this partnership,” he said. He also challenged Digicel to use its 5G+ network as a platform for the next generation of entrepreneurs — developers, digital creatives, and innovators who would build new industries locally.
Reid further encouraged Digicel to continue promoting digital literacy and public confidence in emerging technologies, especially as the island moved toward more advanced digital systems.
Abrahams emphasised that both announcements reflected Digicel’s belief that “connectivity and sustainability can and must move forward together.”
“Barbados is leading the way toward a more sustainable, connected Caribbean, and Digicel is proud to be driving that transition,” she said.
(LE)
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