TiTelefon 2004, Haiti’s PAS (Personal wireless Access System) service which was launched in 2002, has reached the milestone of 25,000 subscribers, representing about 20% of the total fixed line telephones in Haiti and all of the fixed line telephone expansion since its launch. Originally planned as a 100% pre-paid system to make telephone service available in parts of the island where running cable was not economically practical, Ti Telefon has made telephone service affordable to much of the population and has increased the number of telephone lines in Haiti by 25% in just over a year.

Based on current deliveries, the most popular subscriber unit has been an integrated Fixed Subscriber Unit (FSU) that can be installed by the end customer in minutes and which the functions as a traditional telephone, connected over the PHS system. In some places on the island, PAS provides the only phone service available. PHS characteristics, such as the very low power cell station and FSU make it ideal for the environment in Haiti where electric power is often unavailable for long periods of time. In this environment, the FSU can run indefinitely, using a standard cell phone solar charger and there are Cell Stations in some remote areas that also operate on solar cells. Additionally, the small size and weight of the PHS units allow them to be transported and installed by a local work force using readily available small utility vehicles and tools. This type of installation and operation is not possible with other traditional wireless technologies where cell site installation would be a significant construction project, making PHS the ideal choice for the environment.

The other characteristic of the PHS system that makes it ideally suited to the environment is its ability to grow over time, both to cover more space and to handle more traffic, as subscribers join the system. This characteristic makes the project self funding with infrastructure expansion proceeding based on the volume of pre-paid receipts from current subscribers. This will allow the system to expand at an increasing rate as it gets more use and as new functions, such as providing basic Internet access, are introduced.

TELECO Haiti’s Delmas Central Office – Port au Prince

Ti Telefon 2004 – Fixed Subscriber Unit