President and CEO Naji Khoury of Liberty VI provided information recently in a press release on the current system updates happening in the USVI.
“We are currently in the process of completing the final stage of our mobile business’ integration, which entails updating customers to a new state-of-the-art information technology infrastructure and mobile network core. We started this process in phases and will continue through it until early next year.
For most customers, the update occurs seamlessly, with no action required on their part. About 95 percent of the customers we have updated so far have experienced no issues. Just 5 percent of cases that have reported difficulties in the transition are mostly due to software updates or need to upgrade their devices. Customers who will be updated are informed previously via email and SMS text. They should make sure that their devices’ operating system is upgraded with the latest software update.
As with any new system, there are certain functionalities and services that take some time to reach optimal performance. Some customers may experience temporary service interruption and we are supporting them through the process. In most cases, the situation is easily resolved by updating the device’s operating system or by completing a power cycling of the device (turning off and back on). If these steps do not solve the problem, customers can call us at 1 (833) 641-3035 from any phone. We can help them there with most situations remotely and during the call. If any customers have experienced service interruptions for days, we conduct an in-depth investigation to determine the cause and solve the problem.
There are some customers with older generation devices which will require replacement to work in our new network. Since last year, we have been communicating directly via e-mail and text messages with those customers that require a device change or reconfiguration and urge them to go to a Liberty store and take the necessary actions to avoid any service disruption. We offer those applicable customers a replacement device free of charge. We have reinforced our teams with additional personnel at stores and call centers to be more agile and support our customers through this process. For more information, customers can visit https://www.libertypr.com/en/liberty/system-update.
We have invested more than $100 million overall in operational costs, mobile network and 5G growth, and to build our new IT infrastructure and mobile network core using industry best-in-class vendors and industry best practices to address our customers’ needs and market demands.
The mobile network remains the same, the most reliable mobile network in Puerto Rico. The only difference is that it will now have a brand-new core. The modern core, which is the “brain” of the mobile network, will allow Liberty to offer cutting-edge technologies as it is ready for innovative future applications. All functions that were performed outside of USVI have been implemented locally which will improve latency and availability for local content. The core will also have triple redundancies with two data centers in Puerto Rico and a third one in Miami.
The upgraded systems will give us more agility in our customer service, allowing us to simplify our billing, have better account management, plus offering sales and customer care through our webpage, applications, chat or via phone.
We are very excited about the future. We have built something completely new that, from the outset, always started with our customers’ best interests in mind. The USVI now has a world-class telecom company that is focused on USVI market consumers.”
