Communications in Bermuda
Encyclopedia
Bermuda
has five television stations, a small cable microwave system, two cellular services, three submarine cables, two satellite earth stations, and four Internet service providers.
Bermuda's telephone system is part of the North American Numbering Plan
-- calls between Bermuda, the USA, Canada
and most of the Caribbean
requires the caller dialing "1", then the 3-digit area code, then the 7-digit number.
There are four main broadcasting companies in Bermuda: LTT Broadcasting Co.Ltd(Irie), The Bermuda Broadcasting Company Ltd(ZFB/ZBM)(not to be confused with BBC London), DeFontes Broadcasting(VSB) , Inter-Island Communications Ltd, (HOTT/ Magic)
The BBC owns four with the call signs of 2 with ZFB and two with the call signs ZBM. VSB owns 4 radio stations with the VSB callsign. One of BBC's popular stations include Power 95 (94.9). It plays mostly hip hop, R&B, and reggae. It has been popular over the years, until competition from Hott 107.5] began. DeFontes' main station is Mix 106.1 (VSB-FM). The station plays a variety of music, although mostly adult contemporary and top 40.
The recent change of LTT Broadcasting's Jazz format and frequency from 98.1 to 98.3 in November 2010 to Roots and Classic Reggae (www.irie.bm) has shifted audience from Power 94.9 and Hott 107.5 to place overall second in the market in the broad 18-54 demographic based on research from Research Innovations Ltd in February 2011.
In April 2004 2 FM licenses were assigned to each Inter-Island Communications and LLT Broadcasting Co. Ltd.. Inter-Island Communications operates Hott 107.5 FM, which plays a mixture of R&B, hip hop, reggae and some gospel. Overnight Hott 107.5 FM became the number one radio station in Bermuda. The Programme Director and part owner for the station was Elroy RC Smith, formerly of WGCI-FM of Chicago, Illinois, who is widely respected as one of the top PD in America. He has since departed from the station. Inter-Island Communications Ltd. launched its Adult Contemporary station, MAGIC 102.7 FM in February, 2007.
The Government of Bermuda's Maritime Operations Centre
has also set up a shortwave radio station in 2007 (call-sign: ZBR), http://www.marops.bm
American satellite radio is also available.
Organized by call-sign, the stations are listed below:
There are two main television broadcasting companies in Bermuda: (BBC, not to be confuse with the BBC
in the UK) and DeFontes Broadcasting Ltd.
(VSB). The Bermuda Broadcasting is a privately held corporation. The BBC owns two television stations (an ABC and a CBS affiliate) and VSB owns one television station (an NBC affiliate). All three television stations are commercial - there is no equivalent to Canada's CBC
/Radio-Canada, the US's PBS, and the UK's BBC
in Bermuda. Another TV station, "Fresh Creations", is a community TV station. Another channel, called Look TV, is primarily a rolling calendar of events. There is also Government information service channel which highlights history and current event programmes produced by the Governments information dept.
All five TV channels can theoretically be picked up over the air without the need of cable, but cable is actually necessary for reception purposes - without it reception of some channels like VSB in Hamilton is extremely bad. (See the "Media" section of Bermuda Online for details)
In recent years, there had been talk http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060323/NEWS/103230127&SearchID=73240951740102http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060310/MIDOCEAN/103100145&SearchID=73240951740102http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/NEWS/103020108&SearchID=73240951740102 in the Bermudian government of creating its own TV station, saying that it is needed "to speak directly to the public 'in an unmediated and unedited fashion'"http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/NEWS/103020108&SearchID=73240951740102, while critics state that it will be no more than a propaganda exercise.
Satellite television is also used, but is unreliable, as the only satellites available are those mainly servicing the United States of America, Canada
and Latin America
, and is on the edge of the reception area. Digital cable is available, as is wireless.
The .bm
code is controlled by the Bermuda Government's Department of Intellectual Property, a part of the Registry General and administered by CSSD, the government's IT support group. The .bm domains are primarily granted to Licensed Businesses. Private accounts do exist, however.
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
has five television stations, a small cable microwave system, two cellular services, three submarine cables, two satellite earth stations, and four Internet service providers.
Telephone
- Calling code: 1 441
- Telephones - main lines in use: 57,700 (2006)
- Telephones - mobile cellular: 60,100 (2006)
- Telephone system:
- general assessment: good
- domestic: fully automatic telephone system; fiber optic trunk lines
- international: country code - 1-441; landing point for the Atlantica-1 telecommunications submarine cable that extends from the US to Brazil; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)
Bermuda's telephone system is part of the North American Numbering Plan
North American Numbering Plan
The North American Numbering Plan is an integrated telephone numbering plan administered by Neustar which encompasses 24 countries and territories, including the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and 16 nations of the Caribbean...
-- calls between Bermuda, the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and most of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
requires the caller dialing "1", then the 3-digit area code, then the 7-digit number.
Radio
- RadioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcast stations: AMAmplitude modulationAmplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
3, FMFrequency modulationIn telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
7, shortwave 1 (2009)
There are four main broadcasting companies in Bermuda: LTT Broadcasting Co.Ltd(Irie), The Bermuda Broadcasting Company Ltd(ZFB/ZBM)(not to be confused with BBC London), DeFontes Broadcasting(VSB) , Inter-Island Communications Ltd, (HOTT/ Magic)
The BBC owns four with the call signs of 2 with ZFB and two with the call signs ZBM. VSB owns 4 radio stations with the VSB callsign. One of BBC's popular stations include Power 95 (94.9). It plays mostly hip hop, R&B, and reggae. It has been popular over the years, until competition from Hott 107.5] began. DeFontes' main station is Mix 106.1 (VSB-FM). The station plays a variety of music, although mostly adult contemporary and top 40.
The recent change of LTT Broadcasting's Jazz format and frequency from 98.1 to 98.3 in November 2010 to Roots and Classic Reggae (www.irie.bm) has shifted audience from Power 94.9 and Hott 107.5 to place overall second in the market in the broad 18-54 demographic based on research from Research Innovations Ltd in February 2011.
In April 2004 2 FM licenses were assigned to each Inter-Island Communications and LLT Broadcasting Co. Ltd.. Inter-Island Communications operates Hott 107.5 FM, which plays a mixture of R&B, hip hop, reggae and some gospel. Overnight Hott 107.5 FM became the number one radio station in Bermuda. The Programme Director and part owner for the station was Elroy RC Smith, formerly of WGCI-FM of Chicago, Illinois, who is widely respected as one of the top PD in America. He has since departed from the station. Inter-Island Communications Ltd. launched its Adult Contemporary station, MAGIC 102.7 FM in February, 2007.
The Government of Bermuda's Maritime Operations Centre
Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre
The Search and Rescue component of Bermuda Harbour Radio The Search and Rescue component of Bermuda Harbour Radio The Search and Rescue component of Bermuda Harbour Radio (see above and http://www.marops.bm/ and Rescue Co-ordination Centre / Bermuda Maritime Operations www.rccbermuda.bm – they...
has also set up a shortwave radio station in 2007 (call-sign: ZBR), http://www.marops.bm
American satellite radio is also available.
Organized by call-sign, the stations are listed below:
- 1160 VSB-3-AM
- 1280 VSB-2-AM
- 1450 VSB-1-AM (Gold AM)
- 89.9 ZBM-FM
- 94.9 ZFB-FM
- 98.3 Irie-FM)WRBF [www.irie.bm]
- 101.3assigned and on test(LTT)
- 102.7 Magic
- 106.1 VSB-FM
- 107.5 Hott 107.5 (Unofficial callsign: WHT-FM)
- 162.400 ZBRBermuda Maritime Operations CentreThe Search and Rescue component of Bermuda Harbour Radio The Search and Rescue component of Bermuda Harbour Radio The Search and Rescue component of Bermuda Harbour Radio (see above and http://www.marops.bm/ and Rescue Co-ordination Centre / Bermuda Maritime Operations www.rccbermuda.bm – they...
(also on shortwave)
Television
- TelevisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast stations: 3 (2011) Channels 7&9 ZBM, Channell 11 VSB
There are two main television broadcasting companies in Bermuda: (BBC, not to be confuse with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in the UK) and DeFontes Broadcasting Ltd.
VSB-TV
VSB-TV is the NBC television affiliate for Hamilton, Bermuda. The station broadcasts on channel 11. In addition to carrying the full NBC network East Coast feed, VSB locally produces a half-hour nightly newscast at 7 p.m., preceding the NBC Nightly News...
(VSB). The Bermuda Broadcasting is a privately held corporation. The BBC owns two television stations (an ABC and a CBS affiliate) and VSB owns one television station (an NBC affiliate). All three television stations are commercial - there is no equivalent to Canada's CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
/Radio-Canada, the US's PBS, and the UK's BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in Bermuda. Another TV station, "Fresh Creations", is a community TV station. Another channel, called Look TV, is primarily a rolling calendar of events. There is also Government information service channel which highlights history and current event programmes produced by the Governments information dept.
All five TV channels can theoretically be picked up over the air without the need of cable, but cable is actually necessary for reception purposes - without it reception of some channels like VSB in Hamilton is extremely bad. (See the "Media" section of Bermuda Online for details)
In recent years, there had been talk http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060323/NEWS/103230127&SearchID=73240951740102http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060310/MIDOCEAN/103100145&SearchID=73240951740102http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/NEWS/103020108&SearchID=73240951740102 in the Bermudian government of creating its own TV station, saying that it is needed "to speak directly to the public 'in an unmediated and unedited fashion'"http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060302/NEWS/103020108&SearchID=73240951740102, while critics state that it will be no more than a propaganda exercise.
Satellite television is also used, but is unreliable, as the only satellites available are those mainly servicing the United States of America, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, and is on the edge of the reception area. Digital cable is available, as is wireless.
Internet
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2002)
- Internet hosts: 1,628 (2008)
- Internet users: 48,000 (2007)
- Country codes: .bm
The .bm
.bm
.bm is the Internet country code top-level domain for Bermuda. It was originally delegated in March 1993 to Bermuda College and was redelegated to the Registrar General of Bermuda, the de-facto manager of the .BM domain, in 2007....
code is controlled by the Bermuda Government's Department of Intellectual Property, a part of the Registry General and administered by CSSD, the government's IT support group. The .bm domains are primarily granted to Licensed Businesses. Private accounts do exist, however.
External links
- http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt?space=Opener&control=OpenObject&cached=true&parentname=CommunityPage&parentid=4&in_hi_ClassID=512&in_hi_userid=2&in_hi_ObjectID=330&in_hi_OpenerMode=2& Bermuda Government's Telecommunications home page.