A small feature is changing what customers expect from home internet.
Sometimes, the things that make the biggest difference are not the things that take up the most space.
For ALIVFibr customers, that may be a small backup battery quietly connected to their home internet equipment. Most days, it is easy to overlook. But when the power goes out, that small device can become one of the most valuable parts of the home connectivity experience.
In recent weeks, customers have been seeing the benefit firsthand. While the backup battery has attracted new attention during periods of power disruption, the thinking behind it began long before the latest outages.
For Cable Bahamas CEO, Franklyn, the feature is part of a broader story about listening to customers, learning from past experiences and being willing to make investments that may not immediately reveal their value.
Progress Takes Time
“Progress takes time,” Franklyn explained.
The decision to include backup power in the ALIVFibr experience came from recognizing a recurring customer frustration. In previous years, power interruptions and lightning storms could sometimes affect internet equipment, leaving customers without connectivity or requiring equipment to be replaced.
Rather than viewing those experiences simply as operational challenges, ALIV saw an opportunity to rethink the customer experience.
When the company began its transition to fiber, the goal was not simply to provide faster internet. It was to address the realities of how customers were living and working, and to build a service that could better support them.
The pandemic made that need even clearer.
As more people began working, learning, streaming and conducting business from home, the role of home internet changed. Connectivity became central to everyday life, and customers needed greater capacity and reliability.
Franklyn said the company therefore looked at the business holistically: How could ALIV put the customer at the centre of the transformation?
The answer involved both capacity and resilience.
ALIVFibr was built on a newer fiber network designed to provide a more dependable connection directly to the home. But the company also recognized that a resilient network needed to account for what happens inside the home when the electricity supply is interrupted.
That is where the battery comes in.
Resilience by Design
From an engineering perspective, the backup battery was not an unexpected solution to a recent challenge. It was part of the plan.
Lauren from the Engineering team explained that the battery was intentionally incorporated into the ALIVFibr installation process because the team understood the realities of operating a network in The Bahamas.
The battery pack provides backup power to the Optical Network Terminal, or ONT, the equipment that serves as a key point for the ALIVFibr connection in the home.
When electricity is interrupted, the battery automatically provides power to the ONT, allowing customers to maintain their internet connection for an extended period. Depending on usage and the services being supported, the backup can provide several hours of connectivity, with ALIVFibr communicating up to eight hours of service during a power outage.
Lauren described the feature simply:
“The lifeline to connectivity.”
It is an appropriate description because the value of the battery goes far beyond the technology itself.
Connectivity allows someone working from home to remain online. It allows families to communicate with loved ones. It provides access to news, information, entertainment and essential services. And sometimes, it is simply the reassurance of knowing that even when the lights go out, your connection does not necessarily have to go with them.
Not a Battery, More like a lifeline.
What makes the feature particularly interesting is that customers may not fully appreciate it until they need it.
That is often the nature of good infrastructure. The best systems are designed before the moment that tests them.
For Lauren and the Engineering team, recent outages have reinforced the importance of the decision to build resilience into the ALIVFibr experience.
The team acknowledges that the rollout was not without its challenges. Some customers did not receive their backup batteries during the initial installation process, and the team has been working to address those gaps as additional units become available.
But the larger objective remains clear: resilience should be built into the customer experience rather than treated as an afterthought.
That philosophy also reflects Franklyn’s broader view of the transformation.
He noted that some of the work required customers to be patient through the migration process, while ALIV teams themselves had to adapt, learn and work through growing pains.
But the purpose was always to arrive at a better customer experience.
Today, the company is beginning to see that investment reflected back through customer feedback and advocacy.
Instead of ALIV having to explain why resilience matters, customers are experiencing the value of it for themselves.
Designed for Real Life
There is also something deeply practical about the battery.
It does not promise to eliminate every challenge associated with a power interruption. Rather, it provides another layer of resilience, one designed around the reality that connectivity has become an essential part of modern life.
For a parent, it could mean keeping a child connected and entertained.
For someone working remotely, it could provide valuable additional time online.
For a family trying to check in with loved ones, it can maintain an important communication link.
And for customers simply trying to navigate an unexpected interruption, it offers something that is difficult to put a price on: peace of mind.
That is ultimately what makes this small piece of equipment such an interesting part of the ALIVFibr story.
It represents a broader shift in thinking, from simply delivering a service to considering what customers need when circumstances change.
Preparing for What Comes Next
As awareness of the backup battery has grown, so has demand.
The Fixed Team is working to ensure customers who need batteries can access them as additional inventory becomes available.
ALIV has 2,500 backup batteries on the way, with the current shipment in Miami awaiting delivery to Nassau and final confirmation from the warehouse team.
Once available, batteries will be offered for pickup at all ALIV store locations. Customers who previously requested a backup battery will be supported through the existing service process and may have the option of store pickup or technician installation, depending on their situation.
Customers who have already inquired about a backup battery do not need to submit another request. Those who have ALIVFibr but have not yet requested a battery can contact ALIV or visit a store so their request can be logged and fulfilled.
And the company is planning beyond the immediate shipment. A further 6,000 batteries are expected to arrive by sea freight in early October, helping ALIV respond to continued demand and expand access to customers who need the added layer of resilience.
The goal is not simply to put more batteries into customers’ homes.
It is to make sure more customers can experience what the feature was designed to provide in the first place: a more resilient, dependable connection.
Small Battery. Bigger Thinking.
It would be easy to look at the backup battery and see just another piece of equipment.
But its story is much bigger.
It represents years of listening to customers, identifying friction points and making deliberate decisions about what a modern connectivity service should provide.
It reflects engineering built around the realities of island life.
It demonstrates that innovation does not always have to be flashy. Sometimes, innovation is the decision to solve a problem before the customer has to ask you to solve it.
And perhaps most importantly, it shows that connectivity is no longer simply about being online when everything is working as expected.
It is about being prepared for the moments when things change.
Franklyn’s message about progress taking time is fitting. The customer experience people are benefiting from today is the result of decisions, investments and work that began years ago.
The battery may fit in the palm of a hand.
But the thinking behind it is much larger.
It is about resilience.
It is about preparation.
It is about listening.
And ultimately, it is about putting the customer first.
Tiny battery. Extra-large possibilities.
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By Daniella Dorsette