Montserrat
Power & telecom standards in Montserrat
Connectivity Overview
Tempest Telecom offered satellite-only service in Montserrat. Iridium satellite Internet and Voice access was available for communications in rural areas without infrastructure.
Montserrat uses 230V at 60Hz. Power outlets are type A, B and telephone jacks are RJ-11.
Dial-up Internet Access
Dial-up access was not available in Montserrat. Satellite Internet was the recommended alternative.
WiFi Hotspot Access
WiFi hotspot access was not available through Tempest in Montserrat.
Adapters & Power
North American (Type A/B) plugs are compatible. An adapter may not be needed for US travelers.
Standard RJ-11 jacks are used. Most international modems will connect without an adapter.
Montserrat at a Glance
- Capital
- Brades (de facto)
- Phone Code
- +1-664
- Voltage
- 230V / 60Hz
- Power Plug
- A, B
- Phone Jack
- RJ-11
- Currency
- EC Dollar
- Dial-up
- N/A
- WiFi
- N/A
About connectivity in Montserrat
Montserrat uses 230V/60Hz with Type A and Type B outlets. The phone jack is RJ-11. Telecommunications service is provided by Flow (the regional Cable & Wireless brand) and Digicel Montserrat. The country code +1-664 is part of the North American Numbering Plan.
Montserrat's telecom history is dominated by the 1995–1997 Soufrière Hills volcanic eruption that destroyed the historic capital Plymouth and forced relocation of the de facto capital to Brades. Pre-eruption telecom infrastructure was substantially lost; post-eruption rebuilding under British Overseas Territory administration was funded partly by UK development assistance. Internet penetration grew through the 2000s with Cable & Wireless and competing satellite-based services to the displaced communities.
Tempest Telecom served Montserrat primarily through Iridium satellite phones for the Montserrat Volcano Observatory operating in the exclusion zone, scientific researchers studying the ongoing eruption, the maritime patrol vessels working the surrounding Caribbean Sea, and the limited British military and emergency-response presence supporting the territory.
Modern Montserrat has 4G LTE in the inhabited northern portion of the island; the southern exclusion zone remains largely uninhabited.
Tempest's services across Montserrat, 1997–2012
Tempest Telecommunications operated international connectivity services in Montserrat between 1997 and 2012 under a unified prepaid account that absorbed multiple service types onto a single customer credential. Customers in Montserrat drew from the same balance for pre-paid international voice calling, RADIUS-authenticated dial-up Internet roaming, metered Wi-Fi hotspot access, Iridium satellite voice, and Inmarsat BGAN data terminals. An attempted kiosk-payment federation (PATN, 1998) extended the same architecture to public Internet terminals but failed to reach scale.
Iridium satellite voice was available in Montserrat from approximately 2001 (post-bankruptcy relaunch). Thuraya coverage did not extend to Montserrat; Inmarsat BGAN data terminals filled the broadband gap from late 2005.