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Hello,
My husband and I are looking to relocate to St Thomas. We plan to do a "trial-move" around May to see if this is something we would like to do permanently. My work is graciously allowing me to work remotely. The owner of the condo we are looking to rent in Sapphire Beach said that the internet over the entire island is unreliable, but she has a hotspot through her provider. It makes me nervous to make the move without reliable internet. I am unsure of the next step to take or if we should plan something for later in the year or next year.
The condo owner also mentioned that if you have Verizon as a cell phone carrier then you won't be able to call or text since Verizon left the island. I was just in St. Thomas last month and didn't seem to have any issues texting; however, I didn't try to make any calls. Can anyone confirm if they have Verizon and do not have service?
Thank you so much in advance! Any information is greatly appreciated.
Brittany
Posted : February 14, 2018 3:21 pm
Maybe by May internet service will be more restored. I'm only able to get online with my AT&T cellphone and sometimes have no service during peak user times. The other thing to consider is living where you have access to a back up generator.
Our power provider, WAPA, is not reliable at the best times and STT has seen more than a few (7) in the 14 days I've been back on island.
Nor would I live where there was no cistern to provide water in event or generator failure or a propane stove to cook on.
Hurricane season begins again in June thru end of November. Let's all pray that it's not as destructive as 2017 season.
We're still in recovery mode.
No fully functioning hospitals.
No healthcare insurance is available here unless you work for a local company or the VI government that will provide it or you qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.
Verizon is not available here.
Sprint is not reliable at all.
AT&T is your best bet and even they have issues right now.
Good luck.
Posted : February 14, 2018 3:58 pm
Britfish88
It’s like Alana33 stated— AT&T is the only way to go in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Verizon in the Virgin Islands is worthless. If you can find a signal roaming charges of $1.99 /min apply to calling. As for texting I cannot comment except to say locating a signal may be an issue.
Posted : February 14, 2018 7:16 pm
1. If there is something you MUST have to move here, it is a red flag for trouble. Almost everything is iffy in the best of times, even more "iffier" now. This includes power, internet, TV, land-line phone, groceries, roads, garbage collection, mail delivery you name it. If it is part of civilized society, it's probably not working 100%.
2. There are places right now that have pretty good internet. Maybe just not at Sapphire.If she has a Viya hot spot, I've heard they are pretty useless, but don't have any personal knowledge.
3. Double check about Verizon. I believe they recently changed their coverage plan and now include the USVI. They didn't leave; they were not really here before. On the other hand, right after Irma, they and Virgin Mobile were the only cell service providers receiving signal through some weird stroke of luck. Even now, AT&T is having difficulties in some areas, but not all. Mostly Sprint customers are former Sprint customers. 😉
4. You definitely want a full building back-up generator if you are coming from the states.Some folks have generators that only provide current for a fridge and lights and someone has to go out and turn it on. Others have almost uninterrupted service with automatic switch-over. Make sure you ask questions.
Posted : February 15, 2018 7:21 pm
