The recently published research from The Cable (UK) on fixed broadband rates from over 200 countries worldwide, which includes over 30 Caribbean countries, is examined. We also compare the current findings with those from the previous exercise.

 

On 21 May 2024, the United Kingdom telecoms company, The Cable, published the results of its latest research on the price of fixed broadband Internet service worldwide. The exercise was conducted between 7 September 2023 and 10 November 2023, with collected data from 223 countries.

Of the 223 examined, 31 Caribbean/CARICOM (Caribbean Community) countries were included. However, our review of the findings covers 30 countries (see Exhibit 1) as the data provided for Puerto Rico was inaccurate and would have skewed our analysis.

 

Exhibit 1: List of Caribbean/CARICOM countries included in this review by ICT Pulse

In addition to analysing the current findings, we will compare these results with those from the previous exercise, for which the data was collected between 2 January 2023 and 1 March 2023.

 

Methodology

Similar to previous iterations of the exercise, the data collected was presented in four key ways:

  1. the average cost of a broadband plan per month
  2. the cost of the cheapest plan in each country per month
  3. the most expensive plan available, and
  4. the cost of 1 Megabit per second (Mbps) of bandwidth for one month.

The Cable continues to provide a detailed account of the methodology employed, however, outlined below are some of the key points:

  • All prices gathered were for fixed-line broadband plans that were delivered either ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) or some form of fibre, though there were a few exceptions
  • Only consumer/domestic broadband plans were included. Business/enterprise broadband deals were excluded
  • The prices of the broadband plans were recorded in their advertised currency and then converted to US Dollars (USD) in order to form a basis for comparison.
  • Up to a maximum of 41 packages per country were recorded, as exceeding that cap has been shown to have negligible impact on the median averages that are output.
  • Packages that include television subscriptions and other add-on features or services have been excluded in all countries except in cases where only broadband and television bundles are available and broadband service cannot be purchased on its own, which was rare, but does exist in the Caribbean region.
  • In order to determine the average cost of a fixed broadband plan for each country, the median prices of all plans recorded are used, and that price includes any upfront or ongoing monthly costs.
  • In order to determine the average cost of fixed-line broadband (per megabit per month, the cost per megabit for each plan was calculated by dividing the cost by the speed offered in megabits per second. Then the median cost was determined.

It should be noted that the average package price for each country is the median of all packages recorded, as it would not be subject to the skews of extremes in pricing.

 

 

Results:  Average price of a broadband internet plan per month

As reflected in Exhibit 2, there is a wide difference in the average cost of broadband internet plans across the Caribbean countries surveyed. The lowest average price was recorded in Cuba, at USD 29.52, whilst the highest was recorded in the Turks and Caicos Islands, at USD 212.00. Across the region, the median price was USD 75.32.

 

Exhibit 2: Average price of a fixed-line broadband plan per month in USD in select Caribbean countries, as of November 2023 (Source: The Cable)

 

Similar to the previous assessment, only three Caribbean countries ranked within the first 100 countries surveyed: Cuba, at 69th, and an average monthly price of USD 29.52, the Dominican Republic, at 82nd, with an average monthly price of USD 33.51, and Montserrat at 84th, with an average monthly price of USD 73.63.

At the opposite end of the ranking, the bottom three Caribbean countries, the lowest ranked countries were the Cayman Islands, at 215th, with an average monthly price of USD 155.04, the British Virgin Islands, at 220th, with an average monthly price of USD 189.00, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, at 221st, with an average monthly price of USD 212.00. Comparatively, the top 10 countries globally were:

  1. Sudan (USD 2.40  |  SDG 1367.00)
  2. Argentina (USD 5.17  |  ARS 4533.33)
  3. Belarus (USD 7.03  |  BYR 22.69)
  4. Ukraine (USD 7.35  |  UAH 290.00)
  5. Egypt (USD 8.31  |  EGP 398.80)
  6. Romania (USD 8.60  |  RON 40.00)
  7. Vietnam (USD 8.72  |  VND 221,642.50)
  8. Kazakhstan (USD 9.08  |  KZT 3999.00)
  9. Moldova (USD 9.19  |  MDL 163.50)
  10. Nepal (USD 9.51  |  NPR 1,271.25)

 

Results:  Price of the cheapest and most expensive plan in each country per month

The rates for the cheapest and most expensive broadband Internet plans are presented in Exhibit 3. Once again, there is a considerable difference between those two extremes across the Caribbean region.

 

Exhibit 3: The cheapest and most expensive fixed broadband Internet plan per month in select Caribbean countries, as of November 2023 (Source: The Cable)

 

The greatest difference in fixed broadband Internet prices was recorded in Saint Lucia (USD 350.78), Antigua and Barbuda (USD 340.44), and Saint Barthélemy (USD 313.36). On the other hand, the smallest variation in prices was recorded in Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (USD 0.00), Guadeloupe (USD 26.65) and the Caribbean Netherlands, that is Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba (USD 30.00).

 

Results:  Average cost of 1 Mbps of bandwidth for one month

Once again, the average cost per Mbps continues to be the most insightful of all of the assessments conducted, as it allows for more precise comparisons of the fixed-broadband rates across the region. As reflected in Exhibit 4, the lowest average cost per Mbps was recorded in Martinique, at USD 0.04 per Mbps, followed by Saint Martin, at USD 0.07 per Mbps, and Barbados and Grenada (USD 0.16 per Mbps).

 

Exhibit 4: Price per Mbps of fixed-line broadband Internet service in select Caribbean countries, as of November 2023 (Source: The Cable)

 

At the other end of the spectrum, the highest average cost for fixed broadband Internet was recorded in Cuba, at USD 11.99 per Mbps. Slightly cheaper than Cuba were Sint Maarten, at USD 5.90 per Mbps and Saint Barthélemy (St Barths), at USD 5.01 per Mbps.

 

Reviewing the results

First, it highlighted that only five months separate the current and previous data collection period, as both were done in 2023: the first was completed in March; the second, in November. As unusual as it might be, the findings are still useful in understanding the changes in fixed broadband rates globally.

Between March and November 2023, the median of the average monthly price of broadband was largely the same:  USD 74.67 as of March 2023 and USD 75.32 as of November 2023, which was also reflected in median prices for the cheapest and most expensive plans. However, drilling down to individual countries, changes in the average monthly price is more evident, as reflected in Exhibit 5.

 

Exhibit 5: Difference in the average price per Mbps of fixed-line broadband Internet service in select Caribbean countries, between March and November 2023 (Source: The Cable)

 

Only seven countries did not experience a price change or drop over the reporting periods. However, 14 experienced a price increase, which ranged between 0.03% in Cuba, to 42.85% in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Nine countries experienced a price decrease, which ranged from 1.05% in the Cayman Islands to 87.14% in Suriname.

Finally, we again emphasise that the prices of broadband plans were not being examined within the context of the upload and download speeds. For some of the countries that were recorded to have the cheapest broadband packages, their packages may not necessarily have the fastest broadband speeds.

Additionally, the prices are not being examined through the lens of affordability, which typically, factors in the income of their consumers and consequently, their ability to afford the packages offered. Further, the prices of a fixed-broadband plan in lower-income countries are likely to be lower than in higher-income countries, to match the income of consumers. However, it often means that the transmission speeds available in higher-income countries – and even the service quality – may be considerably better than in lower-income countries.

 

 

Image credit: Alpha Stock Images