What does digital inclusion really look like in the Eastern Caribbean—and how closely does it reflect realities across the wider CARICOM region? Drawing on findings from ECTEL’s Digital Inclusion Survey, this article explores key trends in connectivity, affordability, digital skills and quality of service, and their implications for Caribbean development.
.The results are in. After a decade since the last major assessment, the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) has released the findings of its 2024 Digital Inclusion Survey (DIS). Conducted across Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and capturing the views of 7,948 individuals and 3,525 households, the report offers a sobering look at how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go.
Although the data specifically focuses on ECTEL’s five contracting states, the findings serve as a powerful mirror for the wider Caribbean/Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region, where many nations face identical structural hurdles. Hence, in this article, we highlight some of the key findings of the ECTEL study and briefly discuss them through a Caribbean-wide lens.
We are more connected, but access is uneven
One of the most encouraging takeaways is that the digital divide—due to the limited deployment of the physical infrastructure—is rapidly closing. Since 2014, broadband connectivity has jumped significantly, with near-Universal Access being realised. Hence, access to networks is no longer the primary barrier for the majority. Interestingly, laptops emerged as the most common household ICT device, which suggests that Eastern Caribbean households still value “heavy” computing power for work or education alongside mobile use.
One of the headline findings is the high level of internet usage among employed respondents. Over 93.9% of employed individuals reported using the internet from at least one location, rising to 96.7% in Grenada. However, usage among unemployed respondents was noticeably lower, ranging from 79.6% in Dominica to 86.8% in Saint Lucia, revealing a significant digital participation gap that may be linked to employment status. This gap ranged from 8 to 15 percentage points across countries, pointing strongly to affordability challenges and the loss of workplace connectivity for unemployed persons.
This pattern is highly consistent with trends across the Caribbean region. In countries such as Jamaica, Guyana, Belize, and Trinidad and Tobago, employment remains a strong determinant of both device ownership and broadband access. Data costs, inconsistent household connectivity, and reliance on mobile broadband create similar structural barriers, particularly among youth, the elderly, and low-income households.
Affordability, the persistent Caribbean challenge
Even with infrastructure in place, the “affordability barrier” remains a persistent challenge. The cost of devices and data services continues to shape digital exclusion, with survey participants consistently citing price as a major hurdle to upgrading or maintaining high-speed internet.
The affordability challenge is widespread across the region. Small markets, limited economies of scale, heavy reliance on imported infrastructure, and foreign currency pressures all contribute to higher relative broadband costs. As a result, many Caribbean households adopt coping strategies such as shared connections, limited data plans, or sporadic access—behaviours that constrain consistent participation in online education, e-commerce, remote work, and digital government services.
Quality of service and user experience matter
The survey also examined quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE), recognising that connectivity alone does not equate to effective digital inclusion. Poor service quality was an identified pain point, typically due to inconsistent speeds, network congestion, outages, and latency, with many users expressing dissatisfaction with the reliability of the connections they pay for.
These issues are far from unique to the Eastern Caribbean. Across the region, internet users have reported similar experiences, which suggests capacity and resiliency-related difficulties with the telcos have not adequately addressed. Further, when the region’s infrastructural vulnerability—especially in disaster-prone zones—is considered, which can also undermine network reliability, it emphasises the reinforcing the need for more resilient infrastructure investment and diversified connectivity pathways.
The digital skills gap is the new digital divide
The most striking finding, however, is that while we are connected, we aren’t necessarily capable. The report introduces a shift from a “connectivity gap” to a “capability gap”, with 60% of users possessing only “basic skills”, and less than 5% of the population recorded “intermediate” or “advanced” digital skills.
It therefore means that although basic connectivity may be improving, meaningful participation in the digital economy may be limited, as that would depend on users’ ability to navigate platforms, manage cybersecurity risks, and leverage digital tools for education and income generation, or to engage in high-value economic activities such as software development, data analysis, or complex e-commerce.
The study’s findings align with broader CARICOM-wide policy conversations, where digital skills gaps are increasingly recognised as barriers to economic diversification. Across the region, micro and small businesses, farmers and informal traders often lack the training needed to adopt digital payments, online marketing, or cloud-based productivity tools, which in turn limit the productivity gains that digital transformation promises.
Moving forward
The ECTEL Digital Inclusion Survey offers more than a statistical snapshot—it provides a roadmap for Caribbean digital transformation. The challenge is no longer just connecting people to the internet, but ensuring they can use digital tools meaningfully, affordably, safely, and productively.
For Caribbean countries seeking to build resilient, inclusive digital economies, ECTEL findings serve as both a warning and an opportunity: without deliberate policy action, digital divides will persist. To move from digital inclusion to digital transformation, the region must invest in education that moves citizens from basic scrolling to advanced building. As ECTEL celebrates 25 years, the report reminds us that the goal is not just to get everyone online: it is to ensure that once they are there, they have the power to change their world.
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