{"id":1126,"date":"2011-07-08T09:45:35","date_gmt":"2011-07-08T14:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=1126"},"modified":"2011-07-08T09:48:31","modified_gmt":"2011-07-08T14:48:31","slug":"snapshot-state-of-telecoms-in-the-caribbean-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2011\/07\/snapshot-state-of-telecoms-in-the-caribbean-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapshot: State of telecoms in the Caribbean region"},"content":{"rendered":"

As part of our Snapshot series, the state of telecoms \u2013 fixed-line, mobile, and Internet \u2013 in the English-speaking Caribbean as at 2010 is examined.<\/em><\/p>\n

This Snapshot<\/em> uses publicly available telecoms statistics collected by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) from its member countries. The exercise examines fixed-line, mobile and fixed broadband subscription teledensities in the English-speaking Caribbean as at 2010.<\/p>\n

It is highlighted that although the ITU has established clear definitions for all of the indicators it collects, the member countries supply the data to the organisation. It is therefore not clear the extent to which the ITU attempts to corroborate or validate the information provided.<\/p>\n

Fixed-line service<\/h3>\n

The introduction of competition in telecoms sectors over the last ten years has resulted in a marked and consistent decline in fixed-line connections in most English-speaking Caribbean countries. Prior to liberalisation, fixed-line service was generally limited to urban areas, and new connections took months, if not years, to be realised. In Figure 1, which shows the number of fixed-lines subscribers per 100 inhabitants as at 2010, 12 of the 14 countries have fewer than 55 fixed-lines per 100 inhabitants, and experienced a decline of between 5% and 46% within the last 10 years.<\/p>\n

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Figure 1: Fixed-line penetration in select Caribbean countries as at 2010 (Source: ITU, IMF, CIA)<\/p><\/div>\n

It is important to highlight that a major contributing factor to the steady reduction in fixed-line connections could be the fact that customers have been cancelling their fixed-lines, especially their household telephones, and are using their mobile phones exclusively. Many reasons exist for this phenomenon, including:<\/p>\n