$\"\"$ <\/a>
Figure 1: Portion of monthly income spent on 2 Mbps Internet service plan in select Caribbean countries as at November 2011 (Sources: ISP websites, IMF, CIA)<\/p><\/div>\n
The results, which are shown in Figure 1, indicate that the Caribbean has some work to do to achieve this target. Under 40% of the countries examined have monthly spends for an Internet plan with an advertised download speed of 2\u00a0Mbps amounting to less than 5% of average monthly income. Furthermore, across the entire sample, 2\u00a0Mbps is not the maximum download speed that can be secured. Hence the average customer might not be able to afford faster broadband plans, since they would consume considerably larger portions of his\/her monthly income.<\/p>\n
Target 3: Connecting homes to broadband.<\/h3>\n
By 2015, 40% of households in developing countries should have Internet access.<\/em><\/p>\n
Within the region, Internet access among households is not a regularly measured indicator. Most countries keep track of the number of Internet (or broadband) lines per 100 of the population, as reflected in Figure 2.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a>
Figure 2: Number of broadband lines per 100 of the population in select Caribbean countries for 2010 (Source: ITU, ECTEL)<\/p><\/div>\n
This above measure normally includes all Internet\/broadband lines, i.e. both business and domestic. Hence it is likely that the business sector contributes significantly to the overall perceived broadband connectivity of a country. Additionally, in countries that sill have relatively low network build out, it likely that broadband penetration by households would still be low. Nevertheless, to accurately determine the extent to which we have achieved this target, the requisite data ought to be secured and validated.<\/p>\n
Target 4: Getting people online.<\/h3>\n
By 2015, Internet user penetration should reach 60% worldwide, 50% in developing countries and 15% in LDCs.<\/em><\/p>\n
Internet user penetration is another indicator that is not consistently measured across the region. However, comprehensive data was available at Internet World Stats<\/a>, which is shown in Figure 3.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a>
Figure 2: Number of broadband lines per 100 of the population in select Caribbean countries for 2010 (Source: ITU, ECTEL)<\/p><\/div>\n
The results indicate that about half of the sample have met or exceeded the threshold set for developing countries (50%), whilst 25% have exceeded the base set for developed countries (60 users per 100 of the population).<\/p>\n
Although broadband line penetration across the region might be relatively low, as per Figure 2, the numbers of Internet users is considerably higher in virtually all of the countries assessed. In addition to connectivity in households, citizens would most likely be accessing the Internet in the workplace, at schools, post offices, libraries, and other community-oriented centres, all of which would contribute to their contact with this resource.<\/p>\n
Concluding remarks<\/h3>\n
Our review of the state of broadband access and use, relative to the targets set by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, suggest that the English-speaking Caribbean is well on its way to achieving the stated goals.\u00a0 However, we still need to tackle affordability of the service \u2013 an issues consistently discussed in our Snapshot posts, and increasing household access to the Internet.<\/p>\n
Additionally, since we do not regularly measure some indicators used for the targets, policy makers might not have access to these critical inputs in their decision-making. This is a matter that requires urgent attention, since we might need to implement targeted strategies to realize some of the stated goals.<\/p>\n
____________<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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