2013 Caribbean - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband

Digicel and CWC expand LTE footprint in the region

The telecoms markets in most Caribbean countries have been progressively liberalised, with operators able to offer a full range of telecom services. The telecom sector remains one of the region’s major growth industries, particularly in the mobile telephony and data sectors.

Cable & Wireless (operating services under the LIME brand) is the dominant telecom provider in most regional markets, with Digicel and other players offering effective competition, particularly in the mobile telephony sector. Investment in telecoms has been affected by the global financial crisis, as also by local phenomena which can weaken the tourist sector in particular islands. This has led to reduced revenue for operators and scaled-back government programmes. A number of economies have seen falling GDP during the last two years, exacerbated by poor weather, volcanic activity (in Montserrat), or a continuing downturn in trade for certain primary goods with major overseas markets.

This report analyses the telecom market in the Caribbean, including recent regulatory measures and statistics, telecom infrastructure updates and developments in key sectors including mobile, broadband and fixed-telephony. It provides data and analyses on fixed-line and mobile operators as well as ISPs, and assesses the state of market liberalisation.

Key developments:

UTS sells loss-making subsidiaries in Suriname and Saint Kitts & Nevis; TATT to launch an IXP in Trinidad by mid-2014; Caribbean Research and Education Network (CaribNET) network delivers connectivity to international research stations; Digicel switches on HSPA in the BVI, with 95% coverage; C&W invests $30 million in Cayman Island infrastructure; ECTEL updates schedule on release of 700MHz spectrum; Digicel expands LTE in Antigua; C&W sells Bermudan fixed-line business; Columbus International acquires Karib Cable; operators expand FttP in several markets; HSPA+ available in most countries, with LTE emerging as operators focus investment on mobile networks; regulatory developments; submarine cable infrastructure deployments; number portability; operator data updates; market developments to early 2014.

Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation and may not be for the current year