Marshall Islands - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

International attention brings telecoms benefits to the Republic of Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands was identified by the World Bank as being one the least connected communities in the world in 2013. It was subsequently awarded funding from the World Bank to improve Internet and mobile services. A number of other organisations have also providing financial assistance in recent years with the US government, the United Nations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Telecommunication Satellite Organisation (ITSO), and Kacific Broadband Satellites being examples of some of the organisations offering funding and donations to improve various conditions for the country.

In 2013 the World Bank provided US$3 million in funding to be used to improve mobile and internet services. The World Bank hoped to encourage the telecoms market to be opened up to competition in order to improve access and bring services prices down. It also hoped to improve regulatory and legal frameworks which would be more conducive to telecoms progress as well as develop incentives to attract private investment, as seen in other South Pacific countries.

In 2014, the ITU, on behalf of the United Nations, was working with Kacific Broadband Satellite to develop satellite capacity in the Pacific islands. Kacific agreed to donate a one-year supply of 50Mb/s of dedicated bandwidth for eleven Pacific Island nations, including the Marshall Islands, as well as 40 terminals. The ITU and ITSO were also providing significant funding for this project.

In 2016 the Marshall Islands is facing severe drought which is heavily impacting upon overall progress. However, as a result of the telecoms infrastructure improvements made in recent years, the Marshall Islands can now claim a mobile penetration of more than 30% and a significant rise in Internet users at around 19%.