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[Washington, DC] – The Internet Society today released its “Removing Barriers to Connectivity in the Caribbean” report, together with recommendations for increasing Internet adoption in the region. Reflecting the Caribbean’s diversity in size, language, political structure and economic development, the report presents a detailed look at the region’s unique set of connectivity challenges and gives guidance for overcoming these barriers. In particular, it highlights significant progress that has been made as well as the opportunity that exists for better knowledge-sharing between countries and for governments to do more to drive greater Internet use.
Internet adoption in the Caribbean has significantly increased thanks to the growth in use of mobile phones and the deployment of free/public WiFi networks. Second generation mobile services cover the majority of the population and now newer, third and fourth generation services supporting mobile broadband are being rolled out.
Despite this, challenges remain that prevent most countries from becoming digital societies. Internet use in the Caribbean varies considerably – from as low as 12% of the population in Haiti, to more than 80% in the Bahamas and Barbados.