(Trinidad Guardian) Government has plans to introduce broadband Internet service to all citizens, according to Public Administration Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, who outlined a comprehensive plan to make the service available. She said 46 out of every 100 households had access to broadband Internet service at this time.
Additionally, the minister said, the World Economic Forum ranked T&T among the top five countries in the world in terms of mobile telephone penetration. Seepersad-Bachan said Government’s policies for progress were purposeful and focussed with the primary intention of sustainable social and economic development. She said the policy direction in telecommunications is aimed at supporting Government’s thrust in diversification and building a new knowledge-based economy. Seepersad-Bachan was the feature speaker at the opening of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation’s (CTO) ninth forum at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre on Monday. The conference ends today.
She said this country’s telecommunications and broadcasting sectors contributed 3.4 per cent of the gross domestic product which amounts to more than $4.4 billion per annum. Seepersad-Bachan said: “In the context of the theme of this year’s forum, Broadband for a Network Society, Trinidad and Tobago has recorded a total of 171,000 fixed Internet subscribers with more than 163,000 being subscribers of six broadband Internet services as at the end of 2010. “Broadband Internet accounted for 95 per cent of fixed Internet subscriptions in our country.” She said there are six broadband operators in the country and as with most markets, competition among players led to improved quality of service and affordability for consumers.
At the end of last year, The International Telecommunications Union ranked T&T as having the lowest monthly fixed broadband Internet subscription of approximately US$12 when compared with other countries in the region. Seepersad-Bachan said: “As at 2011, residential subscribers now enjoy Internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. “Further, according to the 2010/2011 Global Information Technology Report published by the World Economic Forum, Trinidad and Tobago ranked 14th as having the lowest fixed broadband Internet tariffs in the world.” She told stakeholders at the forum that the Telecommunications Authority of T&T is in the process of conducting a digital divide survey and the results would be available in two to three months.
The minister said the results will be used by Government for its universality plan which seeks to facilitate accessible and affordable basic telecommunications service to its citizens. “Much work, therefore, lies in front of us and several strategies and initiatives are currently being undertaken by the Government and its agencies to deepen the penetration of broadband services in the country. “And we have wasted no time in clearly mapping the way forward,” Seepersad-Bachan said.
