Snapshot: How affordable is Internet service in 2013?

A 2013 update of the extent to which Internet broadband speeds are affordable across the Caribbean.

Since May 2011, and following from our most recent Snapshot of Internet speed and pricing, we have been regularly assessing how affordable Internet broadband service is across the Caribbean. In this post, we are updating our findings, and discussing the changes that have occurred since our last review.

Approach

In our most recent Snapshot: Internet speeds and pricing update 2013, we examined the variation of Internet download speeds and monthly pricing for select Internet plans across a number of Caribbean countries. Specifically and focusing on a sample of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), we:

• determined the best monthly rates for an Internet service plan with an advertised download speed of 2 Mbps
• identified the best Internet plan by advertised download speed for up to USD 60.00, and
• compared the monthly rates for a 2 Mbps Internet plan against those recorded in 2011 and 2012.

Having examined monthly pricing, this review focuses on the affordability of those Internet plans. The prices captured in the Internet spend exercise were compared against estimated monthly income, for which per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures, sourced from the International Monetary Fund and United Nations, have been used as a proxy. The resulting ratios, which have been expressed as percentages, indicate the proportion of a person’s income that would be spent on the stated plan, and hence indicates the extent to which it might be affordable to the average consumer.   More