Exploring Trinidad & Tobago’s Digital Divide (Part 1)

TECH NEWS – Data collection in the Caribbean has traditionally been a clunky exercise, heavily dependent on phone calls and focus groups – but ever since mSurvey (a mobile surveys company which started in Kenya) set up shop in Trinidad and Tobago, the region has started to experience data collection very differently.

The company recently undertook its largest project to date, “interviewing” more than 11,000 people across Trinidad and Tobago, all via mobile phones and SMS, in less than three weeks. The survey was commissioned by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), the regulatory body for telecommunications in the country, in an effort to assess the gap that exists between people in the twin island republic who have access to basic telecommunications and broadcasting services and those who do not. In the words of the report itself:

The Digital Divide Survey is related to the economic development of a country through technological means, and looks at persons with access to technology, the utilization of such modes of technology, and the ease of access to such.

Once the extent of the digital gap became known, TATT would have access to tangible information that identifies which communities and groups are under-served, including those with disabilities, with a view to helping the authority improve the reach and quality of online services. (TATT is reportedly planning to implement infrastructure to the value of over $20 million US.) The results of the survey are here. The full report is here.

More