Message-ID: <9606092136.AA27347@col2.caribsurf.com> Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1996 17:36:41 -0400 From: James Corbin <mailto:James@CARIBSURF.COM> Subject: Internet Availability Outside of the USA To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Jerry. The following is an article I have written on the subject of the THE INTERNET IN CARICOMThe Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) was formed in 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguaramas. The original signatories to the treaty included the Prime Ministers of Barbados, jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Today the members countries of CARICOM are; Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Monsterrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
The history of Internet in CARICOM region has its genesis in the United Nations Conference on "Sustainable Development For Small Island Developing States" which was held in Barbados from April 25 to May 6,1994. Certain participants in this conference had access to the Internet in their home countries and to satisfy this requirement the Barbados External Telecommunications Limited (BET), the long distance carrier, created shell accounts for these participants therby enabling them to use electronic mail, FTP and Telnet for the duration of the conference. This service was then marketed in Barbados.
In July 1995, BET's Internet access was upgraded to a full World Wide Web (WWW) service. There are currently three Internet Access Providers in Barbados.
BET is a subsidiary of Cable and Wireless, the British telecommunications giant, which is also the majority shareholder in the telecommunications companies in Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Monsterrat, and Jamaica; and a minority shareholder in the telecommunication company in Trinidad and Tobago. In all the CARICOM countries the telecommunications companies, local exchange cariier and long distance carrier operate as monopolies.
Due to Cable and Wireless involvement, the WWW server at BET in Barbados also performs Internet access service for Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Dominica and Monsterrat. The server at BET can be accessed by a local call in St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Grenada and the United States. Internet access for Jamaica, Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago is provided by servers located in the respective countries. All these access nodes form part of Cable and Wireless global internet service which is designed to provide one stop shopping for global customers. Fig (1) shows the number of access providers on a country by country basis.
The basic requirement for access to the Internet is a telephone line, a modem and a personal computer. Telephone penetration in the CARICOM (see Fig 1) range from 6 telephones for every 100 persons in Guyana, to 40 telephones for every 100 persons in Monsterrat. The cost of a typical multimedia pentium PC ranges in price from US$2700 to S$3500 depending on import duties and other taxes levied by the various countries. Such a computer in the USA will cost about US$1800.
Antigua Population 83,000 Phone penetration 38.9 Internet Providers 1
The Bahamas Population 230,000 Phone Penetration 31.3 Internet Providers 1
Barbados 265,000 32.2 3
Belize 200,000 14.2 1
Dominica 90,000 40.4 1
Grenada 100,000 21.2 1
Guyana 795,000 6.0 0
Jamaica 2,894,000 8.5 3
Monsterrat 13,000 43.6 1
St. Kitts/Nevis 50,000 32.4 1
St. Lucia 150,000 20 1
St. Vincent 110,000 15.5 1
Trinidad&Tobago 1,275,000 16.1 3
***** Note for each country the first number is the population, the second number is the telephone penetration per 100, and the third number is ISP. I was copying these numbers from a table in WP and I could not get the table copied. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The cost of accessing the Internet varies from country to country. But in each country a tier tariffing system based on usage is used. Some countries also sell various packages with various pricing depending on use. Some access providers have a flat rate (US$25.00) which is independent of use. In some countries the local call to the access provider is charged at a flat rate, in other countries it is paid for on a usage basis.
The following illustrates typical pricing structures based on a monthly billing cycle.
Cable and Wireless Antigua
0 to 10 hours US$24.00 10 to 20 hours US$48.00 20 to 30 hours US$66.00 30 to 40 hours US$81.00 Over 40 hours US$2.00 per additional hour.
Telecommunications of Jamaica
0 to 10 hours US$2.20 per hour 10 to 20 hours US$1.90 per hour Over 20 hours US$1.70 per hour
Barbados External Telecommunications Limited
0 to 10 hours US$12.50 10 to 20 hours US$22.50 20 to 65 hours US$32.50 Over 65 hours US$37.50
Some of the key issues Caribbean governments will have to face as a consequence of the proliferation of the Internet include gambling, pernography, electronic cash and intellectual property.
World sports has created a WWW site in Antigu and offers gambling to its customers in the USA. Overtures have been made to governments of several other countries to establish online casinos in their countries. Belize is considering legislation to legalise online gambling via the Internet. A pernograhic site in one country is advertised in PC magazine.
However the power of the Internet can be harnessed to aid economic development in the areas of tourism, manufacturing and offshore financial services.
Regards
James ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- James Corbin Barbados Telephone Company Barbados (809-431-1456) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------