Above: the narrows between St Kitts and Nevis (Photo: Caribbean Journal)

St Kitts and Nevis has the highest fixed broadband subscription rates in the Latin American/Caribbean region, according to a report by the World Bank’s infoDev group.

The rate of fixed broadband usage in the federation is not just the highest in the Latin American/Caribbean region, but higher than some developed countries.

Part of the reason for the development is the relatively small size of the two islands, which has helped facilitate uptake of broadband technologies, but several other factors, including promotion of basic education and literacy, facilitating access to information and communication technology and increased technological awareness, according to the report.

The case study, “Broadband in St Kitts and Nevis: Strength in Depth,” was funded by the Korean Trust Fund on Information and Communications for Development, which is a partnership between the Korean government and the World Bank Group.

The report mentioned several internal weaknesses in the sector, however, including a lack of mobile broadband and appropriate legislation which are reportedly holding back the development of interactive e-commerce and e-government applications.

Also mentioned were a high cost of services, an “unstable” power supply and issues with quality of service.