Find Telecommunication expertise in Dominica

The telecommunications sector in Dominica is highly developed considering the small size of the island; indeed Dominica was the first country in the world to operate a fully digital national telephone system. The sector has experienced noticeable growth since the turn of the century.  Since the early 2000s the fixed line market has been experiencing a steady decline, and is gradually being replaced by increased mobile penetration. In 2006 the telecommunications sector in Dominica contributed 10.4% towards GDP (Econstats, 2006). The contribution to GDP of the telecommunication sector has fluctuated greatly during the early part of the 20th century, from a low of 5% in 1999 to a record high of 12.6% in 2002.

The main telecommunications provider is Cable & Wireless Communications company LIME, which provides full telecommunications services packages, including landline, internet, mobile and entertainment. The local Dominican company Marpin Telecoms provides similar services, including cable television, telephony services and broadband internet. Other mobile phone companies in the country are AT&T Wireless, Orange and Digicel.

The telecommunication sector in Dominica is liberalised, with local and international companies competing together in the marketplace. Dominica is a signatory of the treaty establishing the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) which promotes open competition in telecommunications, with the aim of providing a universal service and fair pricing.

The industry regulatory body is the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC). The NTRC was established to handle all regulation of the telecoms sector, as well as ensuring that the sector is managed in accordance with sustainable development of the country.

The use of information technology (IT) is promoted in education in Dominica in part through the IT for Dominica Project, a joint partnership between the Commonwealth of Dominica and several Canadian partners. The project aims to provide modern learning for students through the use of IT by providing students and educators with access to computing equipment and services, creating school partnerships, and providing technical training and support.

In 2014 there were 243 landlines per 1,000 Dominican inhabitants, a noticeable decrease from 262 per 1000 in 2008; with total mobile phone subscriptions decreasing from 2008-10 from 1,497 to 1,275 per 1,000 inhabitants. Internet use on the island is high, with 629 internet users per 1,000 people (2014). The penetration rate of broadband in the country is also relatively high for a small island, with 140 fixed broadband subscriptions per 1000 people (Econstats, 2008).