Bahamas ranks high in mobile connectivity, report finds

Bahamas ranks high in mobile connectivity, report finds
The State of the Digital Economy in the Commonwealth, published by the Commonwealth Secretariat, found that The Bahamas recorded a 70.3 mobile connectivity index score.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Bahamas ranks six in mobile connectivity among Commonwealth countries, according to a recent Digital Connectivity Report.

The State of the Digital Economy in the Commonwealth, published by the Commonwealth Secretariat, found that The Bahamas recorded a 70.3 mobile connectivity index score, trailing Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia which held the top spot.

The findings were based on data from GSMA, an industry association that represents the interests of mobile network operators.

The report also found that The Bahamas ranked 35th among Commonwealth countries on the ITU’s ICT regulatory tracker, which identifies trends in ICT legal regulatory frameworks.

The report also found that on average Commonwealth countries reached 48 percent internet penetration in 2017.

Canada, Australia, New Zealand and The Bahamas rank the highest within the Commonwealth, with more than 90 percent of the population having internet access, while more than half twenty-eight of the Commonwealth member states falling below the world average on this measure.

The report noted that e-commerce in the Commonwealth generated roughly US$354 billion in sales, representing 3.5 percent of total Commonwealth GDP, but only six Commonwealth countries – the UK, Canada, Australia, India, Singapore and Malaysia – accounted for 85 percent of all business to consumer, B2C e-commerce sales.

“These countries have active legislation in four key categories relevant to data regulation: presence of a legal framework for electronic transactions/e-signature; a legal framework for data protection/privacy online; a legal framework for consumer protection when purchasing online; and a legal framework for cyber-crime prevention,” the report found.