As a small island state, it is not often that we get the opportunity to be first at anything so when we do we must bask in the glory. Since the early nineteen nighties Antigua and Barbuda has been at the forefront in the deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the Caribbean.
Antigua and Barbuda, in 1995, was the first island in the Eastern Caribbean to connect to the internet; albeit then via a mere 64 kilobit circuit! As a result it became the hub for many of the neighbouring islands as they too eventually made it to the World Wide Web.
The availability of internet connectivity provided the impetus for a once thriving online Gaming industry;the demise of which is well documented in the WTO complaint (DS285) brought against the United States for the measures implemented to restrict the cross border supply of Gambling and Betting services. In another first, Antigua and Barbuda won the case but it remains to be seen whether or not the compensation being sought will ever be awarded.
Government initiatives such as the waiver of duties on the import of computers for personal use and the opening of the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Technology to provide training further helped to heighten the awareness of ICTs.
Antigua and Barbuda was one of the first states to introduce competition in the provision of mobile and internet services. Currently there are 3 mobile operators and 4 internet providers on island.
It is no wonder then that Antigua and Barbuda is top of the heap in ICT as the following data from the International Telecommunications Union, via Google's public data initiative reveals.
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