Satellite Internet in the Dominica

Satellite Internet Access Service

With a population of just over 73,300, the volcanic island of Dominica is part of the Windward islands and is located in the West Indies in the Lesser Antilles archipelago. Close to Guadaloupe and Martinique, Dominica has a stunning landscape that is a magnet for tourists and comprises a variety of attractions such as the world’s second largest hot spring, waterfalls and rivers. The island is a popular eco-tourism destination due to this natural environment. The Dominican economy is highly dependent upon agriculture and the banana trade, both of which employ over a third of the population. However, the economy is also experiencing growth in other sectors such as construction and the financial services sector with increasing amounts of offshore banking, payment processing companies and other global financial institutions.

In 2015, Internet penetration across the island stood at 62.9% of the population. The telecom sector is an important one and, as in other countries across the region, mobile data is becoming increasingly important with more investment. Overall, the telecoms sector on Dominica is well developed, especially given the size of the island itself. The fixed line market is in decline, paving the way for mobile operators. The use of ICT is being promoted by the government especially for education and government services and broadband is seen as in integral part of building a sustainable economy.

Dominica’s location means the island is prone to weather events, especially hurricanes, leaving the infrastructure vulnerable. In 2007, Hurricane Dean, a category 5 storm, caused significant damage to crops and infrastructure across Dominica and clean-up and repair took months to carry out.

In terms of connectivity, Dominica could benefit from the installation of satellite broadband networks across the island to provide further broadband connectivity and Internet access across the country and also to provide back-up communications in the event of weather events such as the one experienced in 2007.

Broadband Internet access is of great importance to the development of Dominica, in terms of health, education, government services and promotion of business and enterprise, which is an increasingly important part of the island’s economy. Reliable, scalable and cost effective satellite-based networks enable the high-speed connectivity so critical to the digital economies of today and permitting pockets of population across Dominica that can be difficult to reach, to be part of the digital revolution. VSAT networks provided by BusinessCom enable ISPs to extend their reach to new customers and help the government to reach connectivity targets.

VSAT connectivity is also completely independent of infrastructure, providing an ideal back-up solution when terrestrial networks fail in the event of adverse weather conditions such as the hurricanes experienced by Dominica in the past. Implementation of VSAT networks, mean that no matter what the impact of the weather, the VSAT networks on the island can continue to function and deliver all-important communications to emergency teams when there is no other alternative.

BusinessCom Networks has vast experience in the delivery of satellite-based networks for a wide variety of applications. Our team designs, installs and operates these networks so that Dominicans can rely on always-on broadband connectivity across the island at all times and in every weather condition.