Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness laid out a list of “nation-building” investment strategies, including a world-class broadband system that he says will create the space needed for Jamaica to return to economic growth.
Holness’ planned upgrade of the nation’s Internet broadband comes as no surprise. The two major service providers, Flow and Digicel, have come in for biting criticism for patchy service delivered to hundreds of thousands of customers, with dropped calls and unstable Internet.
The onset of COVID-19 cases on the island has necessitated virtual classes, which may remain the only option when schools reopen next month because of lingering concerns over coronavirus infections. Many rural households, in particular, have no access to the Internet, while poor Jamaicans are less likely to have tablets or laptops.
