Telecommunications Market Research

The Caribbean telecommunications market is valued at approximately USD 6.5 billion in 2025 (GSMA Intelligence, 2024), comprising mobile services (USD 3.8B), fixed broadband (USD 1.6B), and enterprise and ICT solutions (USD 1.1B). The market is consolidating around two dominant regional operators: Digicel Group, active in 25 or more Caribbean markets, and Liberty Latin America operating as Flow and C&W across 17 territories. In the Dominican Republic, Claro, Altice, and Digicel compete in a three-operator market. Puerto Rico operates under US regulatory jurisdiction with T-Mobile, Claro, and AT&T.

MVNO market entry is accelerating across the region as regulators open spectrum and virtual access frameworks. Suriname, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago are the most active MVNO development markets in the English and Dutch Caribbean. Effective telecommunications market research for MVNO entrants requires deep understanding of dual-SIM usage behaviour — a pattern where Caribbean consumers routinely carry Digicel and Flow SIM cards simultaneously — which significantly complicates standard market share measurement.

Mobile penetration varies from 58% in Haiti to over 155% in Trinidad and Tobago, reflecting both economic development and dual-SIM behaviour. Smartphone adoption is highest in Barbados and Trinidad (65 to 75%) and growing rapidly across Guyana, driven by the oil economy. Fixed broadband penetration averages 18% regionally, with mobile data representing the primary internet access mechanism for the majority of Caribbean consumers (GSMA, 2024).

5G rollout is underway in Jamaica and Trinidad following Liberty Latin America spectrum deployments in 2024. Digicel is conducting 5G trials across multiple markets. Full regional 5G coverage is projected between 2028 and 2030. Submarine cable infrastructure — including the Americas-II, ECFS, SSCS, and ARCOS ring systems — underpins regional connectivity but introduces resilience risk during hurricane season. Regulatory fragmentation remains a structural challenge for telecommunications market research across the region: each territory operates under separate spectrum allocation, interconnection, and consumer protection frameworks.

Telecommunications market research across the Caribbean requires methodological adaptations that standard global approaches do not address: island-by-island sample stratification, multi-language fieldwork capability, dual-SIM primary carrier screening, and locally calibrated NPS benchmarks. HRG has conducted telecommunications market research across 21 Caribbean and Latin American markets since the company's founding, building a proprietary Caribbean telecom research benchmark that enables meaningful inter-market and inter-operator comparisons.

Mobile money convergence is reshaping the telecommunications landscape in Haiti, Jamaica, and Guyana, where operator-led financial services platforms are reaching consumers without formal bank accounts. The intersection of telecommunications and fintech represents an expanding area for telecommunications market research as operators seek to understand adoption barriers, trust levels, and competitive positioning against dedicated fintech players.

HRG's telecommunications market research methodology is built around Caribbean market realities. We do not apply global survey templates unchanged. Every HRG telecom study begins with a Caribbean calibration review: dual-SIM screening protocols, locally anchored rating scale adjustments, and carrier-specific quota setting to ensure results reflect the actual competitive landscape.

Fieldwork is conducted using a combination of telephone interviewing, face-to-face interviewing, mobile survey deployment, dealer observation, and mystery calling. For pan-Caribbean programmes spanning six or more territories, HRG coordinates parallel field deployments managed from a central project hub, with standardised daily production reporting and automated data validation. All interviewers are employed and trained directly by HRG — we do not sub-contract fieldwork.

Reporting delivers operator-level and market-level KPI dashboards alongside verbatim and qualitative insights. Continuous tracking programmes include wave-on-wave trend reporting with statistical significance testing. Data files are delivered in SPSS, Excel, and CSV format. Topline results are available within 5 business days of fieldwork close.