A new study by Informa Telecoms and Media is projecting a more than 45 percent increase in mobile subscribers in the Caribbean between 2004 and 2009. The report shows a steady growth in this market predicating from 10.1 million by end of 2004 to 14.7 million by 2009. The study provides a comprehensive view of how the mobile revolution is reaching out to over 40 million inhabitants of the 31 political entities that make up the insular and mainland Caribbean. It shows how successive waves of market opening and investment are transforming the region�s communications landscape, one historically marked by insularity and a limited and costly telephone communications framework. Vibrant competition is emerging where government-sanctioned monopolies reigned just a few years ago. Penetration has climbed precipitously, even surpassing 100 percent on more affluent islands. In just a decade, mobile telephony has exploded from serving less than one-half of one percent of the region�s population to now providing service to over 25 percent of the residents � over 10 million subscribers. Even so, another 30 million still await the opportunity to link up.
The world of eCommerce payments has evolved. As we look toward the latter half of this decade, we're witnessing a transformation in how digital commerce operates, with a clear shift toward localized payment solutions within a global marketplace. The numbers tell a compelling story. According to Juniper Research's latest analysis, global eCommerce transactions are set to reach $11.4 trillion by 2029, marking a 63 percent increase from $7 trillion in 2024. This growth isn't just about volume – it's about fundamental changes in how people pay for goods and services online. Perhaps most striking is the projected dominance of Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), which are expected to account for 69 percent of global transactions by 2029, with 360 billion transactions processed through these channels. eCommerce Payments Market Development What makes this shift particularly interesting is how it reflects the democratization of digital commerce. Traditional card-based systems ar...