Brendan Paddick, Chairman of **Cable Bahamas Limited** and Chairman and CEO of Columbus Communications, says The Bahamas has *”the highest rate of broadband Internet penetration in the world, per 100 people”*. Referencing the latest OECD statistics, Mr. Paddick said the rate here is some 65% higher than Denmark, the leader in the OECD’s study of the world’s wealthiest nations. Denmark has a 29 people per 100 access rate. Estimates using the subscriber base of both Cable Bahamas and the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) are that The Bahamas has a 48 person per 100 broadband Internet access rate.
Speaking at the recent launch of the Canada-Bahamas Business Council, Mr. Paddick pointed out that this jurisdiction can boast of *”one of the most advanced network architectures in the world”*, being extremely competitive in regard to high speed Internet and Internet connectivity rates. Back in 2001, reportedly, it cost some $48,000 per month to acquire 1.5 megabytes of bandwidth space between Nassau and Florida. That same circuit can be bought now for $8-10,000 per month.
**Servicing The Bahamas**
**Caribbean Crossings** is an international telecommunications company which owns and operates a sub-sea fibre optic network that links the four major islands of The Bahamas to the continental United States. Through this fibre network and the fibre terrestrial local network of parent Cable Bahamas Limited, Caribbean Crossings can provide 100% optical connectivity solutions in The Bahamas.
Cable Bahamas obtained the cable TV contract back in 2004, with the original owner of Columbus Communications at that time pledging that within 4 years some 90% of Bahamian homes would be able to access the service. In 2007, Cable Bahamas estimates that its network passes through 95% of all households in The Bahamas, with some 3,300 businesses relying on Cable for Internet connectivity. The company says its two significant growth areas have been its high speed Internet services and its wholly-owned submarine 600 km fibre optic cable system.
Columbus Communications, which has a 30% stake in Cable Bahamas, has the goal of becoming the premier telecommunications provider in the Caribbean region. It currently holds operating assets in eighteen countries throughout the Caribbean and Central America.