Jamaica now has more Internet subscriptions than people, latest post-Melissa data reveals

The first official telecoms data released since Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica last October reveals a sector with reduced fixed-line services, but with greater mobile broadband penetration than the population.

It represents the first time broadband penetration has surpassed the population size.

The Office of Utilities Regulation’s (OUR) quarterly market report, published last month shows total broadband penetration vaulted to 104.35 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025, from 85.35 per cent in the previous quarter and 82.25 per cent a year earlier. Mobile broadband subscriptions drove the leap, rising 30.15 per cent quarter- over-quarter to 2.38 million — a gain of more than 552,000 subscribers in three months, as Jamaicans who lost fixed connections migrated to wireless data plans.

The fixed network told the opposite story. Fixed voice subscriptions fell 14.15 per cent to 400,290, with residential lines absorbing the worst of the damage — an 18 per cent decline — while business lines rose 3.62 per cent. Domestic fixed voice revenue plunged 36.2 per cent to $616 million from $965.64 million the previous quarter, the sharpest single-quarter revenue drop in the OUR’s published data series.

Jamaica’s overall cell phone penetration surpassed 100 per cent for the first time in 2004, driven by the explosive growth of mobile subscriptions following the liberalisation of the telecom market in 2001. But it took some two decades later for internet penetration to catch up. The top 10 sites in Jamaica are Chatgpt, Wikipedia, Instagram, Youtube, Afiyu, Amazon, Google, Fifa, Facebook, and ESPN, according to data from Afrefstops website.

Flow, the largest fixed-line provider, bore the brunt. Liberty Latin America, Flow’s parent company, disclosed in its earnings report that Hurricane Melissa cost the group at least US$20 million in lost revenue but millions more in infrastructure damage. The company at one point lost 136,000 revenue-generating units across its Jamaican operations.

The divergence played out in international calling patterns as well. International mobile voice revenues jumped 61.9 per cent to $536.2 million as families, separated by the storm and diaspora communities, scrambled to reach relatives. International fixed voice revenues rose 14.9 per cent on the same dynamic, though off a far smaller base.

Flow has since partnered with local and international operator Starlink to deploy satellite connectivity in hard-to-restore areas. The company expects to return to pre-hurricane profitability by the end of 2026.

business@gleanerjm.com