Unlimited Internet Access Fuels St Lucia's E-Commerce Aspirations

by Robert Lee, Tax-news.com, London

21 May 2001

St Lucia, which has an expanding offshore financial services sector, is now able to offer unlimited Internet access. Last Thursday, World Telecommunications Day, telecoms operator Cable and Wireless (C&W) announced the provision of unlimited Internet package for frequent users. The "Unlimited Dialup Internet Access" is the latest in a series of benefits for local consumers, which have come through a series of negotiations between C&W and the St Lucia government.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the new service, C&W General Manager, Donald Austin, stated: 'St Lucia can truly boast to be one of the best serviced developing nations worldwide, and this augurs well for the future.' He added that the new Internet package would do much to narrow the digital divide.

Last year, the government of St Lucia appointed an e-commerce working committee to develop short and long term plans to accelerate the use of e-commerce business on the island, with the express aim of promoting economic growth. Mr Austin believes that this idea as well as the recent launch of the new Government of St Lucia Website will provide an ideal opportunity for e-commerce initiatives for local business entrepreneurs and e-government solutions.

St Lucia also has a new Director of Information Services, Embert Charles, who has already demonstrated his commitment to the development of e-business on the island. At the launch of the new government website at the beginning of May, he said: 'This website is here to stay, as it is not bugged by the plagues of the commercial dot.com sites which flutter daily all over the world.'

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