Roaming in the Caribbean

Purpose – This paper aims to examine international mobile roaming in the Caribbean. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines first, the question of the number of mobile phones and revenues; then secondly, it examines the background to the roaming issue as it emerged in Europe. Thirdly, it looks at regulatory initiatives in the Americas. Fourthly, it looks at issues related to tourists, including those on cruise ships. Fifthly, it examines commercial initiatives to offer roaming without surcharges. Sixthly, it examines possible regulatory measures to achieve policy goals. Finally, conclusions are drawn and future research topics identified. Findings – The public policy goals are clear – to ensure competition, to achieve affordable prices and universal access. The challenge is to translate these into specific measures for international mobile roaming. Originality/value – There appear to be two retail markets, one for IMR as part of a post-paid mobile service and the other a pre-paid offer