As an aspiring Cyberisland, Mauritius has worked hard to move from its agriculture based economy to a sophisticated business and financial center. The island can boast of many features, over and above its naturally gifted landscapes, that allow for a seamless relocation whether for business or for an exceptional quality of life. Very often, we think of Mauritius as a tiny exotic island floating nonchalantly amidst the Indian Ocean and very seldomly, unless we experience it, can we imagine how fast-paced the technological evolution is happening here. Almost like a hidden beehive where an excellent quality of honey is being manufactured every day.  Connectivity is a pre-requisite in today’s world and Mauritius leaves no stone unturned to provide the best possible.

Telephony and internet service providers have deployed massive effort in providing cutting-edge technology to households and businesses. They provide all the infrastructure and connectivity service that one would expect from a developed country.

Connectivity could not be part of any sort of compromise in a country which seriously aspires to lead the place as a global business, commerce and financial sector gameplay. We had to get our ducks lined up. The overall technological landscape started moving once we declared our intention to be a cyberisland. . Honestly, things didn’t move that fast, initially. Mobile phones were introduced by privately owned Emtel in 1989, becoming the first mobile telephony operator in the Southern Hemisphere! Emtel benefitted from a pioneer status and was freed from the entry of competitor’s until 1996, when Cellplus, a subsidiary of Government owned Mauritius Telecoms,  launched the first GSM network. Telephone systems were introduced around 7 years from its actual invention. So much to say that we have always been early starters in this area.

Whether you are looking for complex business infrastructure or personal connections, the different operators have everything ready. People on the island are very much connected to internet networks, facilitated not only by the national infrastructure, but also by access to the latest hardware and tools. The newest Iphone or Samsung are available almost a week after their international launch. Most operators do offer pre-ordering formulae as one might see in major cities of the world. Huawei and other brands have a sustained presence, investing massively in business development. This shows confidence in an educated market.

Censorship is not applied drastically but there are strict legal provisions which ensure civil protection against malicious and illegal cyber actions. Bullying, annoyance, disturbance or defamation are subject to strict police action and arrests are not uncommon. Despite these, one can observe relatively Free Speech on Social Media. The population is well connected, setting the way for quite intense interactions on all spheres of human life ; sports, politics (of course), entertainment, etc. Follows from this liberty, more structured communication systems such as news channels, radio / TV style reporting, entertainment channels and artists works. Much of the Mauritian social life is available on the internet.

For an insight into connectivity level, here are some statistics.

Internet

• There were 829.9 thousand internet users in Mauritius in January 2022, with a penetration rate representing 64.9% of the total population.
• Median mobile internet connection speed via cellular networks: 22.45 Mbps.
• Median fixed internet connection speed: 19.69 Mbps.

Mobile connections

• 1.96 million cellular mobile connections in Mauritius at the start of 2022. This represents around 154.1% of the total population. Mobile connections increased by 27,000 from 2021 to 2022.

Social media

There were 1.00 million Social Media Users in Mauritius in January 2022. The number of social media users in Mauritius at the start of 2022 was equivalent to 78.6 percent of the total population, but it’s important to note that social media users may not represent unique individual

Social media has a major role in the Mauritian socioeconomic environment. Most local businesses prefer a presence on social media rather than a fancy website. The local consumer market is also quite favorable to Facebook interaction, whether for social or business / trade purposes. Facebook has an ad reach equivalent to 61.9% of the total population, leaving Instagram far behind with 44.4% ad reach. Twitter is not popular on the island, with an ad reach of 10.2%.

LinkedIn is kept to its specifics, addressing the business / corporate world as well as some parts of employment and hiring processes. It is basically being used as a window showcasing profiles rather than a transactional platform.

If you have any specific question about connectivity, available products and services, please free feel to drop us a line, either my email to [email protected] or by commenting on this post.

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