Recent News // News Release: Connect Puerto Rico Releases Business Technology Data
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Survey measures technology adoption and use of broadband by businesses since 2010
San Juan, Puerto Rico – Connect Puerto Rico today released new data that measured technology adoption and the use of broadband among Puerto Rico businesses, and examined trends in these metrics.
A significant finding from this report is that broadband adoption and mobile Internet usage among Puerto Rico businesses is on par or exceeds that of other US states surveyed by Connected Nation. However, Puerto Rico businesses are less likely to have websites or earn revenue from online sales.
Other key technology indicators include the following:
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Online sales represent approximately $4.5 billion in annual revenues for businesses in Puerto Rico
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Seventy-nine percent of all Puerto Rico businesses subscribe to broadband service, up from seventy-four percent in 2010
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Forty-two percent of all Puerto Rico businesses use mobile Internet service.
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Forty-four percent of businesses in Puerto Rico have websites, up from forty percent in 2010
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Twenty-nine percent of businesses in Puerto Rico earn revenue from online sales to consumers and businesses
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Twenty-two percent of all Puerto Rico businesses have employees who telework, up from thirteen percent in 2010
“It’s exciting to see the increasing level of broadband connectivity among Puerto Rico businesses,” said Chris Pedersen, director of program outreach for Connect Puerto Rico. “The clear opportunity is to fully leverage and expand the use of broadband enabled technologies to bring economic benefits to Puerto Rico’s businesses, communities, and workers.”
This survey is conducted in support of Connect Puerto Rico’s efforts to close Puerto Rico's digital gap and explores the barriers to adoption, rates of broadband adoption among various demographics, and the types of activities broadband subscribers conduct online, among other issues.
This report comes at a time when Puerto Rico is in the process of developing a recovery plan to enhance economic conditions, stem the exodus of younger residents, and stimulate the labor participation rate.
Last month, Governor Alejandro García Padilla announced the creation of a working group to draft proposals to address these issues.
The Connect Puerto Rico’s 2014 Business Technology Assessment addresses technology factors that may impact economic and workforce development.
Connect Puerto Rico’s 2014 Business Technology Assessment was conducted in December 2013 through February 2014 and includes responses from 846 businesses. Connect Puerto Rico invites you to explore and examine the survey results by clicking the link here and, most importantly, share the results.
Connect Puerto Rico conducted this business survey as part of the State Broadband Initiative (SBI) grant program, funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The SBI grant program was created by the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA), unanimously passed by Congress in 2008 and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009.
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About Connect Puerto Rico: Connect Puerto Rico was commissioned by the Puerto Rico Office of the Chief Information Officer to work with each of the commonwealth’s broadband providers to create detailed maps of broadband coverage and to assess the current state of broadband adoption, community-by-community, across Puerto Rico. Connect Puerto Rico will continue to develop and update the broadband data over time, ensuring that territory policymakers and citizens alike are equipped with this important information. Connect Puerto Rico’s efforts are funded by the United State Department of Commerce’s State Broadband Initiative grant program through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
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