Countries

The Algerian government, through agencies like the Ministry of Communication and the Regulatory Authority for Post and Telecommunications (ARPCE), oversees the internet infrastructure and its regulation. This includes licensing internet service providers (ISPs), overseeing digital infrastructure, and implementing regulations regarding online content and user activity. Algeria’s ISP market is primarily state-controlled, with Algérie Télécom as the main provider of internet services. The government’s significant involvement in telecommunications has both helped expand infrastructure across the country and given it control over access.

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Azerbaijan’s digital infrastructure has seen significant investments, notably through the ‘Digital Silk Way’ project, which aims to establish a sustainable fibre-optic backbone along railway corridors, enhancing regional connectivity. Additionally, the ‘Online Azerbaijan’ initiative seeks to provide high-speed internet access nationwide, including remote areas, with substantial progress reported by late 2023. The implementation of a government cloud infrastructure (G-Cloud) has also centralised and secured state information systems, with over 110 state institutions migrating their systems by early 2024.

Azerbaijan’s data protection framework is primarily governed by the Law on Personal Data No. 998-IIIQ, enacted on 11 May 2010. This legislation delineates the principles for collecting, processing, and safeguarding personal data, aiming to protect individuals’ privacy rights. Processing personal data typically requires the explicit consent of the data subject, unless the data is publicly available or processing is mandated by law. Transferring personal data to third parties or across borders is permissible only with the data subject’s written consent, except in cases stipulated by law. While the law establishes responsibilities for data controllers and processors, Azerbaijan lacks a dedicated independent data protection authority, with oversight responsibilities distributed among various governmental bodies.

In March 2025, Azerbaijan approved its Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025–2028, aiming to enhance economic competitiveness, foster a skilled AI workforce, and promote ethical AI usage. The strategy emphasises developing high-performance computing infrastructure, establishing a legal framework aligned with international standards, and promoting AI across sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, and energy. To support this strategy, institutions such as the Artificial Intelligence Lab and the AI Academy have been established, focusing on research, development, and training in the AI domain.

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The United Arab Emirates has nearly universal connectivity, with approximately 99% of the population online as of 2024. It ranks 1st in the world for mobile internet speed and 4th for fixed broadband in October 2025, reflecting extensive fibre and 5G deployment. In the 2024 UN E-Government Survey, it is 11th worldwide in the overall E-Government Development Index and scores the maximum value in the Telecommunications Infrastructure Index.

In broader digital performance, the UAE placed 12th globally in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2023, and 11th in several 2024 summaries, indicating strong capabilities in digital technology adoption and readiness. It also tops Oxford Insights’ Government AI Readiness Index 2024, and performs well in GovTech and digital government service-delivery benchmarks.

At the city level, Abu Dhabi is ranked 5th in the world in the 2025 IMD Smart City Index, and the country is among those with the highest reported AI use (about 59% of the population using AI tools, in Microsoft’s 2025 diffusion report). Combined with its role as a regional data centre and submarine cable hub, this positions the UAE as one of the leading digital economies in the Arab region.

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Digital Snapshot – Key Policies and Laws

Saint Lucia’s digital governance is anchored in telecom regulation and regional coordination. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), established under the Telecommunications Act, oversees telecommunications and broadcasting regulation and universal access, while Saint Lucia also aligns with OECS/Eastern Caribbean approaches through programmes such as CARDTP.

In cybersecurity and trust, the legal base includes cybercrime and digital transaction rules, but the ‘strategy layer’ is still developing. An ITU country profile notes gaps in formalised national cybersecurity programming, including capacity-building and standardisation efforts, while CARDTP is advancing a national government data centre and a government cyber incident response team (CIRT) as concrete institutional steps.

When government builds its own data centre

Digital policy instruments: Saint Lucia’s most concrete recent ‘state capacity’ move in digital governance is the pairing of a National Government Datacenter with a Governmental Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) under the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP). In an official update, the Government says a site has been selected for the data centre and that CARDTP’s Public Sector Modernisation unit is working with the Department of Physical Development to finalise the design plans. A stakeholder consultation held on 11 February 2025 brought together the CARDTP Project Implementation Unit and senior government ICT leadership, including Government Information Technology Services and the Public Sector Modernisation team, to align next steps. The datacenter is described as a ‘state-of-the-art’ facility intended to strengthen government operations, data security, and digital service delivery, while the CIRT is framed as a centralised unit for proactive monitoring, response, and mitigation of cyber threats across government agencies, in other words, moving incident response from ad hoc handling toward coordinated governance.

On privacy, the Data Protection Act exists and has been partially brought into force, and e-commerce is supported by the Electronic Transactions Act, which includes consumer protection provisions and intermediary/ISP liability provisions.

On connectivity policy, the country has both a published broadband plan and an active update cycle. The National Broadband Policy and Plan 2013–2018 sets out priorities and actions for rollout, and a newer broadband policy implementation plan is currently under consultation in the context of digital transformation and ‘meaningful connectivity,’ with resilience treated as a design concern. Saint Lucia’s public-sector digital capacity is reflected in the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) dataset, where the telecommunications infrastructure sub-index is reported alongside the overall EGDI score.

Digitally, Saint Lucia’s infrastructure stack combines international links, domestic access, and local interconnection. TeleGeography lists Castries as a landing point for the Eastern Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS), and Saint Lucia is also on the Southern Caribbean Fiber (SCF) regional system, including an express branch connecting Barbados–St Lucia–St Croix. To reduce latency and keep local traffic local, the government launched the SLiX Internet Exchange Point, framed as a way to reduce dependence on expensive international routing for domestic traffic.

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On cloud and ’emerging tech,’ Saint Lucia’s public signals are strongest in government modernisation and financial regulation rather than glossy national strategies. The Government has a live process to develop a Cloud Infrastructure Policy and a Business Continuity Plan that explicitly leverages cloud for the continuity of critical services, and it is also building baseline skills through the public-sector AI training workshops tied to CARDTP.

In fintech governance, Saint Lucia has moved early in the region by operationalising a licensing framework for virtual-asset activity: the FSRA publicly states that it is the authority for supervision and regulation under the Virtual Asset Business Act (2022). Finally, core internet identifiers are formally anchored in global governance: IANA’s delegation record documents the administration of the .lc country-code domain.

Saint Lucia’s permanent mission to the UN:

Saint Lucia’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office and other international organisations in Geneva represents the country across the Geneva-based multilateral system, engaging in diplomacy and negotiations on issues handled in Geneva (notably human rights and other UN and international organisation agendas hosted at UNOG). The UNOG Blue Book listing provides the mission’s official contact and location details, and identifies its leadership, including the Permanent Representative.

Official UN website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/saint-lucia

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Digital Snapshot – Key Policies and Laws

Syria’s digital profile is defined less by scale than by transition. In early 2025, the country had about 9.01 million internet users, 35.8% internet penetration, and 19.5 million mobile connections, while Internet Society Pulse rated its overall internet resilience at 31/100 and e-government readiness at 38.88. These figures place Syria well below stronger regional performers and underline that its digital agenda is still shaped by reconstruction, not maturity.

The most consequential recent shift was geopolitical: after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the US revoked broad Syria sanctions effective 1 July 2025. That did not solve Syria’s digital problems, but it materially widened the space for software access, cloud services, financial flows, infrastructure investment, and international partnerships.

Sanctions lift and the digital reset

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Syria entered a new phase of digital and economic reopening. A key turning point came when the US revoked broad country-based sanctions, effective July 1, 2025, removing long-standing barriers to global digital integration. For years, sanctions had constrained access to software, cloud services, financial platforms, and international partnerships, shaping a highly restricted digital environment. Their removal did not instantly transform the landscape, but it significantly widened the space for reform. Syrian businesses, developers, and users began reconnecting to global tools and markets, while policymakers moved to attract investment and rebuild digital infrastructure. At the same time, challenges remain: regulatory uncertainty, weak institutions, and infrastructure gaps continue to limit the pace and inclusiveness of recovery. The shift is therefore best understood not as a clean break, but as the opening of a new, still-fragile chapter in Syria’s digital governance trajectory.

At the policy level, Syria does have a formal state framework for digital transformation. The government adopted a national digital transformation strategy for government services in August 2021, structured around a nine-year implementation horizon to 2030 and 49 projects. It later added a national cloud computing policy in December 2022, a cybersecurity strategy adopted in June 2023, and Law No. 12 of 2024 on electronic personal data protection, with executive instructions issued in July 2024.

Infrastructure and market policy are now moving faster than before. Syria has launched Barq Net, a nationwide FTTP initiative covering all 14 governorates; announced its first practical 5G pilot in May 2025; and signed on to the Medusa submarine cable project in Tartous, while presenting SilkLink as the backbone of a rebuilt national fibre network. In parallel, the state-backed SEEP Online e-commerce platform, new Visa and Mastercard partnerships, and the earlier digital signature and IT services law show a gradual effort to connect telecom reform, e-payments, e-commerce, and the wider digital economy.

Emerging technologies remain at an early stage. Syria has discussed AI governance in regional forums and presented AI as a tool to improve government performance, but evidently, there is no standalone national AI strategy or AI law. The picture is therefore one of partial layering rather than full consolidation: cloud policy exists, 5G rollout has begun, digital payments are expanding, and data protection has been formalised, yet a relatively weak infrastructure, limited competition, and unresolved rights concerns continue to shape the country’s digital trajectory.

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Syria’s permanent mission to the UN:

Syria’s Permanent Mission in Geneva represents the Syrian Arab Republic at the UN Office at Geneva and at other international organisations based in Switzerland. According to UN Geneva’s official Blue Book, the mission is located at the International Centre Cointrin (ICC), Route de Pré-Bois 20, Geneva, and the current Permanent Representative is H.E. Mr Haydar Ali Ahmad, who presented his credentials in February 2023. The mission is Syria’s main diplomatic channel in Geneva for multilateral engagement on issues such as human rights, humanitarian affairs, disarmament, health, labour, and other UN processes.

Official UNOG website: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/blue-book/missions/member-states/syrian-arab-republic

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The Bahamas boasts a high level of digital access: in early 2025, internet penetration reached 94.8%, with 381,000 users, and mobile broadband coverage stood at 99% of the population. The country’s fixed internet speeds average around 74 Mbps, up from 59 Mbps the previous year. Telecom operators BTC and Aliv lead broadband and LTE services nationwide, supported by submarine fibre links and regional disaster-connectivity initiatives such as Starlink.

Under the IDB‑supported digital transformation, the Bahamas is centralising e‑government services through the DTU’s MyGateway portal, digitising hundreds of services and modernising public-sector ICT with data centres and disaster recovery systems. The Sand Dollar CBDC, launched in 2020 as the world’s first national digital currency, has been progressively scaled and integrated into the broader financial system to promote inclusivity and secure digital payments.

With a digitally connected population, roughly 62% are active social media users across platforms, and over 87% have mobile connections. ICT services still carry a premium; fixed broadband is about 113% more expensive than OECD averages, while mobile data costs are 24% higher, pointing to untapped opportunities in affordability and rural expansion. Ongoing investment in fibre backbone resilience, PPPs, and digital inclusion initiatives aims to complete the digital ecosystem and further enhance economic impact

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Antigua and Barbuda’s connectivity is anchored by multiple submarine cable links and a maturing local interconnection layer. International bandwidth lands at St John’s via the Eastern Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS), with additional regional capacity from Digicel’s Deep Blue One/Southern Caribbean Fiber—together giving diverse north–south routes across the Lesser Antilles. A new CELIA system has been announced, with Antigua participating and target service by 2027, which would further strengthen resilience and price diversity.

Domestically, Antigua and Barbuda is moving traffic closer to home: an Antigua and Barbuda Internet Exchange (ABIX) was registered as AS401034 in April 2024, indicating a local peering fabric designed to keep on-island traffic local and reduce latency. On the services side, the country shares in a regional milestone, the ECCB’s DCash retail CBDC pilot (March 2021–12 January 2024), which, although concluded, marked a notable first for a currency union and informs ongoing ‘DCash 2.0’ work.

The legal framework for online activity is comparatively comprehensive for a small market: the Electronic Transactions Act (2013, amended 2016) gives legal effect to e-signatures and e-records, while the Data Protection Act (2013) establishes privacy principles and oversight; telecoms policy is framed by the Cap. 423 and its 2018 amendment (e.g. groundwork for number portability). Combined with subsea diversity and the emerging IXP, these instruments place Antigua and Barbuda near the regional frontier on a few practical enablers: redundant international paths, local peering in progress, and a functioning e-transactions/privacy rulebook suited to expanding digital services.

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Bahrain’s digital profile is built on very strong connectivity. The national portal notes that Bahrain achieved nationwide 5G services as one of the first countries in the world, with 5G download speeds above 2 Gbps and more than 95% fibre rollout across the Kingdom by 2023. The telecom regulator describes Bahrain as ‘one of the most advanced communications markets globally,’ with nationwide 5G and widespread fibre broadband, and has recently approved wholesale changes that allow fibre speeds to more than double at no extra retail cost.

Cloud adoption is another area where Bahrain stands out. In 2019, AWS opened its first Middle East Region in Bahrain, putting the country in a strong position to capitalise on cloud computing. Government sources report that around 85% of government data has been migrated to AWS, a level of public-sector cloud usage that is unusually high by global standards and credited with improving resilience and efficiency. These moves are anchored in a Cloud First policy and a comprehensive National Digital Economy Strategy that positions Bahrain as a connected, innovation-driven digital hub.

On the innovation side, Bahrain’s startup ecosystem punches above its weight in the region. Startup Genome and local ecosystem reports estimate a value of around USD 1.2 billion in the ecosystem (2021–2023) and ~40% annual growth, with Bahrain ranked among the top 10 MENA ecosystems on several performance and cost-effectiveness metrics. These analyses highlight fintech, cybersecurity and AI/big data as key strengths, underpinned by strong connectivity, cloud infrastructure and supportive regulation, positioning Bahrain as a competitive regional hub for digital entrepreneurship.

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