In terms of access and usage, Tanzania is a mobile-first digital economy, with mobile money serving as a standout indicator in Africa. GSMA and IFC / World Bank work show registered mobile-money accounts more than doubling from 26 to 53 million between 2019 and 2023, raising penetration from 46% to 83% and making Tanzania one of the most vibrant mobile-money markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Such a digital setup supports widespread digital payments and informal e-commerce through social media, as reinforced by trends in the Bank of Tanzaniaâs 2023 national payment systems report.
Institutionally, Tanzania stands out in the region for implementing a comprehensive data-protection regime and for its early work on AI governance. The Personal Data Protection Act, 2022 and its implementing regulations (2023/2024) establish modern rules and a dedicated Personal Data Protection Commission. In parallel, Tanzania has completed a UNESCO-backed National AI Readiness Assessment and is developing a National AI Strategy and ethical AI guidelines, all of which are nested within a broader Digital Economy Strategic Framework for 2024â2034.
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The digital economy agenda is led by the Tonga E-Commerce Strategy and Roadmap 2021â2026, which focuses on ICT infrastructure, trade logistics, legal frameworks, digital payments, skills, SME finance, womenâs participation, and youth entrepreneurship. Tonga has also moved from strategy to implementation through e-commerce platforms, payment-gateway initiatives, and a FinTech Regulatory Sandbox Framework under the National Reserve Bank of Tonga.
The digital services in Tonga are shaped by the Electronic Transactions Act 2025, which gives legal recognition to electronic information and communications, and the Privacy Act 2025, which establishes a comprehensive personal-data protection framework, including rights, breach notification, cross-border transfer rules, and a Privacy Commission. These reforms are closely linked to digital ID, health records, e-commerce, cloud use, and future AI systems.
Regarding digital infrastructure, the 2022 volcanic eruption and subsequent cable disruptions exposed the risks of relying on limited submarine links, while the 2024 VavaÊ»u and HaÊ»apai outage brought Starlink licensing to the centre of public debate. In 2026, Tongaâs second international undersea cable, the Tonga Hawaiki Cable Branch System, was completed, strengthening redundancy and supporting more reliable connectivity for public services, businesses, and disaster response.
Tonga e-Pass
On 29 May 2025, Tonga launched TongaPass, a new e-government portal and a government API integration platform, marking a practical shift from fragmented digital projects toward shared public digital infrastructure. TongaPass assigns a unique digital identifier to people registered in the civil registration system, while the portal is designed to become a single entry point for online public services. The API layer is meant to enable ministries to exchange data securely, reducing duplication and making it easier to connect services across government. For a dispersed island state, these regulations are already improving access for people outside main administrative centres. They are also providing connectivity, usability, and inclusion.
Regarding emerging technologies, Tonga is laying the foundations for AI-enabled public services through data exchange, digital ID, cloud policy, and cybersecurity. Oxford Insightsâ Government AI Readiness Index 2024 assesses countries across government, technology-sector, and data/infrastructure pillars, and Tongaâs 2024 DataReportal profile shows its relative strengths are in data and infrastructure rather than AI-specific governance. Connectivity is also improving: DataReportal counted 117.6 thousand mobile connections in early 2024, equivalent to 108.7% of the population, showing high mobile dependence even as affordability, outer-island access, and resilience remain central challenges.
Tonga’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva:
The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Tonga to the UN is Tongaâs main multilateral representation to the UN system and is listed on the UNâs official mission platform with a New York address. Tonga was admitted to the UN on 14 September 1999, and its mission represents the Kingdom in UN diplomacy, including issues that are central to Small Island Developing States such as climate change, disaster risk, ocean governance, sustainable development, and international cooperation.
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Here you can explore the countryâs main digital strategies, laws, and regulations by simply asking the chatbot, which is designed to help you quickly find relevant documents and understand the countryâs digital policy landscape.
Main digital policies and regulations in the country:
Mozambiqueâs digital landscape is shaped by limited internet access, high costs, and uneven infrastructure. Mobile networks are the primary means of connectivity, with fixed-line broadband largely unavailable. As of 2025, about 20% of the population is online, with strong urban-rural disparities. While cities like Maputo benefit from 4G and limited 5G coverage, many rural areas lack even basic mobile broadband.
Affordability is a major barrier, with the cost of data and devices high relative to income. Low digital literacy and limited access to electricity further constrain internet use, particularly in rural and low-income communities. Government initiatives, supported by the World Bank and others, aim to expand connectivity through programs like digital plazas and rural infrastructure projects. Submarine cables and new mobile towers are improving capacity, and satellite services like Starlink now offer alternatives in remote regions.
Regulation is overseen by the National Communications Institute, and a National Cybersecurity Strategy is in place. However, data protection remains fragmented, and internet freedom has come under pressure following politically motivated shutdowns. Compared to regional peers, Mozambique lags in digital access, speed, and affordability, but ongoing investments and reforms are slowly narrowing the gap.
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Peru ranks among the top five countries in Latin America for digital government foundational reforms, according to the 2023 OECD/IDB Digital Government Indexâpositioned alongside Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Mexico. On connectivity and digital inclusion, Peru had an internet penetration rate of 79.5% at the start of 2025, placing it above the average for many regional peers. In addition, Peru hosts 13 internet exchange points and 15 data centers, allowing 68% of the top 1,000 visited websites to be delivered via local servers or cachesâexceeding the Americas benchmark of 50%. Mobile broadband connections exceed 115% of the population, with over 92% on 3G/4G/5G networks.
Peru shows particular strength in digital tax administration and GovTech platforms, earning high regional ratings for the digitisation of central tax revenue systems and deployment of national identity, talent, and SME platforms. Combined with a strong surge in academic and private sector AI research output and structured regulatory reforms in line with global norms, Peru is positioning itself as a standout among upperâmiddleâincome nations in Latin Americaâs digital ecosystem.
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North Macedonia has developed a strong foundation in connectivity and digital infrastructure, achieving nearâuniversal 3G/4G coverage and launching 5G in major urban centres. As of midâ2025, its median mobile download speeds reached approximately 167â255âŻMbps, placing the country around 14th globally, a notable performance among emerging digital economies. Fixed broadband speeds, while respectableâaveraging around 50â83âŻMbpsâlag further behind in global rankings, roughly in the 100thâ105th range.
Digital adoption among the population is also significant. In early 2025, approximately 92% of the population were internet users, with mobile connections totalling 2.65 million, or about 146% of the population, reflecting widespread multi-device use. While fixedâline infrastructure coverage has incrementally improvedâwith ultraâfast connections (over 100âŻMbps) available to more than 63% of households by 2020, up from 43.8% in 2018âactual uptake of such services remains moderate.
In the regional context, North Macedonia often outpaces its neighbours in internet speed benchmarks. For instance, it recorded average connection speeds of 97.9âŻMbps, leading over nearby European countries such as Slovenia, Serbia, and Greece. Moreover, its infrastructure and market sophistication scoresâas reflected in the Global Innovation Index (ranked 66th globally)âare relatively stronger than its ranking in institutional or human capital dimensions, highlighting particular strengths in digital infrastructure and market readiness
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Nicaragua has steadily grown its digital connectivity: as of early 2025, about 64.1% of the population were internet users, up from ~61.5% in 2024. Mobile penetration is high, with approximately 125 mobile connections per 100 people, many of which are broadbandâcapable (3G/4G). Fixed broadband speeds are improving: median fixed-line internet speeds are ~51 Mbps, and mobile median speeds are ~16 Mbps, though mobile speeds saw a slight decline year on year.
On infrastructure, Nicaragua is one of the landing countries for the submarine cable system ARCOS-1, which connects 24 landing points across 15 countries in the Americas and Caribbean. This gives Nicaragua some advantage in international backbone connectivity. Domestically, there is still a notable gap: many rural and remote regions have less reliable broadband or fixed-line service. The country also has modest performance on metrics like locally cached content, IPv6 adoption (~40%), and only one major data centre.
In comparative terms within Latin America, Nicaragua tends to lag behind regional averages on internet use and fixed broadband availability, but it is improving.
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Papua New Guinea (PNG) has made measurable strides in building digital infrastructure: the Kumul Submarine Cable Network, which connects many coastal provinces and links PNG to international fibre routes, is a key achievement. Another infrastructure strength is through PNG DataCoâs mandate to connect major towns via fibre (sub-sea and land-based) and provide redundant international links to Australia, Asia and elsewhere.
Yet in terms of digital usage, PNG remains behind regional averages. Internet penetration is approximately 24% of the population as of early 2025. Mobile connection rates are higher than fixed broadband and many people still have limited or no reliable internet access, especially in rural and remote areas.
Among its regional peers (Pacific / Oceania), PNGâs relative strengths are in its recent infrastructure investment â especially submarine-cable-based backbone, and ambitions to connect 70% of its population by 2030. However, PNG is weak in locally-cached content (only ~2% of top sites are served locally), low resilience (internet resilience score ~31%), and limited service provider choice.
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Follow Papua New Guinea’s digital submarine cables
Turkmenistanâs digital profile in 2025 reflects a mixed picture of emerging infrastructure development amid relatively low user penetration. According to DataReportal, about 34.9 % of the population (â 2.64 million people) are internet users, and there are roughly 5.14 million active mobile connections, equivalent to about 68 % of the population.
On the infrastructure front, the newly established city of Arkadag has received particular attention: in 2025, it launched 5G mobile service using Huawei base stations, following earlier deployment of 4G+ and fibre-optical (GPON) connectivity to apartments. telecommunications operators in the country (notably the state entity Altyn Asyr) already operate 2G, 3G and LTE networks, and expansion toward next-generation connectivity is a stated goal.
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Panamaâs digital economy is strong in e-commerce, fintech and cloud services, supported by its logistics and financial sectors. Digital payments are widespread, and the country is promoting fintech, blockchain and AI initiatives, though rural connectivity and SME digitalisation still lag.
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Nigerâs core digital infrastructure has advanced quickly for a low-income, landlocked Sahelian state. The country has completed a 1,031-km national and cross-border fibre backbone, along with a Tier III national data centre in Niamey, a project described by the African Development Bank as âa major stepâ for broadband connectivity and regional digital integration. Niger is also among the early African adopters of Starlinkâs high-speed satellite internet, becoming the 18th African country to license the service with a five-year operating permit, aimed at boosting connectivity where terrestrial networks are weak.
