Suriname’s telecommunications company Telesur has joined forces with French telecom giant Orange to significantly enhance internet capacity in the country. This move comes in response to Suriname’s exceptionally high mobile data consumption compared to the region, driven by the burgeoning oil and gas industry and the increasing reliance on online and mobile transactions. International platforms like Facebook and TikTok have already established local servers in Suriname, which are heavily utilized. On Wednesday, two memoranda of understanding were signed between Telesur and Orange at the Courtyard Marriott. The first agreement focuses on Telesur purchasing additional capacity from Orange to support the growing oil and gas sector. The second agreement extends the collaboration on the Marowijne River data cable for another decade and includes plans to install a second river cable in the same region. Telesur’s director, Doric Ramlakhan, highlighted the nationwide surge in internet traffic, with user numbers in rural areas quadrupling since the introduction of 4G/LTE. The fiber-optic project is 70% complete, with over 60,000 households still awaiting the transition from copper connections to fiber. Foreign platforms have set up local servers to ensure continued access to services like Facebook during network outages. Beyond entertainment, including online gaming and streaming, there is a growing demand for business-oriented online services. Telesur plans to focus more on mobile payment systems, which are expected to grow rapidly due to the oil and gas industry’s expansion and increased tourism. According to the World Bank, Suriname ranked third globally in 2024 for mobile data usage, with an average of 73 GB per person, trailing Curaçao (131 GB) and Kuwait (84 GB). China leads in the number of internet users (1.3 billion), followed by India (1 billion) and the United States (324 million).