By Indhira Desangles
Special for El Inmobiliario
How good is the connection? The critical and underrated question that defines the value of a commercial property.
One of the issues I have most frequently encountered in consulting with companies, especially regarding corporate relocations or expansion of operations, is this:
"And what's the internet like in that area?"
And although it may sometimes seem like a minor question, it's not. Because in the world of commercial real estate, connectivity is power.
In many parts of Latin America —including urban areas of the Dominican Republic— there is a silent battle that is not being talked about enough: internet quality defines operations.
When location fails in the invisible.
I have seen beautiful projects, with an enviable location, ample parking and luxury finishes, but with connectivity problems.
The result?
Businesses unable to operate smoothly, Zoom, Teams or Meet calls that drop, systems that don't sync, e-commerce platforms that load slowly.
And that has a real cost.
A commercial premises, office or warehouse with a poor connection loses operational value and, therefore, market value.
What are companies looking for today?
It's no longer enough for a space to be beautiful. Companies are looking for:
• Areas with real fiber optics or effective 5G coverage (not promises).
• Redundancy of connection and electrical backups that guarantee continuity.
• Reliable internet providers with technical scalability and good support.
In industries such as contact centers, fintechs, telemedicine, digital agencies, e-commerce, or any 24/7 operation, poor connectivity is worse than a bad neighbor.
And how are things in the Dominican Republic?
The internet speed situation in the country shows marked contrasts between the different types of connection:
📉 Fixed broadband: critical lag
According to the Speedtest Global Index (March 2025), the Dominican Republic ranks 111th in fixed internet speed, with an average download speed of 45.79 Mbps.
This puts us below Haiti (46.19 Mbps, 110th place), and far from leading countries in the region such as Chile, which ranks 7th worldwide with 288.66 Mbps.
This lag limits the competitive value of many properties, especially in emerging areas that still depend on old cabling or do not have adequate agreements with suppliers.
📱 Mobile internet: a light at the end of the tunnel
In contrast, the outlook for mobile internet is more promising.
The Dominican Republic ranks among the top five Latin American countries in mobile connection speed, along with Brazil, Chile, and Guatemala.
And in 5G technology, the advances have been significant: in the third quarter of 2023, the country ranked sixth globally according to Ookla, with average speeds of 430 Mbps.
This makes areas well covered by 5G — such as sections of Piantini, Naco, Bella Vista and Winston Churchill Avenue — increasingly attractive for hybrid, remote and highly digitized operations.
What do I do as an agent?
When I advise a company or investor, I no longer just talk about square meters and rental price per meter.
I'm talking about:
• How many internet providers are there in the area?
• What is the technical support or outage history?
• Does the property have access to fiber optics or actual 5G coverage?
• Does it have power backup and network redundancy?
Because the internet isn't visible in a photo, but it can be the deciding factor between a company staying... or leaving.
Final reflection
The future of commercial real estate is not just physical. It's digital.
And whoever doesn't understand it in time, gets left behind.
Investing in areas with good connectivity infrastructure is not a luxury. It's a competitive necessity.
Because today, more than ever, a property is worth what it allows you to operate, not just how it looks.
The author is a specialist in commercial and corporate real estate, with more than 20 years of experience providing services to investors and clients in the national and international market.
