ECTEL partners with CTU to host broadband Internet development workshop in St Lucia

CASTRIES, St Lucia -- The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) is this week holding a regional workshop on broadband Internet development, in partnership with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU). The workshop is being held in Saint Lucia from October 19 to 22. The four-day event is an important step in the ongoing regional process to develop the legal framework for undersea cables, open and retail Internet access, Internet Exchange Points and broadband quality of service.

The event is part of the Caribbean Communications Infrastructure Project (CARCIP), which is being implemented in three ECTEL member states -- Grenada, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“The workshop is not a consultation but will provide capacity building to stakeholders in international best practices and principles for the regulation of subsea fibre, open and retail access and quality of service in the electronic communications market,” said Winston George, coordinator of the ECTEL component of the CARCIP project.

The workshop is intended to pull together a broad spectrum of interests, including regional regulators, consumer advocacy groups, Internet service providers and government representatives with responsibility for telecommunications in the CARCIP participating countries.

CARCIP is a World Bank-funded initiative, coordinated by the CTU. It aims to improve access to and use of information and communication technologies in the participating countries and other ECTEL member states, St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica.

Caribbean Tech Entrepreneurs Benefit From CARCIP Business Incubator Grant

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia—The Caribbean Communications Infrastructure Programme (CARCIP) is continuing to provide opportunities for young tech entrepreneurs and small and medium sized tech businesses to develop and expand their horizons.

eMagine Solutions Incorporated, a web design and development company, was recently handed a server which was procured under the CARCIP Business Incubator Grant. The server will be used for the purpose of developing an enterprise solution.

The company had already benefited from consultancy services through CARCIP, to develop a software platform, which would allow them to provide business solutions to small/medium enterprises like themselves. CARCIP’s assistance to eMagine Solutions Incorporated comes at a total cost of EC$80,000.00

The CARCIP Business Incubator Grant provides financial assistance for the purpose of enhancing operations of ICT or ICT- enabled businesses. Through this grant facility companies are expected to innovate business processes with the aim of improving productivity and efficiency in their daily operations.

In the coming months, CARCIP will be lending assistance to at least 20 other businesses.

International Experts Head To Belize For Regional Tech Conference

A full line-up of international tech experts will gather in Belize from November 2 to 6, when the capital city plays host to a historic regional ICT development conference. Among the expert facilitators is Bevil Wooding, the Founder and Executive Director of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), Guillermo Cicileo, the Security, Stability and Resiliency Coordinator at the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC); and Shernon Osepa, the Manager of Regional Affairs for Latin America and The Caribbean at the Internet Society (ISOC).

Held jointly by LACNIC and CaribNOG, the gathering will provide a space for various key actors in the Latin American and Caribbean Internet to network together and strengthen relationships.

The weeklong conference will address topics ranging from cloud computing, Internet peering, IPv6, DNSSEC, RPKI, and cybersecurity.

“The growing importance of computer networks to Caribbean enterprise cannot be separated from the costly impact of the cyber attacks  these networks constantly face. Caribbean Cybersecurity needs Caribbean cyber-defenders,” said Bevil Wooding, one of the co-founders and  a director of CaribNOG.

“The Caribbean has to invest in development of indigenous human capacity to defend its networks and manage its critical telecommunications and networking infrastructure. Through CaribNOG we are raising a cadre of Caribbean experts to do just that.”

Wooding will deliver the keynote on the opening day, when the event kicks off at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City.

The meeting is hosted by the Belize Public Utilities Commission, and supported by an impressive list of high-profile international organisations including Google, the American Registry for Internet Numbers, Packet Clearing House, BrightPath Foundation, the Internet Cooperation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the Internet Society, the Amsterdam Internet Exchange Caribbean and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union.

The conference is actually two events in one: a joint meeting of LACNIC Caribbean on the Move, and the highly anticipated tenth installment of CaribNOG’s regional gatherings.

CaribNOG10, which takes place from November 3 to 6, will draw industry experts from across the region and around the world. CaribNOG’s regional meetings have developed a well-earned reputation as a critical forum for rich discussions on the region’s technology landscape.

“CaribNOG is always seeking to better position the Caribbean to address critical technology challenges and issues and to navigate our way collective to relevant solutions,” said Stephen Lee, CaribNOG’s Program Coordinator.

The opening day of the weeklong event is dedicated to LACNIC Caribbean on the Move. This fairly fresh addition to the regional tech community’s calendar targets senior policy makers, government officials, regulators, IT professionals, university students, and technology journalists and bloggers.

“Through LACNIC Caribbean on the Move, we’ll be raising awareness of prime Internet issues, and we’ll also be listening to the community’s experiences in fostering open, stable and secure Internet development,” said Kevon Swift, LACNIC’s External Relations Officer for the Caribbean.

Registration is absolutely free, and livestreaming will be available for unregistered remote participants.