ADDRESS BY
THE HONOURABLE DARYL VAZ, M.P

AT THE CARIBBEAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY

ROSE HALL RESORT AND COUNTRY CLUB

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA

JUNE 23, 2009

"Innovation, Demand and Competitiveness in Telecommunications:  Implications for the Caribbean Region and Beyond"

Salutations

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to be addressing you on the occasion of the very first Caribbean Regional Conference of the International Telecommunications Society.  Some of the best minds in our region will contend with the challenges and the unparalleled opportunities for development, which fast pace innovations in the ICT's have offered up.

 On behalf of the government, I extend a warm welcome to all participants of the Conference and a very special one to the visitors to our shores and the island's beautiful second city Montego Bay.

Mona School of Business (MSB

To the Mona School of Business (MSB) which has organized this impressive and important forum, we express continued appreciation for its signal contribution to the regional cooperation and economic development in the Caribbean which the institution itself represents.  It might be said that cooperation and the prospects for development will be the burden of your focus over the coming days.

The upcoming exchanges will take you through an examination of the environment within which our developing States seek to compete.  

The global business environment

Advances in telecommunications, information technology, and the internet have so greatly transformed the global business environment, that a robust and dependable telecoms infrastructure is a basic prerequisite for:

• the success of our local businesses;
• the prospect of attracting investment;
• simply surviving the rough seas which surround us and better yet
• emerging stronger than before.

The complexities of our global village also compel the acknowledgement that the bases of the world's economic life and business now rest upon knowledge; and that knowledge is indeed power.

So just  as the industrial revolution saw to a shift from man to machine and brought  about great changes in:-  agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transportation - and just as that experience had a profound influence on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in  countries throughout the world  -  today's global revolution involves a shift to the mind - content is king and the multiple yet converging platforms for its delivery, the kingdom.

Located in the satellite footprint of one of the world's most influential economies and cultures - it is the region's imperative to get it right!

Seizing opportunities

It is in seizing opportunities such as these that we can share fully and meaningfully the outcomes of our successes, trials and errors; best practices and lay the foundation where necessary for scoping the research and analysis which can inform policy recommendations and business decisions.  It is my view that rather than attempting to navigate difficulties individually, a comprehensive and harmonized regional approach to issues such as Digitalization and Spectrum Reform is necessary. 

Though it is understood that ‘one size fits all regulation' is not perhaps possible across the board I believe complementary approaches may be devised and a common agenda and benchmarks agreed.

Challenges of the new landscape

This is made possible because of the interconnectedness between our States and in particular, our people.  We hold in common the emerging regulatory issues and challenges attendant on the convergence of technology, services, businesses, markets and user perceptions.  Unified policy and new or reformed legislative and regulatory frameworks are required to meet the challenges of the new landscape:

• addressing the needs of consumers driving demand over a range of platforms and devices;
• stimulating individual creation given the enhanced capacity the technology offers at low costs;
• - safeguarding selectivity and control of easily accessed content while providing choice to consumers around Wireless Communication and Mobility as well as access to next generation broadband technologies.

Personalized Media and Mobile Devices; Transformative Internet Related Media; ever evolving applications and devices are all now etched as part of the mosaic.

Comprehensive and Responsive Regulation

       Regulation will have now therefore to be yet responsive enough to accommodate Telecom and IT companies who are also content providers; develop Codes and Standards which promote quality outputs; protect minors and human dignity without stifling innovation and emerging business interests.

       Regulatory reform will have to be as diverse as the existing and emerging technologies and sophisticated enough to address in some way the virtual space.  We will have to work hard at removing from the "unresolved" column matters such as ‘peer to peer communication'; mobile TV across national borders; privacy; security and in every particular, the protection of the consumer from risks inherent in market driven content.

A commitment to Universal Access

These matters also underscore something else for policy makers. A commitment to Universal Access is as important as Media Literacy, after all technology is only an enabler if our people are able to traverse the information landscape in an informed manner in order to maximize opportunities and avoid pitfalls.

Where do we begin?

What then is my advice to this august body in relation to a beginning - I believe there will have to be some stock taking.  In Jamaica we are able to share with you at the outset, that for us:

• - Internet usage has increased while penetration is still relatively low.
• - The report for broadband penetration is also low when compared with our ambitions but the government has laid the foundation for accelerated development through facilitating the deployment of an island wide network.
• - Mobile use in Jamaica is pervasive and is perhaps the most visible aspect of expansion in Jamaica's telecommunication market - our total mobile subscriber base now exceeds 2.5 million in a population of approximately 2.7 million persons.

With this phenomenal growth in mobile telephony and telecommunications services in general, the demand for the spectrum resource has increased dramatically over the years.

Other significant Trends

Other trends I think of as significant enough to mention here include:

• - Noting that adjustments in the broadcast landscape has seen conglomeration in the media industry - locally the reference is to the RJR Group; CVM Group and to Flow for example for triple play services.
• - There has also been an increase in investment in the cable sector, though mergers has become a feature of the business models;
• - Telecoms providers have entered the media market via Subscriber Television and content dominates and drives cable, internet and mobile use.

The implications for the broadcast regulator

The implications for the broadcast regulator thus far have been (among other things) that - the Broadcasting Commission is active in content regulation of traditional services and communication platforms (Radio, TV, and Cable) but there is an increasing public expectation that this Regulator should regulate content on new media (such as IP TV, Mobile TV) and be responsible for promoting and facilitating media literacy. With the accelerated convergence in technologies we are now pressed to streamline the regulatory system.

Significant capital investment

Our telecommunications sector continues to benefit from significant capital investment due to the demands for the spectrum and its accessibility in a liberalized market. Lowered prices in media and telecommunications services have increased revenues overall despite additional providers in the market. 

Overall the local chronicle is one of risk taken, opportunities seized, responsiveness to demand and demographics through innovative services and attractive pricing packages.

Development Challenge

Ladies and gentlemen, I have told you a part of our story and we expect to benefit from what has been imprinted on your pages which will serve to complete the picture of what we have achieved as a region and how together we can advance development through innovation and competitiveness in the information and telecommunications industry.

Thanks for your attention.  I close by wishing you successful deliberations and I look forward to receiving a report of the recommendations from these proceedings.