Building The Caribbean Internet Through Relationships: CarPIF Connects The People Behind The Region’s Networks

It seems the region’s tech community is on to something that has eluded our politicians. Human networks are key to our development. And there is an unique group dedicated to getting the right people in the same place at the same time, so that the right deals and partnerships can help strengthen and expand the Internet in the Caribbean. Computer network engineers use the term Peering to describe the arrangement between two or more networks that exchange Internet traffic between their networks without cost, typically at an Internet exchange point. But peering is also an apt term to describe the human connections that make these arrangements possible.

Around the world, Peering Forums are held to promote regional Internet development and grow the global Internet economy. The Caribbean held its first Peering Forum, dubbed CarPIF, in May 2015 in Barbados.

Last week, more than 100 key decision makers from the Caribbean, Latin America, USA and Europe gathered in Curaçao for the second edition of this unique regional forum. The event was held at the Renaissance Resort in the capital, Willemstad, from June 7 to 10.

Participants included senior officials from regional governments, Internet organisations, service providers, exchange points operators and telecommunications regulators—along with  international content providers from companies like Facebook, Google and Akamai.

One of the things that makes CarPIF unique in the growing pantheon of Caribbean tech events is the opportunity it provides regional and international stakeholders to meet each other in an environment specifically designed for building relationship and raising awareness of development opportunities. That’s a big draw, and the two-day event did not disappoint.

Short sessions were punctuated by long breaks filled with coffee-fueled conversation among participants eager to shake hands, share knowledge and broker deals.

“CarPIF is much more than just great technical presentations. It’s about the interactions, human relationships and the shared experiences that help national, regional and international participants shape the future of development of the Internet in the Caribbean in a tangible and meaningful way,” said Bevil Wooding, CarPIF founder and Caribbean Outreach Manager for the US-based non-profit Packet Clearing House (PCH).

CarPIF is an initiative of PCH and the Internet Society (ISOC), with the support of the Caribbean Network Operators Group and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, an inter-governmental Caribbean organisation.

“Given the growth of Internet usage and the increasing importance of Internet infrastructure to every facet of development today, the Caribbean has come to the point where a forum specifically to address issues of Peering and Interconnection is critical to the long-term growth and resilience of the region’s telecommunication networks. And so, the purpose of CarPIF is to facilitate those kinds of interactions and the human relationships that underpin them,” Wooding said.

Shernon Osepa, ISOC manager of Regional Affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean, agreed, describing CarPIF as “a testament to the growth and maturity that continues to take place in the Caribbean Internet landscape.”

The organisers received support from the Amsterdam Internet Exchange, the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Registry, the American Registry of Internet Numbers, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and other organisations that have been working to increase awareness of what is required to grow the region’s Internet ecosystem.

The big lesson from CarPIF: behind every good Internet connection is a good human relationship. In that sense, the real work of building the Caribbean internet is not technical but human. And that is key to a better connected Caribbean.

PCH, Internet Society To Hold Third Peering Forum In Caribbean

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao—A number of regional and global Internet organisations have one important date circled for 2017.

The third Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum will be held in Sint Maarten on June 7, 2017 and the Internet community is already looking forward to it.

Referred to as CarPIF, the annual Forum is two days of meetings and deal-making specifically to promote regional Internet development. The first CarPIF meeting was held in May 2015, Barbados, the second in June 2016 in Curaçao.

Major global players look forward to these Peering Forums, or PIFs, because they provide a perfect setting for brokering new business deals in the various regional markets around the world. And the significance of the opportunity is hardly lost on Caribbean internet stakeholders.

This year, more than 100 key decision makers from across the region—including officials from internet organisations, telecommunications regulators and governments—gathered in Willemstad for the opportunity to meet with exchange point operators, Internet service providers and well-known international content providers, including Facebook, Google and Akamai.

“CarPIF 3 builds upon the success of the past two regional fora. The relationships between content providers, exchange point managers, telecom regulators and network operators are a critical to determining network performance, content delivery costs and, ultimately, the quality of service consumers receive,” said Bevil Wooding, Caribbean Outreach Manager for the US-based non-profit Packet Clearing House (PCH) and co-founder of CarPIF.

He announced the dates for the third CarPIF on the closing day of the second CarPIF event.

“We expect that the next CarPIF event will give Caribbean and international stakeholders a greater forum to forge relationships that will lead to a more robust Internet ecosystem in the Caribbean,” said Shernon Osepa, ISOC manager of Regional Affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean.

CarPIF is an initiative of PCH and the Internet Society (ISOC), with the support of the Caribbean Network Operators Group and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), an inter-governmental Caribbean organisation.

BVI Pushes For Next-Level Internet Development: Internet Exchange Point Earmarked For Upgrade

British Virgin Islands is stepping up efforts to get the most from its internet infrastructure.

On June 4, 2011, BVI became only the second country in English-speaking Caribbean to establish an internet exchange point. Called BVI-IX, the exchange point was seen as an investment that would help the British Overseas Territory to strengthen its telecommunications infrastructure and encourage greater development of local digital content. Last week, BVI officials announced new plans to realise that promise.

“We are engaging in what we call ‘phase two’ now,” said Elford Parsons, chief technical officer of the BVI Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, addressing participants at the second Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum, held in Willemstad, Curacao, from June 7 to 10.

According to Parsons, BVI is now working with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), an inter-governmental telecommunications policy organisation, and US-based non-profit firm Packet Clearing House (PCH), to develop their IXP to the next level. Over the coming months, technical training and workshops focused on network security, local content and electronic commerce will be organised to help the local market realise the expected benefits.

“We are pushing forward with phase two of the IXP in BVI. Our goal is facilitate greater development of local content and local services that take advantage of the exchange point. We also now have a third player in the market and we will be working with them to sign on and participate,” Parsons said.

CTU worked in collaboration with PCH to launch BVI-IX. CTU vice president and Minister of Communication and Works Mark Vanterpool, speaking at the official launch of BVI Internet Week in Tortola in September 2015, also noted the government’s desire to build on the BVI-IX.

“Here in the Virgin Islands, we understood the importance of establishing a local IXP, and we are happy to say that we have benefitted from having one of the very first IXPs established in the region,” he said but added, “more has to be done to realise the full benefits of this development.”