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.

OECS And CTU Partner To Promote ICT Development In The Eastern Caribbean

An agreement between the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) promises to deepen collaboration between the institutions in leveraging information and communications technology to support development in the sub-region.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Tortola, British Virgin Islands on September 30, representatives from both organizations expressed confidence that the formalization of their collaborative relationship would redound to the benefit of their member states.

“This agreement will allow us to converge our efforts and expertise and multiply the output of our shared objectives,” said Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the OECS Commission.  

“The CTU has an unrivaled track record as an actioned-oriented organization and as the region’s premiere telecommunications body. We are looking forward to collaborating more closely with them to develop strategies and practical initiatives to promote the interest and advancement of OECS member states through the effective use of information and communication technologies (ICT),” Jules added.

Nigel Cassimire, speaking on behalf of the CTU Secretary General, Bernadette Lewis stated “The CTU has a long history of supporting the sub-region in areas that include telecommunications policy formulation, spectrum management, internet exchange point proliferation, technical capacity building and public education on the development opportunities ICTs presents. We fully expect our work in the sub-region to be strengthened by this agreement.” 

The OECS is an international treaty organisation whose membership comprises Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Martinique are associate members of the OECS. 

The CTU is an inter-governmental organization, established by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads, with a mandate to facilitate development and the formulation of policies for the region’s information and communication technologies (ICT) sector. It has twenty regional state members, including all the OECS countries, as well as private sector and civil society members.

Internet exchange points critical to the Caribbean digital economy, says BVI minister

ROAD TOWN, BVI—Caribbean nations need to strengthen their Internet infrastructure if the region is to take full advantage of the global digital economy.

This was the view expressed by Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) vice president Mark Vanterpool, speaking at the official launch of CTU’s ICT Week on September 29, 2015, in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

Vanterpool, the minister for communications and works in the BVI, used his country as an example of the benefits of investing in Internet infrastructure. He singled out the role of the local Internet exchange points, commonly called IXPs, as one of the key enablers of the Caribbean digital economy.

He explained that local IXPs reduce costs and increase efficiency by allowing networks to interconnect directly to exchange Internet traffic, rather than having to connect through third-party networks.

“Here in the Virgin Islands, we understood the importance of establishing a local IXP, and today we are happy to say that we have benefitted from having one of the very first IXPs established in the region. This was implemented with significant support from the CTU, to whom we remain grateful,” Vanterpool said.

The BVI’s IXP was established in June 2011 with technical and policy assistance from the CTU and Packet Clearing House (PCH), a US-based non-profit organization responsible for support for critical Internet infrastructure globally.

Vanterpool noted that while the full potential of the BVI’s IXP is yet to be unleashed locally, other countries throughout the region should take steps to adopt their own local IXPs.

“More has to be done to realize the full benefits of this development. Accordingly, I would like to see more emphasis toward adding value to our IXP, by exploring opportunities for data centres, data storage and local content.

“I urge my fellow member states in the CTU to also implement a national IXP which, when joined with the other IXPs in the region, will be a powerful catalyst for regional growth and development,” the minister added.

Bevil Wooding, internet strategist and Caribbean outreach manager for PCH, confirmed that the BVI was the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean to establish a local IXP.

“Packet Clearing House is working closely with the CTU and its member states to strengthen existing exchange points in the region,” Wooding said. “PCH is also collaborating with the CTU and the Caribbean Network Operators Group to support development of new IXPs and strengthening of technical capacity across the region.”