Regional High-Level Workshop on Electronic Commerce and ICT for Central America and the Caribbean Curacao, 25

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Regional High-Level Workshop on Electronic
Commerce and ICT for Central America and the
CaribbeanCuracao, 25 27 June 2002Philip
CrossITU Caribbean Representative
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Urban/Rural Universal Service
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Subscriber Growth
Country Fixed Lines Fixed Lines Mobile subscribers Mobile subscribers Growth Growth Population
1995 2001 1995 2001 Fixed Lines Mobile

Antigua Barbuda 25900 37300 1300 25000 0.44 18.23 80000
Bahamas 83700 123300 4100 60600 0.47 13.78 310000
Barbados 90100 123800 4600 28500 0.37 5.20 268000
Belize 28900 35200 1500 28200 0.22 17.80 240000
Dominica 17800 23300 461 1200 0.31 1.60 80000
Grenada 23200 32800 400 6400 0.41 15.00 100000
Guyana 44600 79900 1200 39500 0.79 31.92 870000
Jamaica 357262 562827 45100 700000 0.58 14.52 2650000
St Kitts Nevis 14400 21900 300 1200 0.52 3.00 40000
St Vincent the Grenadines 18200 24900 200 2400 0.37 11 110000
Trinidad Tobago 209300 311800 6400 225400 0.49 34.22 1300000
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Access/infrastructure

• In Accordance with ITU/WTO developments
• Liberalization
• Privatization
• Competition CPP, Roaming, Calling Cards
• New Licences
• Regulation
• New Technologies VOIP, DSL, Broadband

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Policies

• Bridge the Digital Divide where are we?
• Telecommunications - Access
• Information
• Computer availability
• ICT for development
• E-Commerce

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• BARRIERS TO ICT DEVELOPMENT
• inadequate policies and strategies
• inadequate and/or expensive telecommunications
  infrastructure
• inadequate legislation
• lack of awareness and required skills.
• Placement within ministries
• Inadequate Coordination
• Insufficient private sector participation,
  especially by banks

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New Developments

• Agenda for Connectivity
• UN Task Force on ICT
• ITU Initiatives
• World Telecommunication Development
• Conference
• Electronic Commerce for Developing
• Countries (EC-DC)
• Caribbean ICT Coordination
• UNCTAD Initiative
• World Summit on the Information Society

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The Way Forward

• ICT/E-Commerce to be high on the agenda of
  Caribbean Heads of Government
• Cooperation and coordination
• Policies and legislation for ICT, including
• E-Commerce
• Development of Caribbean Strategy
• Complete liberalization of the telecommunication
  sector
• Proper regulation (management) of the telecomms
  sector

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The Way Forward ctd

• Caribbean Organizations to become more focused in
  their specialized areas
• Development of Caribbean/national strategies

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Main Caribbean Players

• Governments
• CARICOM, OECS/ECTEL
• CTU, CTO, CBU/CANA (CMC), CANTO
• CDERA, Caribbean Export
• CDB, CAIC, CARICAD
• UWI
• OAS/CITEL
• UN System, Donor Agencies
• ICT Service Providers
• Civil Society, NGOs, etc.