November 12th, 2017
Volume 11                                                                             A monthly newsletter for members by members
TripWireless Donates 500 School Bags to CANTO Hurricane Initiative

An appeal  for school supplies forwarded to members for assistance to our hurricane ravaged neighbors have yielded positive responses from our membership.  TripWireless a certified woman owned small business specializing in telecommunications network infrastructure sales and services was one of the first members to answer the call.  Founder , of TripWireless, Kim Koch, donated 500 book bags to the first beneficiary, Barbuda.  The bags stuffed with schools supplies include a comfort teddy bear donated by  Project Bobby Bear. This non profit agency was founded in 2014 by sisters Annie and Emily Fox who are nine and seven years old.
The distribution of  book bags will be facilitated by  members,  APUA and  Flow Antigua .a subsequent newsletter.

The Secretariat in conjunction with CANTO's Disaster Risk Management (DRM) committee embarked on an educational supplies initiative to benefit students in the hurricane ravaged  countries. Members were urged to donate school supplies to meet the goal of 2,500 stuffed bag packs to serve all of the affected islands.

The DRM committee thanks TripWireless for their generosity.  CANTO encourages all to join us at the 34th AGM:-4th -6th February, 2018 in Trinidad where DRM will facilitate an interactive Disaster Management Forum.

We are still in need of  more educational supplies. For more information contact Gail Edwards,  Carmen Ramlal  868 622 3770/4781/5582.
Secretary General Attends Third Ministerial Forum in Korea

T. Wankin  presents on the digital ecosystem


ICT Ministers and Government officials from the Latin American Countries convened in Busan,  South Korea for the 3rd Ministerial forum between Korea,Latina America & the Caribbean. The Secretary General  was invited by the IADB to participate on the panel discussion : "The Digital Ecosystem: Challenges for Development in LAC".
 
While in Korea,  the Secretary General got the opportunity to meet with representatives of the World Economic Forum, attend the Exhibition of ITU World and started discussion with the IADB and the National ICT Promotion Agency for a possible investment forum and matchmaking platform at CANTO 2018.
 
The attendance by the Secretary General at this event augured well for the visibility and reach of the Association especially the IADB/ITU event which had a series of investment agencies and ministers of ICT from the Latin American region.
 
CANTO Encourages Regulators and Governments to C ollaborate in Preparing for WRC-15
 
M. Sutherland presenting at the Conference.
Melesia Sutherland , CANTO  Director and Chair of the Regulatory Committee presented on "Meeting the challenges of managing spectrum in the Caribbean" at the Latin American Spectrum Conference, in Colombia in October.  Ms Sutherland presented to Operators, industry associations, satellite providers, the French Regulator (AFNR), ITU, CTU and the Colombian government , among others.   
Some of the themes that carried throughout the conference were:
  1.  The need for global harmonisation of spectrum bands for mobile (International Mobile Telecommunications) for economies of scale, affordability and convenience of use for users.
  2. Differing business models for satellite service.s Some satellite systems complement mobile networks by delivering services to the mobile network , while satellites, in large countries provide service where there is no fibre connectivity. Ways must be found for both services to co-exist in C-band.
  3. Lack of global harmonisation is sometimes driven by the spectrum that is most readily available for use in each region. For example the European (Region 1) favour 28 GHZ for IMT in WRC-19 discussions while the US favours 26 GHz.
  4. 5G is touted as being very different from 4G . The QoS is expected to be phenomenal and it is expected that it will usher in an age where any device that can be connected in cyberspace will be connected. The mobile experience will be transformed into something unimaginable.  Ericsson estimates that by 2022 , there will be 29 (twenty-nine) billion devices connected by mobile technology of which only 10 (ten) billion will be human.
  5. Many Latin American countries are launching new satellites to reach their population currently unserved by fibre.


 Director M. Sutherland
Meet Director Melesia Sutherland 


What  is your personal vision/goal  for CANTO?
 
My vision for CANTO is that CANTO will be the premier trade organisation for telecoms
providers in the region and that the organisation will be valued for its ability to pull
stakeholders together to achieve common objectives and to affect issues considered
important to it stakeholders' business.
 
    
What do you like about the CANTO organisation?
 
I like that CANTO creates a 'One Caribbean' because memberships spans the English,
Spanish, French and Dutch speaking Caribbean and that this diverse
membership acts as a conduit for learning , understanding and developing
relationships beyond one's country borders.
 
Why did you become involved in the organization on the board level ?
 
I am a Jamaican and a Caribbean person at heart. Being a member of the CANTO
Board provides a platform to affect an entire region for good.
 

What would you tell a company/organization who is thinking of joining CANTO?

 
I would tell that company/ organisation that CANTO is the only telecoms trade
association representing Caribbean operators and suppliers where they are able to
directly engage policymakers who can influence the direction of their
business. At the same time CANTO advocates for the interest of its members by
actively participating in the relevant fora. Through its annual conference and trade
show, AGM and other events, CANTO creates the environment for building
relationships which are so important for all businesses. I would tell that company / organisation that  CANTO is a good value proposition.


CANTO Presents on Resilient Communications at TATT ICT Open Forum   
 
A. Singh - TSTT presents on behalf of CANTO 
 
The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad & Tobago (TATT) hosted its 27th ICT Open Forum in Trinidad on the theme: "Resilient Communications: Staying connected during a disaster.
 
 Mr. Avinash Singh Manager - Safety, Health and Environment of TSTT presented on behalf of CANTO and focused on:  
  • Resilient Telecommunication Networks
  • Challenges to Resiliency
  • Context of our situation
Full Presentation  
 
Mark Your Calendars!!!


C. Bertin (CARILEC) and T. Wankin (CANTO) at signing
CANTO and CAIRLEC Sign MOU  
 
From May 2017, discussions have been ongoing between CARILEC and CANTO in the formulation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which included, inter alia, agreement on the joint promotion of the current CARILEC Smart Grid Symposium in Trinidad, October 23-26, 2017.
The MOU articulates the agreement between the parties to explore and implement initiatives focused on the following areas of common interest and priorities in the energy and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors: Training and Capacity Building; Conferences and Networking; Smart Grid Infrastructure and Applications, Business Development and Consulting opportunities. Read More
J Rodrigues and C. Ramlal at MWCA17
CANTO Does MWCA in California
 
 Mobile World Congress Americas (MWCA)consisted of a conference program featuring C-level speakers and leading industry experts.
 
CANTO' objectives for MWCA included:
  • Source leads 
  • Network
  • Increasing awareness of CANTO especially to the Latin and European Markets
  • Increase advertising to publications/website
Based on the size of this event and its proximity to our region, it would be key for CANTO to get a voice or voices from the Caribbean included in discussions and acknowledged in planning and development using mobile networks.

 


                                          CANTO represented by Teresa Wankin and  Kamla Hamilton
 

CANTO represented by Chairman Julian Wilkins

CANTO Board






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