The Honourable Minister of Infrastructure, Communications, Utilities and Housing, Mr Curtis Richardson this week attended the 34th Annual General Meeting of the Caribbean Association of Telecoms Operators (CANTO) which was held from the 4th – 6th February at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Trinidad. The theme for 2018 was “Guiding Digital Adoption to lead the Global Market”.
The Minister was accompanied by two members of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Mr Christonie Fleming, Commissioner, and Mr Kenn Banks Executive Director.
The AGM satisfies the statutory obligations of CANTO, and allows the Board to report to the members and get their views on how to better serve the membership. The AGM proceedings took place on Tuesday 6th February 2018.
In addition to the AGM proceedings the working committees of the board met to discuss their action plans for 2017/18. CANTO also staged a Mini Exposition and Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Forum to add value to members’ attendance and provide valuable insights on Guiding Digital Adoption to lead the Global Market.
CANTO brings together operators, government ministries, regulators, international organisations and equipment suppliers from throughout the region and North America.
Mr Richardson said ‘I was particularly impressed by the presentations and discussion on Disaster Risk Management. Here the importance of Business Continuity Planning in the Telecommunications Sector was emphasised. This must be a requirement not only for our telecoms operators, but all other utilities sector operators going forward.
On the fringes of the meeting the regional regulators present, held an informal discussion with officials from of the Federal Communications Commission of the USA and of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The discussion centred around initiatives undertaken by regulators to assist operators in there recovery efforts and the regional standardisation on the designation of spectrum for emergency radio comunications.
– Press Release
6th February 2018