The Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO) is a nonprofit association of telephone operating companies in the Caribbean with well over 103 members from all the Caribbean as well as members from North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
CANTO held its 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Paramaribo, Suriname from the 27th January to the 1st of February 2008. The event, hosted TELESUR, was held in the beautiful Royal Torarica Hotel under the theme “Caribbean Unity through Connectivity”.
 President of Suriname, H.E. R.R. Venititaan flanked by AGM Officials and delegates
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The AGM was attended by over two hundred persons from the Telecoms Sector coming together to discuss 2007 -the year in Review of CANTO as well as discuss the way forward for all its members. The meeting commenced with an opening ceremony on Sunday at 6:00 pm with a feature address by the President of the Republic Suriname. H.E. R.R. Venetiaan. The President applauded TELESUR for hosting the AGM and highlighted the role the CANTO theme „Connectivity through Caribbean Unity will play in the Caribbean markets as well the increase benefits the focus will bring to ICT in view of its expanded possibilities. Other speakers included Mr. Dirk Currie, CEO of Telesur, Mr. Leon Williams, CEO of Bahamas Telecoms Company and CANTO‟s Chairman, and Ms. Regenie Fräser CANTO's Secretary General. The Speakers welcomed the participants and wished all a fruitful 24th AGM.
The second day, Monday was a more focused day at the 24th AGM as members
grouped in one of five different Working Committees ranging from
Marketing to Emerging Technologies to discuss the particular sector and
its future initiatives .The working committees also discussed the
Connect the Caribbean Initiative and the role and responsibilities of
each committee in the development of the initiative. In parallel, the
Board of Directors also met to discuss CANTO the organization and
important matters tabled on the agenda.
Committee members of the Disaster Recovery Planning in intense discussions.
Tuesday was met with excitement as all members gathered theater style in the Royal Ball Room to listen to presentations on members and committee reports, Secretary General and Chairman's report as well as an audited financial report. The highlight of the AGM of course was the election of the officers to the new Board of Directors. There were five members up for reelection and one vacant position available. The atmosphere was charged, however the elections went off without a hitch with the following results: Mr Leon Williams of Bahamas Telecommunications Company retained his position as Chairman, Mr Ian Blanchard of Cable & Wireless Grenada, Vice Chairman and Mr Davidson Charles of Cable & Wireless Antigua, Treasurer. The other reelected board of Directors included Mr. Dean Boyce of Belize Telemedia ltd., Linus Rogers of TSTT, and Mario Hernandez Lopez of ETECSA . The vacant position was filled by new member Digicel Trinidad and Tobago in the person of Julian Wilkins. The addition of Digicel to the CANTO Board and its complement of 12 Business Units to the Association have extended our membership base throughout the entire Caribbean.
Team Curacao at the election of officers.
It was not all work for the members of the AGM; each night members were treated to a kaleidoscope of cultural bonanza through Suriname's delectable cuisine, customs and traditional costumes and dances. The members were visibly impressed by the amount that Suriname had to offer- truly a hidden jewel. A look of awe and satisfaction could be found on each member face as they dined, danced, networked, and basked in Suriname's hospitality.
Suriname Cultural Group troupe entertains delegates at White Beach, Suriname
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Suriname’s top ballet company performs “Save the Forest” piece .
An assortment of seafood awaited delegates .
A special feature of this year's meeting was the first face to face meeting of the “Connect the Caribbean Initiative”. This was billed as the Caribbean's response to the “Connect the World Initiative”. Connect the World, is a partnership based initiative, which supports the achievement of the objective of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to bridge the digital divide. To achieve this, WSIS has set specific targets to improve access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) globally, by 2015.
From L-R: Ms Regenie Fräser- Secretary General of CANTO, Ms. Bernadette Lewis Secretary General of CTU, Mr. Phillip Cross- Caribbean Area Representative of the ITU Ms. Jennifer Britton, ICT /Telecom Specialist of CARICOM
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The initiative seeks to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources required to bridge major gaps in ICT infrastructure development, a harmonized regulatory framework and the development of relevant and affordable services and applications.
During the first Face to Face Stakeholders Meeting, held at the 24th AGM of CANTO, on 30-31st January in Paramaribo-Suriname, the following three focus groups were created to assist in the CTC Initiative along the lines of the Connect the World Project:
- Enabling Environment
- Infrastructure and Readiness
- Applications and Services
The goal was to come up with a draft framework for the Connect the Caribbean Project and to define the Caribbean as the broadest set of constituencies who consider themselves to be part of the Caribbean. These constituents include:
- Geographic Caribbean and including Bahamas, Bermuda, Belize, Suriname and the diaspora.
- A region sharing a common heritage and identity and characterized by related culture.
- Any regional stakeholder with an interest in participating in the process aimed at achieving the goals of WSIS for the region.
The principles which underpin the Caribbean Connectivity included the following:
- A shared vision for Caribbean development and the advancement of the region's people is the key principle which underlies the Connect the Caribbean Initiative.
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A connected Caribbean is one in which its people, institutions and systems are connected through the strengthening of physiological, economic ties and knowledge sharing.
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A connected Caribbean implies application of ICT to:
- pervasive broadband internet connectivity
- affordable and ubiquitous computer access
- telecommunications
- national archives (regional )
- regional security
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social services delivery
The next milestone of the Connect the Caribbean Initiative will be the Nassau Summit, slated for the 6th – 9th of July, 2008. CANTO will collaborate with several partners, including ITU, CTU, and the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development, to launch the initiative. The Connect the Caribbean Initiative will form a major part of CANTO's focus for the next few years.
The 24th AGM climaxed with a 3 day certified course in Effective Business Continuity Planning which was held from the 30th of January to the 1st of February. This course designed for mid to top Managers included risk assessment and impact analysis, successful strategies for Continuity Planning and validating and maintaining ones continuity Program
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants gained a solid understanding of the overall continuity management lifecycle and were equipped with the tools and knowledge required to conduct risk assessments and impact analyses for their organization.
The participants were satisfied with the course and as an added benefit
was given an exam which if passed will allow them to be Internationally
Certified Business Continuity Managers.
Participants of the Effective Business Continuity- Certified Program.
CANTO will continue to make its impact felt within the industry regionally as it implements its programme of work for this year. This includes:
- Developing a policy framework for VoIP regulations regionally.
- Examining the impact of Convergence on Operators, Regulators and Regulation
- Analyzing the status of connectivity and ICT Projects in the Caribbean Region
- 3rd CANTO Caribbean Mini MBA in Telecommunications
- 2nd Annual Conference on Human Resource Training and Best Practices
- 24th Annual Trade Exhibition and & Nassau Summit on Connect the Caribbean
- Developing a framework on “Connect The Caribbean”, to ensure that the region achieve the goal set by the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), to “Connect the Unconnected by 2015”
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Cultural Dancers at CANTO 24th AGM -Opening Ceremony.
