Telecommunications in the Caribbean

The world has undergone a dramatic change in the last 30 years. Each day, the revolutionary changes in technology bring us closer and closer together. Surprisingly, access to information brought along by technology is replacing the importance of access to natural resources as the main determinants of the socio-economic position of nations.

While studying the effect that technology is having on the world, it is good to focus on a particular region. The Caribbean has proven to be a microcosm of this world-wide phenomenon. The Caribbean is comprised of mostly small island nations with small populations that were colonized by the European powers in the late 1500’s. The native people of the region are now long gone, due to the genocide that happened to accompany the colonization process. Since then, many ethnic groups have made their way to the Caribbean. Groups such as Africans, Chinese, East Indians, and Javanese occupy the islands. In addition to this, English, French, Dutch, and Spanish are the official languages in various countries throughout the region. Such an assortment of ethnic groups and languages creates a region rich in customs and traditions, a factor that can often hinder development.

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After this, heavy pressure began to come from international lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, to privatize in order to reduce debt. The major sellers of the business switches were Northern Telecom, Mitel, Ericsson, and Rolm. But, the people investing in the telecommunications systems wanted governments to remove statutory limits on returns on investment in Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. The main focus of this science park would have been to assemble telephone and cellular equipment. Contel brought much advancement to the telecom industry in these countries.

Another major service provider in the Caribbean is UK based company Cable and Wireless. Going along with this same trend, The Bank was replaced by a Consultancy Assistance Bureau (CCAB) to provide technical assistance to its member countries as well as other developing countries. The systems in these countries were already state of the art due to heavy government investment, and when Cable and Wireless came in, they further upgraded and increased external capacities by 60 percent.

A Canadian company called Northern Telecom is the primary supplier of central office equipment to the region. CANTO’s main goal can be seen as promoting the advancement of telecom in the Caribbean. In the 1980’s, they acquired the domestic interests in these countries. In an effort to improve their networks, state owned telcos invested heavily in equipment during the 1980’s. In my humble opinion, I think this is the key the advancement of telecom in the region. In my opinion, this can be done through opening factories for technology development. $ 200 million

*based on 2001 figures*

Haiti’s telecommunications sector is finally beginning to reestablish itself after 30 years of military rule.

Approximate Word count = 2372
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

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