TCI: Minister of Telecommunications attends CANTO’s 35th Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition in Trinidad

#Providenciales, August 5, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – Minister with responsibility for Home Affairs Public Utility and Transportation, Hon. Goldray Ewing, accompanied by staff and board representatives of the Telecommunications Commission attended the 35^th Annual CANTO Conference & Trade Exhibition in Trinidad during the period July 21 to 24^th  2019.

The theme for this year’s conference was “Transitioning to a Digital Region”.  In addition to attending the CANTO conference, members of the Commission also attended the “Competition in Digital Age” workshop which was hosted by GSMA and convened over the final two days of the event on July 25^th  and 26^th, respectively.

The Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO), is the leading authority in shaping information, communication and technology in the Caribbean Region and the Americas, and brings together an array of operators, regulators, Government Ministers, companies and individuals in the ICT (telecommunications) sector annually. This year was no exception and over 400 delegates were in attendance.

Commenting on the event Hon. Ewing said, “As the new Minister for Telecommunications I am elated to attend my first CANTO Conference. This conference provided a unique opportunity to network with Ministerial colleagues, operators and professionals in the region. It was certainly a forum where thought provoking presentations were made. No doubt, this has assisted my appreciation of the current issues, emerging trends and rapidly developing technologies in the telecommunications space.

Hon. Ewing further expressed his desire to see meaningful progress and improvements in the regulatory environment through the introduction of modern legislations especially in the area of advance cyber security and data protection. These, he noted, are necessary as we prepare TCI citizens for modern telecommunications services and networks inclusive of 5G services.

He concluded by highlighting that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer something that one would see in the Jetsons sitcom, but is in fact now a reality. Minister Ewing added that in this regard, we have to be deliberate and urgent in our efforts to truly become a technologically advanced economy and adept society.  Next year’s CANTO Conference is scheduled to be held in Havana, Cuba.

Release: TCIG