Caribbean News
C&W/Flow moving the Region into the Digital Future
PPort of Spain, Trinidad, May 3rd, 2019: “Why are we not further along in our path to digitally transform the region?” was the question posed by Liberty Latin America’s (LLA) Chief Legal Officer, John Winter, to a packed audience that included Caribbean Government Ministers and Telecommunications policymakers and operators at the Opening Ceremony of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) 30th Anniversary celebration on Monday, April 29th.
Winter outlined that LLA, the parent company of C&W Communications which operates the Flow brand, is moving the region forward with “digital enhancements that include updating our self-care MyFlow app, the addition of virtual assistants to our websites and enabling user interface prompts for our automated call center”. In closing, he congratulated the CTU on their milestone and urged governments “to create a level playing field where incumbents and new entrants can operate side by side and can offer the best digital products and services for their citizens.”
As part of the three-day conference held at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center in Port of Spain, the CTU presented “Caribbean FutureScape”, a real-time experience of what a digitally transformed Caribbean could look like. Participants were immersed in a simulation of a confederation of 5 Caribbean countries whose governments collaborated and cooperated to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to accelerate the social and economic development of their countries.
Vivek Khemka, Chief Technology and Product Officer, LLA, presented on Day Two as one of five Lightning presentations on disruptive digital technology and how voice technology and virtual assistants can enable the unconnected to participate in the digitally transformed Caribbean. Voice assistants will provide a simpler interaction paradigm that allow users to access the internet without the need of special digital training. In closing he invited public private partnerships to enable high speed infrastructure, simpler rules across the region and incentives to enable citizens to use a ‘hands-free’ interface and connect to the internet to enhance their lives.
On Day Three, speaking as part of a Panel on the topic of ‘Embracing the Cloud’, geared towards Governments and large enterprises, Flow Barbados’ Country Manager and Head of C&W Business, Southern Caribbean, Jenson Sylvester answered the often-asked question, “what is cloud computing”? He gave the audience a brief but simple explanation on the benefits of utilizing cloud technology, including the value and economies of scale that accrue to users of cloud services.
C&W Business also hosted a booth at the conference where it showcased solutions and services as the company supports the transition toward a digitally transformed experience for business customers.
Release: CWC
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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