JAMAICA

STATEMENT BY H.e. mr PHILLIP PAULWELL
MINISTER OF INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY, ENERGY AND COMMERCE
 

Mr. Chairman, Secretary General, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is an honour for me to address this conference on behalf of the government of Jamaica. I would like to thank the government and the people of Turkey for their warm hospitality and for hosting this important conference. I would like to congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, on your election to the chair of this Plenipotentiary and wish you every success as you lead the proceedings over the next weeks.

Jamaica believes that the Information and Communications Technology sector is critical for the economic and social development of small island states and developing countries. In 2000, we developed a National ICT Strategy which focuses on human capital development, the establishment of infrastructure, bridging the digital divide and reforming the legal and regulatory framework. It also articulates the use of ICT as a strategic tool to increase productivity and efficiency in key sectors (Education, Health, Agriculture and Tourism).

In keeping with our commitments made during the WTO negotiations on basic telecommunications, the Government of Jamaica renegotiated the incumbent’s licence which gave it virtual exclusivity for operating all telecommunication networks and providing all telecommunications services until 2013. A new Telecommunications Act was adopted which promulgated a three phased transition that started in 2000 and led to a fully liberalized telecommunications sector in March 2003.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to emphasize to this distinguished conference that the liberalization of the Telecommunications Sector and the implementation of the National ICT Strategy have brought significant investments and revenues to Jamaica.

Today, the sector has a mobile penetration rate of approximately 81% and total telephone (mobile and fixed) penetration rate of 94%. Nearly four hundred licenses of all types have been issued to one hundred and thirty seven companies. These include about seventy seven Internet Service Providers (ISPs), two fibre optic providers and three cellular providers. The private sector is offering e-commerce and e-banking services while there are numerous e-government initiatives. We wish to thank the ITU, in particular Mr. Hamadoun Toure, for providing support for the development and implementation of Jamaica’s E-learning project. Electronic services have reduced costs, increased compliance, increased transparency and improved quality of service. It is expected that the Electronic Transaction Act will be passed in Parliament by December 2006 and this will accelerate the provision of additional electronic services.

Although there has been significant development in the sector, we want to maintain our competitive advantage. Mr. Chairman, in this regard we will be focussing on the following activities in financial year 2006/2007:

• Universal access for all, thereby bridging the digital divide

• Reform of the legal and regulatory framework to reflect the convergence of new technologies, services and regulatory agencies

• The promotion of technologies to increase broadband penetration (including fibre optic networks, WiFi, WiMax, and VoIP)

• The adoption of Open-source software

• The revision of the National ICT Strategy

Jamaica is a long standing member of the ITU, strongly dedicated to upholding its objectives and values. Mr. Chairman, we are committed to the objective of reconfirming ITU as the leading telecommunications organization in the world and to improve its performance in adapting to the needs of a rapidly changing telecommunications environment.

Mr. Chairman, as President of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, please permit me to highlight that the CTU has been hosting a number of workshops and meetings (including the Internet Governance Forum, the HR Management Workshop and the VOIP/SIP Workshop) to improve the technical competency of its membership. Its work has also expanded to include the implementation of projects. The two main projects are:

• The Caribbean Spectrum Management Policy

• The Caribbean Center of Excellence

I wish to thank the ITU for the support that it has provided to the CTU and look forward to continued cooperation and partnership.

Mr. Chairman, I implore you to continue to consider the needs of small island states and developing countries during the deliberations of this conference. As the Chairman of the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN), I seek the ITU’s support in the establishment of a Caribbean network which is similar to the CLARA network in Latin America. The Caribbean is the only region which is not connected to the numerous global broadband education networks. This deficiency must be resolved in order to ensure that the peoples of the Caribbean can actively participate in the digital economy.

Finally, I encourage Delegates to support Trinidad and Tobago’s candidacy for Council in Region A and wish you all the best in the deliberations.

Thank you for your attention.