Hon. Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce will be the keynote speaker, at the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day Conference on May 17-18, 2011 at the Faculty of Law at UWI, Mona. The event is being hosted by the Mona School of Business (MSB) at UWI.  The Conference will bring together policy makers, regulators, academics and practitioners in the field of Information and Communications Technology to discuss key ICT-related issues and strategies. It will also highlight important research being done at the Mona School of Business, through the Telecommunications Policy and Management Programme and other departments. 

The conference takes place in the context of recent reports of serious gaps and challenges in Jamaica’s performance in broadband Internet access and the country’s  network readiness to compete globally.  In light of the importance of ICTs in driving business competitiveness and economic growth, it is expected that the conference will provide practical, innovative recommendations for ICT policy-making and regulation in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Sessions will include a detailed report on the Caribbean ICT Indicators and Broadband Survey by Prof. Hopeton Dunn, Director, Telecommunications Policy and Management (TPM) Programme, and will include discussants such as Mr. Hugh Cross, of the Universal Access Fund, and Dr. Marcia Forbes, ICT researcher and media business operator. A copy of the full survey report will be released to all registered participants at the conference.

A session on the “Status of ICTs in the Caribbean”, to be chaired by  Mrs. Camille Facey, Attorney at Law, will see presentations by Mr. Atiba Philips, Managing Director of the National ICT Company of Trinidad, Tobago, Mr. Hallam Hope, President, CARITEL Barbados and Mr. Cecil McCain, Director, Post and Telecommunications in the Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica.

The controversial issue of “Number Portability”, will be tackled at the conference in a session to be chaired by Mr. Dainsworth Richards, the new Managing Director of the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) in Jamaica.  Main presenter on Number Portability will be Mr. Courtney Jackson, former Deputy Director General of the OUR, providing the outcome of a study on the subject recently conducted at the UWI.

Executive Director of the Mona School of Business, Professor Evan Duggan describes the upcoming Conference as one that will help to construct a new agenda for improved performance and competitiveness of the Jamaican and Caribbean ICT industry and  which further underscores the MSB’s commitment, to relevant discourse and action, that can have significant impact on the progress and development of Jamaica, and the Caribbean in general.

Registration for the conference is on-going at http://ictpolicyconference2011.coe-msb.org/ or at the venue. For further details interested persons may also telephone 977-7174 or e-mail allison.brown03@gmail.com.