The development of global telecoms and ICT policy and standards is the remit of several organisations, but the most important – the one that tends to have the greatest impact – is the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). However, it is somewhat surprising that even among those who pride themselves on being versed in the tech field, many are not familiar with the ITU, nor the work it has done in the Caribbean region. In speaking with Cleveland Thomas, the ITU Area Representative for the Caribbean, he gives some insight into the ITU’s focus globally, plus the organisation’s efforts and priorities in the Caribbean region.

 

This episode is also available in Apple iTunes and on Stitcher!

Other telecoms and ICT organisations, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Internet Society, and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), might be better known than the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), but without a doubt, it is the granddaddy of them all – at over 150 years old. Established in 1865, the ITU is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN), which seeks to address the needs of the UN’s 193 member states in relation telecoms and ICT.

 

 

Although it might not be readily evident, the ITU has a presence in the Caribbean region and has been quietly supporting and facilitating a broad range of telecoms and ICT projects in individual countries, and for the benefit of the region as a whole. Much of that effort is being guided by Cleveland Thomas, the ITU Area Representative for the Caribbean, though its office in Bridgetown, Barbados, which covers Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

In our interview with Cleveland, we try to demystify the ITU, and more specifically, shed some light on its work in the Caribbean, since to a considerable degree, the organisation tends to work behind the scenes – to support the needs and priorities of the countries it serves. We also spend a few moment to learn about the man: who, from humble beginnings, born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, now liaises with heads of governments across a Caribbean region, for and on behalf of a major and longstanding UN agency! So our in discussion with Cleveland, we covered a broad range of issues, including:

  1. What the ITU is about, and how countries benefit from its work
  2. The ITU’s current priorities globally, and how these are translated into the organisation’s work and focus in the Caribbean
  3. Some of the major projects in the region that the ITU has supported in recent years
  4. Cleveland’s journey to become the ITU Caribbean Area Representative
  5. Cleveland’s thoughts on how telecoms and ICT have evolved in the region
  6. The degree of participation of Caribbean countries in ITU activities, thus shaping global policy
  7. Some of the challenges Cleveland has observed that are affecting the way in which telecoms and ICT are developing in the Caribbean
  8. Some of the current and/or imminent ITU-supported projects in the region
  9. Specific goals Cleveland would like to accomplish during his tenure as the ITU Caribbean Area Representative.

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Image credits:  Circe Denyer (Public Domain Pictures.net);  ITU

Music credit:  Ray Holman