The ultimate goal of telecoms/ICT regulation is to foster the economic and social development of a country. However, focussing on competition, infrastructure and prices might not be in enough. In our interview with Apollo Knights, of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, he discusses the activities the Commission has implemented, to help foster ICT development across that territory.

 

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In virtually all countries where the telecommunications sector has been liberalised, there is also a regulator. Depending on the size and maturity of the sector, and the extent to which market forces are driving competition, the regulator may have very little to do, but is there as a safeguard – just in case.

Due to the small customer base and/or small number of telecoms service providers in the market, very few Caribbean countries, if any, experience perfect competition, which is “the situation prevailing in a market in which buyers and sellers are so numerous and well informed that all elements of monopoly are absent and the market price of a commodity is beyond the control of individual buyers and sellers”. Hence there tends to be limited opportunity or scope for Caribbean regulators can forbear from active oversight and/or intervention of certain aspects of sector for which they are responsible.

With the telecoms and ICT markets continually evolving – due to among other things, new players, new technologies, and changing consumer demand – the workload of the Caribbean regulators can be quite heavy, just focussing on their core responsibilities. However, within the wider context, and through creating the enabling environment, regulatory oversight and intervention is just one of the elements needed to foster telecoms and ICT development. Hence, how might a regulator more directly support and initiate efforts that foster ICT development in a country?

Apollo Knights
NTRC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

To share some insight on this matter, we spoke with Apollo Knights, Director of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. An Electrical Engineer by training, Apollo has been at the helm of the NTRC in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since its inception, around 18 years ago.

As a multi-island nation, comprising over 30 islands and cays, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines experiences a number of challenges, particularly with regard to trying to ensure a (somewhat) equitable standard of service across the entire territory. Although the NTRC has been actively involved in addressing telecoms/ICT infrastructure and service deficiencies, the organisation has also been spearheading projects that increase take-up and use of ICT, along with facilitating Vincentians to better leverage technology.

In our conversation with Apollo, we sought to understand the telecoms/ICT landscape in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, along with some of the initiatives the NTRC has implemented. We were also interested in why the organisation undertook those projects. However, our discussion with Apollo covered several areas, including following:

  1. An quick overview of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the role and function of the NTRC
  2. How the NTRC organisation grown over the years since its inception
  3. How the telecoms sector in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has evolved pre-liberalisation, to now
  4. Why has the NTRC taken on the responsibility to initiate projects that aim to foster ICT development in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
  5. What has been the impact of the NTRC’s efforts
  6. The NTRC seems to be actively promoting prepaid Wi-Fi access cards. Why is that?
  7. NTRC SVG is very active on social media. Why has NTRC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines decided to embrace social media?
  8. What are your thoughts on how the telecommunication and ICT sector in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. is evolving?
  9. What are you seeing on the horizon that the NTRC will have to grapple with? What are some of the challenges and concerns that you might have?
  10. As the Director of NTRC SVG since its inception, what do you think has been your greatest achievement?
  11. Are there any specific goals you would still like to achieve at the NTRC within the next 2—3 years?
  12. What is next for Apollo Knights?

 

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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:  ernie114 (Pixabay);  NTRC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Music credit:  Ray Holman