Being able to develop software applications can be considered only half of the ICT innovation formula. Being able to design and/or properly configure the hardware to suit the requirements is equally, or even perhaps more, important. In our conversation with Dr Cathy-Ann Radix, of the University of the West Indies, we discuss the need for the Caribbean region to focus on ICT product testing: the missing half of the ICT innovation equation.

 

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Generally, when we speak of ICT/tech innovation in the Caribbean, much of it has been focussed on software: developing software applications to solve the problems of the region, or of individual countries. To a considerable degree, the focus on software-based innovation has been nurtured by the numerous code sprints and hackathons that have been held across the region over the past decade. Typically, and for purely software-based applications, they can be more economical to develop than hardware-based solutions, or those requiring devices to be built. Further, when the applications are being designed specifically to run on existing devices (such as smartphones) and/or platforms (such as Android or Apple OS), again, the focus can just be on the software.

Having said this, building software applications only for a pre-existing construct can be limiting, and may – in and of itself – stifle innovation. The extent to which the hardware requirements can also be revisited, in order to ensure the best solution is developed, is the best scenario. However, the designing and building of ICT-related products is rare in the Caribbean region, and it can almost never be assumed that the hardware will also be built to complement the software solution.

Even before we get started, we get discouraged by the perceived costs: developing the prototype, testing, and production. However, it could be argued that by not doing so, we have already thrown the baby out with the bathwater. If we, in the region, are truly serious about innovation, and in order to build the best solutions of our situations,  building our own hardware (if needed) must also be part of the formula.

To that end, and over the past few years, there have been efforts in the region, with the support of the International Telecommunication Union, to strengthen the frameworks for the conformity and interoperability of telecoms and ICT products in the Caribbean. In a nutshell, conformity of telecoms and ICT products speaks to the extent to which these products meet established standards; whilst interoperability speaks to the extent to which similar devices adhere to common standards to allow them successfully interact with each other.

Ultimately, and in order for telecoms and ICT products to be permitted to operate in many Caribbean countries, they have to be tested and marked as having conformed to certain standards, such as those established in the United States of America, Canada or Europe. However, what happens to telecoms or ICT-based products that are developed in the Caribbean, to solve Caribbean problems? Is the only option to send these products outside of the region for expensive testing, even before they can be made available on the local market? Further, how might those arrangements affect innovation, and the product development process in the region?

Dr Cathy-Ann Radix

Although discussions on conformity and interoperability can become highly technical, our conversation with Dr Cathy-Ann Radix, Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad and Tobago, is not. Dr Radix has been involved in the effort to develop the conformity and interoperability framework for telecommunications and ICT products across the region, and so we welcomed the opportunity to speak with her on the subject. So in the episode, we will be discussing, among other things:

  • The state of conformity and interoperability in the Caribbean, and the work that has been done to date to further develop that framework in the region
  • Dr Radix’s thoughts on innovation in the region;
  • And whether there is a link between conformity and interoperability and innovation.

Specific questions we posed included the following:

  1. What is meant by the conformity and interoperability, and why they are important?
  2. What were some of the key findings of a baseline study conducted about 5 years ago on the state of conformity and interoperability in the Caribbean?
  3. For the most part, Caribbean countries have been relying upon the certifications that have been issued for other countries or regions. So, why has a case been made for the Caribbean region to develop its own conformity and interoperability framework?
  4. Are there ways in which the region can approach conformity and interoperability that could make it cost-effective and sustainable?
  5. What are some of the ICT products/projects that are being developed in the Caribbean region of which Dr Radix is aware?
  6. What are Dr Radix’s thoughts on ICT innovation in the Trinidad and Tobago, and in the wider Caribbean region?
  7. Does Dr Radix think that the region should focus on ICT innovation and the building of electronic products and devices in a serious way?
  8. Does Dr Radix think ICT/tech innovation is being hampered in the Caribbean due to the absent of C&I test laboratories or a more developed C&I framework in the region?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

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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:  Pixabay (Pexels);  C Radix

Music credit:  Ray Holman