{"id":150177,"date":"2019-08-28T05:55:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T10:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=150177"},"modified":"2019-08-28T05:54:28","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T10:54:28","slug":"ictp-070-community-chat-limited-tech-business-opportunities-caribbean-region-price-pay-access-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/08\/ictp-070-community-chat-limited-tech-business-opportunities-caribbean-region-price-pay-access-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 070:  Community Chat on the limited tech business opportunities in the Caribbean region, and the price we pay for access to technology"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>In this our August 2019 Community Chat and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Kimberly Adams, of Novelty Curve Inc., and Stephen Lee, of <\/em><em>ArkiTechs Inc.<\/em><em>, the panel discusses <\/em><em>the lack of opportunities for the Caribbean tech business community, and the challenges facing the Caribbean region\u2019s telecoms and ICT networks as they continue to evolve.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/672045473&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=false&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>This episode is also available in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple iTunes<\/a>\u00a0and on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When we think about the Caribbean&#8217;s ICT\/tech space, you are likely to agree that we are awash with opportunities. We are an innovative people and numerous problems that exist in the region can be solved, or at the very least improved, using technology. Having said this, there are challenges, which we explore in our August 2019 Community Chat, thanks to our guest, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kimberlyaadams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kimberly Adams<\/a><\/strong>, who submitted the topic, \u2018<em>The lack of opportunities for the Caribbean tech business community<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_150180\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-150180\" data-attachment-id=\"150180\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/08\/ictp-070-community-chat-limited-tech-business-opportunities-caribbean-region-price-pay-access-technology\/kimberly-adams_headshot-k-adams\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams.png?fit=500%2C502&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"500,502\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Kimberly Adams_Headshot (K Adams)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Kimberly Adams&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams.png?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams.png?fit=500%2C502&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-150180 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams-300x300.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams.png?resize=440%2C440&amp;ssl=1 440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Kimberly-Adams_Headshot-K-Adams.png?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-150180\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kimberly Adams<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Kimberly is the Chief Marketing Officer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.noveltycurve.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Novelty Curve Inc.<\/a>, a Barbados-based blockchain consultancy and management company. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Vision 360, a company that specialises in the creation of 3D virtual tours, architectural visualisation, and virtual staging, which is also based in Barbados.<\/p>\n<p>One of the challenges the tech business community faces that readily comes to mind, and is widely discussed and lamented, is the limited access to funding \u2013 be it loan financing, venture capital, angel investing, to name a few. However, Kimberley also asks us to consider other factors, which essentially create an uneven playing field for tech entrepreneurs, particularly young and prospective ones, who may not have access to the resources that can position them for success.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Shifting our focus from the needs of the Caribbean tech business community, to the wider lens of the Caribbean consumer, we cannot help but acknowledge the impact of ICTs on our lives: the extent to which we depend on them, both personally and in the workplace, as well as our own expectations of the experiences we should have. However, our second Community Chat guest, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stephenolee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Lee<\/a><\/strong>, sought to draw to our attention \u201c<em>The challenges facing the Caribbean region\u2019s telecoms and ICT networks as they continue to evolve<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"150179\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/08\/ictp-070-community-chat-limited-tech-business-opportunities-caribbean-region-price-pay-access-technology\/stephen-lee-headshot-s-lee\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS REBEL T3i&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1460825276&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Stephen Lee-headshot (S Lee)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright wp-image-150179 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee-300x300.jpg?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Stephen-Lee-headshot-S-Lee.jpg?resize=440%2C440&amp;ssl=1 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Stephen is the Chief Executive Officer of <a href=\"https:\/\/arkitechs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ArkiTechs Inc<\/a>., a US-based technology services firm, which has an office in Trinidad and Tobago. He is also a founding members of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), a community of network operators dedicated to sharing technical information and experiences related to the management of ICT infrastructure in the Caribbean region.<\/p>\n<p>In essence, Stephen wants to highlight the fact that the online products and services, in particular, that we enjoy thanks to the Internet, are not free, regardless of whether or not we actively pay for them. The online platforms and their backers have invested considerable sums and resources to build out their offerings virtually to the edges of the Internet, and somehow, they must not only recoup their investment, but also create wealth for themselves and for their investors. Stephen thus outlines ways in which online companies are extracting value for services, along with some of the implications we, here in the Caribbean region, need to grapple with, in order to ensure we understand the price we are paying to use of those services.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We would love to hear your thoughts!<\/p>\n<p>Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>LinkedIn<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0pages, or via Twitter,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>@ICTPulse<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Select links<\/h3>\n<p>Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kimberlyaadams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kimberly Adams<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stephenolee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Lee<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vision360hd.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vision 360<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arkitechs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ArkiTechs Inc.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.caribnog.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.noveltycurve.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Novelty Curve Inc.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canto.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kingstonbeta.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kingston BETA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/barcode.network\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Barcode Network<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gdpr-info.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credits:\u00a0 alles (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pixabay.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pixabay<\/a>);\u00a0 K Adams:\u00a0 S Lee<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Music credit:\u00a0 Ray Holman<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this our August 2019 Community Chat and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Kimberly Adams, of Novelty Curve Inc., and Stephen Lee, of ArkiTechs Inc., the panel discusses 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