{"id":154445,"date":"2020-08-05T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=154445"},"modified":"2020-08-13T18:48:07","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T23:48:07","slug":"ictp-117-regulation-impact-telecoms-ict-services-caribbean-annie-baldeo-kirk-sookram-tatt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/08\/ictp-117-regulation-impact-telecoms-ict-services-caribbean-annie-baldeo-kirk-sookram-tatt\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 117:  Regulation and its impact on telecoms and ICT services in the Caribbean, with Annie Baldeo and Kirk Sookram of TATT"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Annie Baldeo and Kirk Sookram of the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago discuss telecoms regulation in the Caribbean, including: how the region\u2019s telecoms space has evolved; the impact of the Internet on regulation; whether more competition will result in lower prices; and what might be the future of regulation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/870466867&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc; line-break: anywhere; word-break: normal; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-weight: 100;\"><a style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" title=\"ICT Pulse Podcast\" href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ICT Pulse Podcast<\/a> \u00b7 <a style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" title=\"ICTP 117: Regulation and its impact on telecoms and ICT services in the Caribbean, with Annie Baldeo and Kirk Sookram of TATT\" href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\/ictp-117-regulation-and-its\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ICTP 117: Regulation and its impact on telecoms and ICT services in the Caribbean, with Annie Baldeo and Kirk Sookram of TATT<\/a><\/div>\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>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playmusic.app.goo.gl\/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Icau5acn2xiyl5yjuh7orl2mt54?t%3DICT_Pulse_Podcast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Play Music<\/a> and on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The effort required to regulate telecoms successfully is something very few of us think about. However, it has been an crucial contributor to the degree of accessibility to, and availability of, telecoms services that has been realised across the Caribbean region. Although we might still have issue with the quality of services we receive, they would likely be considerably worse, had there not been a focus on getting the fundamentals right, with regards to regulation generally, and regulation to facilitate competition.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty years ago, we could not have predicted the state of telecoms globally, or even in the Caribbean region. Calling rates, both locally and internationally, were high, and networks were generally limited to the more urban areas. Mobile\/cellular service was available in many countries, but the coverage was extremely limited, typically to urban areas. Handsets, which could just call and send basic text messages, were still very expensive \u2013 beyond the budget of the average consumer. Additionally, although the Internet was available, it was primarily a dialup service, and could only be accessed via a modem used in conjunction with a desktop and laptop computer.<\/p>\n<p>Today, both local and international calling rates have dropped considerably, and currently are just a fraction of what they were in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mobile\/cellular service has become ubiquitous across most Caribbean countries, with their networks accessible by most of the population. The cost of handsets have also dropped considerably. A broad range of devices at varying price points are now available, ranging from the basic handsets for less than USD20.00, to smartphones that retail for over USD\u00a01,000.00.<\/p>\n<p>However, it is unlikely that the role that the Internet would play in 2020 could have been predicted 20 years ago. The Internet has become a medium for delivering voice, data and video based services, and has become essential to daily life in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century. Moreover, Internet access, standards and the way we, as consumers, will use the Internet, is likely to continue to evolve in the future.<\/p>\n<p>As the telecoms sectors have evolved, so has regulation; but to a considerable degree so far, the Internet has not been regulated. As a result, there might be an assumption \u2013 or even a concern \u2013 that telecoms regulation is no longer needed. In this podcast episode, we discuss the need for regulation going forward, along with a broad range of telecoms-related issues affecting the region.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Introducing our Guests<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_154446\" style=\"width: 270px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-154446\" data-attachment-id=\"154446\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/08\/ictp-117-regulation-impact-telecoms-ict-services-caribbean-annie-baldeo-kirk-sookram-tatt\/annie-baldeo-tatt\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Annie-Baldeo-TATT.png?fit=640%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,600\" 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=\"Annie Baldeo (TATT)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Annie Baldeo&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Annie-Baldeo-TATT.png?fit=300%2C281&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Annie-Baldeo-TATT.png?fit=640%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-154446\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Annie-Baldeo-TATT.png?resize=260%2C244&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Annie-Baldeo-TATT.png?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Annie-Baldeo-TATT.png?resize=300%2C281&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-154446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie Baldeo<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With a background in economics and strategic planning, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/net4\/ITU-D\/CDS\/InteractiveProgramme\/MeetSpeakers_Cards\/biography.asp?MeetingCode=WTIS18&amp;speaker=120\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Annie Baldeo<\/strong><\/a> is the Executive Officer, Policy, Planning and Economics, at the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), and has been with the organisation for over 15 years. Her role includes policy development, statistical indicators, competition analysis and strategic planning.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to joining TATT, Annie worked in public and private sector in Trinidad and Tobago, including the National Information and Communication Technology Secretariat, where she was involved in the preparation of the country\u2019s first National ICT Plan. With regard to academic qualifications, Annie possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in management, economics and finance, and a Master\u2019s degree in strategic planning.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_154448\" style=\"width: 270px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-154448\" data-attachment-id=\"154448\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/08\/ictp-117-regulation-impact-telecoms-ict-services-caribbean-annie-baldeo-kirk-sookram-tatt\/kirk-sookram-k-sookram\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kirk-Sookram-K-Sookram-e1596578329995.png?fit=524%2C598&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"524,598\" 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=\"Kirk Sookram (K Sookram)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Kirk Sookram&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kirk-Sookram-K-Sookram-e1596578329995.png?fit=263%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kirk-Sookram-K-Sookram-e1596578329995.png?fit=524%2C598&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-154448\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kirk-Sookram-K-Sookram-e1596578329995.png?resize=260%2C297&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kirk-Sookram-K-Sookram-e1596578329995.png?w=524&amp;ssl=1 524w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kirk-Sookram-K-Sookram-e1596578329995.png?resize=263%2C300&amp;ssl=1 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-154448\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirk Sookram<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kirk-sookram-b4a4892\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Kirk Sookram<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is the Executive Officer, Technology and Engineering, at TATT, and has been with the organisation since its inception in 2004. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in electrical and computer engineering, and a Master of Science Degree in operational telecommunications. At TATT, he specialises in spectrum management, wireless technologies, telecommunications regulation, ICT and broadband development, cost modelling and policy development.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his role at TATT, and for the period 2016\u20132020, Kirk served as the Chairman of the Caribbean Spectrum Management Task Force established by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union. Additionally, and from 2010, he has been a member of the committee for the development of Trinidad and Tobago\u2019s national ICT plan, including the latest version for the period 2018\u20132022.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Key questions and discussion points<\/h3>\n<p>In being in regulation for well over 15 years, and having first-hand experience in driving the dramatic transformation in the availability and accessibility of telecoms services in Trinidad and Tobago, both Annie and Kirk bring considerable depth and breadth of experience in regulation. Although much of their focus and experience is with respect to the Trinidad and Tobago sector, the telecoms and telecoms regulatory experience in Trinidad and Tobago is similar to what occurred across the Caribbean region. As a result, many of their insights and thoughts are applicable to developing countries, generally, and more so to other Caribbean, where there are still a number of common issues and challenges. To that end, key questions posed during the course of our conversation included the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What was the telecoms space like in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean when you became a regulator?<\/li>\n<li>How has telecoms regulation changed over the years?<\/li>\n<li>How would you describe the impact of ICT, and more specifically the Internet, on regulation?<\/li>\n<li>Policymakers across the region appear to be of the view that if there was more competition that consumers would have lower prices. What do you think?<\/li>\n<li>Over The Top Services (OTT): what are thoughts, and do you agree with the providers that the OTT services providers should pay?<\/li>\n<li>How do you think COVID-19 will change telecoms and ICT in the region? Will it have an impact on regulation, and if so, how?<\/li>\n<li>Recently, Caribbean telecoms companies have requested governments bail them out of the losses they have been incurring due to COVID-19. If Caribbean regulators are asked to weigh in, what ought to be some of the considerations in order to advise governments?<\/li>\n<li>What do you think the future of regulation will look like?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We would love to hear from you!<\/p>\n<p>Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>LinkedIn<\/strong><\/a> pages, or via Twitter, <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.itu.int\/net4\/ITU-D\/CDS\/InteractiveProgramme\/MeetSpeakers_Cards\/biography.asp?MeetingCode=WTIS18&amp;speaker=120\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Annie Baldeo<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kirk-sookram-b4a4892\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kirk Sookram<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tatt.org.tt\/Home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT)<\/a><\/li>\n<li>TATT paper, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/tatt.org.tt\/Forms\/DownloadableDocuments.aspx?Command=Core_Download&amp;EntryId=1125\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Discussion Paper on Net Neutrality and OTT Services in Trinidad and Tobago<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li>TATT consultation document, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/tatt.org.tt\/DesktopModules\/Bring2mind\/DMX\/API\/Entries\/Download?Command=Core_Download&amp;EntryId=479&amp;PortalId=0&amp;TabId=222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Towards the Treatment of Over-The-Top (OTT) Services<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credits:\u00a0 <a class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to EpicTop10.com's photostream\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/182229932@N07\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\">EpicTop10.com<\/a> (flickr);\u00a0 TATT;\u00a0 K Sookram<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Music credit:\u00a0 Ray Holman<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Annie Baldeo and Kirk Sookram of the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago discuss telecoms regulation in the Caribbean, including: how the region\u2019s telecoms space has evolved; the impact of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[71,53,48,12],"class_list":["post-154445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-businesses","tag-competition","tag-infrastructure","tag-regulation","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Regulation-word-cloud-control-rules-oversight-guidelines-EpicTop10.com-flickr.jpg?fit=1024%2C515&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-Eb3","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154445"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154581,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154445\/revisions\/154581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}