Technology,
almost a decade later – Our region’s biggest innovations are still no match
against its biggest challenges. So what now?
The
Digital Divide
Over the
course of the past decade, major headway has been made in terms of
technological innovation in the telecommunications industry. Between
advancements in both submarine and terrestrial fiber (optic), broadband
technology, cloud services, and information and communications technology (ICT)
in general, industry leaders have managed to further technological capacity
significantly. Unfortunately, however, the desired benefits of these
breakthroughs have not shared the same vaulting success as the technology
itself, particularly in much of the developing world.
Due to a lack
of cohesiveness within both the public and private sectors, a slower than
desired response from regulatory agencies, high entry barriers, widespread
poverty, and a perceived stubborn refusal to implement change, many regions –
especially those in the Caribbean and Latin America [LATAM] – have lagged in
joining the globalized knowledge economy. As the industry moves forward, it
becomes less a question of invention and more about implementation; rather than focusing their efforts solely on
devising the next big thing, organizations on every level must now work to
bridge the gap created by the ever-present “digital divide,” a term that denotes the inability that
exists in regions where ICT and broadband are unequally accessible, or simply
not utilized to be most effective, throughout entire populations.
The foremost
issue with digital usage in these regions is that it has been directed almost
exclusively at mainstream consumers, which has not led to a profound impact on
all areas of society. This is a problem for two reasons in particular: one
being that low-income segments are often unable to benefit from the services
being offered, as PC-home penetration still plagues a sizeable portion of the
populace; and two being that without the involvement of stakeholders at large,
the market would be mainly entertainment-based with no focus on the industry’s
realizable potential – nation-building.
The Disconnect Between
Technology and Accessibility
In and of itself, broadband and ICT are now considered to be essential
resources – alongside such things as water, transportation, healthcare, etc. –
in this modern, globalized society. Though, while its necessity is obvious in
today’s world, it is a need that is not easily met in the Caribbean and LATAM.
As active
participants in the region's telecommunications industry, Columbus
Communications has had ample experience identifying many things in these areas
that are desideratum.
“Quite frankly,”
said Columbus’ CEO, Brendan Paddick, “as you travel in countries like
Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Columbia – you name it – you see a
lot of needs.”
Yet, while the
situation is apparent enough, Paddick’s remarks reiterate the state of
deprivation that exists in many places throughout these regions. Whether it is
impoverishment, lack of a sufficient healthcare system, or unequipped
educational facilities, there are a number of critical issues that need to be
dealt with in these developing countries.
The thing that
many people fail to recognize or simply take for granted, however, is the
important roles that connectivity and technology play as these regions attempt
to move forward and solve their problems. Embracing ICT and broadband
technologies is both a cause and consequence of economic growth, and it should
come as no surprise that increased wealth subsequently spawns – or enables
access to – an increased pool of resources.
As of now, however,
digital awareness in the Caribbean and LATAM is at a relative low compared to
developed countries like the United States. Take, for example, that 96.3% of
U.S. households at least have access to wired broadband, while countries like Trinidad
and Tobago and Panama have an Internet penetration percentage of 53.2 and 43.4,
respectively. That means that almost an entire population is connected in the
U.S., while less fortunate countries in the Caribbean and LATAM generally hover
around or well below a 50% connectivity rate.
Access,
however, is not simply dependent upon the available technology, but upon its widespread recognition and understanding, proactive deployment and affordable pricing. While
companies like Columbus do their best to penetrate regional markets and make their
technology and services available, their success is largely dependent on the
willingness of others to join them in their mission as enablers.
“Similar to
many developed countries,” said company president and COO, John Reid,
“broadband is not ubiquitous. There are still many rural areas that don't have
access, or at least access to "real” broadband (i.e., they have dial-up).
So, the challenge for many governments and the private sector is to extend the
network cost effectively to reach these under-served areas.”
The process to
both adopt these strategies and subsequently enable
sweeping accessibility, therefore, is not as simple as its description may
imply. It is a slow, arduous task that requires the cooperation of both the
public and private sectors to define goals and identify
cost-effective solutions. Nevertheless, it is clear
that all stakeholders must make a collaborative effort and undertake a holistic
approach to address these similar objectives, rather than try to attempt to
find individual solutions to the same challenges.
Breakable
Barriers to a Brighter, Healthier, and Stronger Society
A major deterrent to enabling access in
the Caribbean and LATAM regions is the general lack of a strategic vision for
the future at an administrative level. Even where it is possible for the
available technology to be introduced, it is either improperly utilized or not
used at all. Governmental bodies, however, have the power to raise awareness
and promote the widespread usage of ICT, which if done in an effect manner, can
lead to the development of a healthy information-based society.
States that
have adopted mechanisms such as e-government, e-commerce, e-health, and e-learning
are at a greater advantage to affect digital competency, as each of these are
important drivers of increased broadband and ICT adoption. Public investment in
such an infrastructure, alongside policies that promote universal access and
thus lower entry barriers to those very services, would not only benefit the
industry, but would give an incentive for private investors to follow suit.
This, in turn, would spur demand, create jobs and, therefore, simultaneously
boost a nation’s economic and social welfare.
Organizations that adopt ICT solutions – especially in countries where
many owners and operators still abide by more traditional, less efficient modes
of dealing with critical information – prompt others to follow suit, and thus
initiate a snowball effect that subsequently leads to increased productivity
and decreased costs of doing business in those regions. Effectively inducing
small, medium, and large enterprises to integrate ICT and broadband into their
own infrastructures is, according to Reid, however, a “larger challenge,” and
can “best be described as a work in progress.”
That is not to
say, however, that no progress has been made to facilitate these initiatives
throughout the Caribbean and LATAM regions. Institutions such as the Caribbean
Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO) and the
Caribbean Telecommunications Union [CTU] each work closely with government
ministries to implement broad strategies that, in effect, increase both ICT and
broadband usage, as well as aid in spreading access to these technologies in
more remote regions.
These organizations
thus work as facilitators of regional growth – economically, socially, and
culturally – by targeting policy-makers, broadcasters, regulators, operators,
and so forth in order to optimize the potential returns from and instill the
importance of ICT and broadband technologies. In effect, they each strive to be
enablers for marginal or otherwise underserved groups, and build demand for
information and telecommunication services.
CTU, for
example, operates an ICT Roadshow Initiative that travels from country to
country and encourages governments, businesses, institutions, and individuals
to “harness the power of innovation.” Through its endeavors, the organization acts
as a sort of technological ambassador, as it attempts to expedite nationwide
transformations by encouraging and enabling the switch to an information-based
society.
As well as
these initiatives, companies like Columbus have been working hand-in-hand with
regulators to find cost-effective infrastructure solutions to further enable
access.
"The
continual reduction in the cost of network construction," said Reid,
"has resulted in a gradual improvement in access for the rural areas of
countries […] Wireless technologies may present the best
solution. The lower cost associated with a wireless infrastructure may be
more appropriate as a broadband access solution in remote areas, rather than
constructing a higher priced fiber infrastructure."
Therefore, if all varieties of stakeholders adopt and attempt to
perpetuate the use of ICT and telecommunications technology, entire nations
would begin to develop sustainable infrastructures and effectively rise from
the rubble in which they currently abide. People would begin to see how these
technologies are not just meant for the privileged and serve a greater function
than to surf the web or watch one’s favorite television show; schools could
offer students more universal educations, doctors could help patients from a
distance, or governments could spread messages to the remotest of regions.
Technological implementation strategies can thus give hope to otherwise
destitute regions throughout the Caribbean and LATAM. Much like the message
offered by Columbus’ mission statement, nations would enable, rather than
predict, the future.
Columbus International Inc. is a privately held diversified telecommunications company
based in Barbados. The Company provides digital cable television, broadband Internet and
digital landline telephony in Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada and Curacao under the
brand name FLOW and in St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Antigua under the
brand name Karib Cable. Columbus also provides corporate data and cloud based services
under the brand Columbus Business Solutions. Through its wholly owned subsidiary,
Columbus Networks, the Company provides capacity and IP services, corporate data
solutions and data center hosting throughout 27 countries in the greater Caribbean, Central
American and Andean region. Through its fully protected, ringed submarine fiber optic
network spanning close to 18,000 km and its 24,000 km terrestrial fibre and coaxial terrestrial
network, Columbus' 2,400 plus professionals provide advanced telecom services to a diverse
residential and corporate client base of over 550,000 customers. Visit www.columbus.co
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Thank you Columbus for sharing this piece, certainly thought provoking on this day... May 17, 2013 recognized globally as World Telecommunications and Information Society Day. Feel free to share your thoughts as always or post online, we must as a region begin to break the back of this digital divide.
One love, always!
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