BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Secretary General of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Rodney Taylor, Monday called for “full and complete elimination” of roaming charges in the region.
CTU Secretary General, Rodney Taylor, addressing signing ceremony on Monday.Addressing the signing ceremony where the Barbados government signed an agreement with the British telecommunication company, Cable and Wireless, which trades in the region as Flow, which will see low-income households here getting access to internet connection, Taylor said efforts are continuing to eliminate the roaming charges.
In addition to the 125 MBPS bandwidth, these households will also receive a laptop and training opportunities.
Taylor call for full digitalization in the region, comes one year after getting access to a fixed roaming charge when travelling to eligible Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states.
“I am sure Prime Minister (Mia) Mottley would want me to emphasize that our goal is still full and complete elimination of roaming [charges] within the region, and we continue to work towards that,” said Taylor.
“Thank Cable and Wireless for its commitment to the Caribbean region and for its investment in the ICT infrastructure to provide the foundation for national digital transformation. I was pleased in 2022 to be a part of the process which saw radical reduction in roaming charges within the CARICOM single ICT space,” said Taylor.
He said that despite the progress, there was still a need for harmonization of regulation to take it even further.
“It is clear indication that if we are to seriously close the connectivity gap we have to look at the entire internet ecosystem and come up with new ways of collaborating, from policymakers, regulators, to the private sector to international organizations and civil society groups. This must be a collective effort,” said Taylor.
“I know the challenges with respect to provision of competing services by companies that are not regulated and are not making the same investment that you have. As you know CTU has embarked on a process for which you will need the support at the highest level – the CARICOM Heads of Government in order to resolve this issue,” he said.
During the CARICOM Inter-Sessional summit here in February last year, Prime Minister Mottley announced the plan for lower roaming charges, noting then that the rates were punitive and bankrupting citizens when they travel.
Following negotiations with the telecommunications providers Flow and Digicel, along with the implementation of new rules, the companies signed the Declaration of St George’s Towards the Reduction of Intra-Caribbean Roaming Charges last year, paving the way for new fixed roaming charges to become a reality.
Officials also agreed then to cooperate on the development of a roadmap for the planned CARICOM single ICT space.
Mottley, addressing the ceremony on Monday, said she believed the time has come for a removal of roaming changes once and for all if the region was to become more competitive globally.
“We have worked on making sure that we can reduce the cost of roaming, but you know, we want like Europe, no charge for roaming. This is a single domestic space, and as the lead prime minister for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy it is my duty to say to you that we must reach that destination sooner rather than later,” said Mottley.
“We have to find how it works in a win-win situation for the company and also the consumers, because we will only become competitive compared to other regions if we can deal with the issues of connectivity,” she added.
