At the CANTO Connect 2026 conference, Liberty Caribbean CEO Inge Smidts delivered a powerful address challenging Caribbean leaders to harness the region’s digital infrastructure for measurable economic advancement. Speaking as head of the telecommunications giant operating Flow, Liberty Business and BTC services, Smidts presented a strategic framework for converting connectivity into concrete opportunities.
With the conference theme ‘Elevate the Caribbean — From Connectivity to Global Competitiveness’ as backdrop, Smidts outlined three critical priorities: embedding technology within Caribbean cultural identity, constructing people-centered intelligent networks, and accelerating telecom companies’ evolution into technology platforms that generate local opportunities.
“Our foundation of connectivity is established,” Smidts declared. “The pressing question now is what we will build upon it. Combining Caribbean creativity with reliable connectivity and intelligent policy unlocks jobs, services, and businesses capable of competing internationally.”
The CEO emphasized Liberty Caribbean’s commitment to leading this transformation through investments in human capital, strategic partnerships, and technological platforms. She called for enhanced public-private collaboration models extending beyond financing to include co-regulation, regulatory sandboxes, and shared governance structures.
“Public-private partnership serves as the engine for progress acceleration,” Smidts explained. “Governments provide vision and legitimacy, industry contributes scale and technical capability, while universities and civil society offer scrutiny and social purpose. Aligned incentives produce tangible impact.”
Liberty Caribbean demonstrated its commitment through concrete offers to connect investors with developers, align government programs with cloud infrastructure, and expand apprenticeship pipelines to empower Caribbean entrepreneurs and technologists.
Smidts highlighted the company’s practical initiatives including the JUMP inclusion program, which provides subsidized access, devices, training, and entrepreneurial support to households and microentrepreneurs. She stressed that intelligent connectivity must address authentic local needs while engineered for resilience in a disaster-prone region.
“In hurricane zones, active fault lines, and volcanic regions, connectivity becomes lifesaving rather than optional,” Smidts noted. “Our emergency response work proves that industry collaboration with satellite providers and governments can restore critical communications within hours instead of days.”
The address specifically acknowledged Trinidad and Tobago’s progress driven by policy initiatives including the Blueprint Revitalisation Plan, successful investor engagement, and a $1 billion bond roadshow. National digital projects such as the ANANSI digital assistant, UNESCO/UNDP AI assessment collaboration, OpenAI partnerships for education transformation, and the Developers’ Hub for SME-government co-creation received particular emphasis as examples of the nation’s ambitious digital transformation.