KINGSTON, Jamaica — Against a backdrop of growing regional demand for reliable, future-ready digital infrastructure, Jamaica’s top spectrum regulator has doubled down on its pledge to elevate digital resilience across Jamaica and the entire Caribbean basin, stressing that coordinated cross-border action, robust spectrum stewardship, and ongoing technical capacity investments are non-negotiable for long-term progress.
The Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) laid out this strategic vision at the 31st annual Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) Forum, which ran from April 14 to 16, 2026, in Kingston. The gathering brought together hundreds of regional and global digital industry stakeholders, policymakers, and technical experts to tackle pressing questions about the future of Caribbean digital infrastructure, aligning all discussions around the official forum theme: “The Resilient Archipelago: Strengthening the Caribbean’s Digital Core”.
During a dedicated session focused on elevating women in the Caribbean tech and network operations space, Dr. Maria Myers-Hamilton, SMA’s Managing Director, centered her remarks on a critical, often overlooked truth: building robust, shock-resistant digital ecosystems requires far more than just laying new fiber or upgrading hardware. It requires intentional cross-stakeholder collaboration, visionary proactive leadership, and consistent, long-term investment in developing skilled workforces and strong institutional frameworks.
“Digital resilience for the Caribbean is never solely a technical challenge,” Dr. Myers-Hamilton explained. “At its heart, it is a test of how we work together as an interconnected region. Our communication networks, our digital systems, and even our shared spectrum environments do not stop at national borders. To strengthen resilience, we must strengthen collaboration first, build up the technical expertise of our teams, and manage our finite spectrum resources in a way that prioritizes long-term sustainability and inclusive economic growth.”
She went on to reinforce that evidence-based, effective spectrum management stands as the foundational pillar of all efforts to boost regional digital resilience, framing the practice as a strategic catalyst that unlocks universal connectivity, advances public safety outcomes, and drives broad-based economic development across Caribbean island nations.