Carib Scope

分类： technology

  • UWI Investigates Possible Cyberattack, Says Systems and Data Are Safe

    UWI Investigates Possible Cyberattack, Says Systems and Data Are Safe

    One of the Caribbean’s most prestigious higher education institutions, The University of the West Indies (UWI), has confirmed it is responding to an unsubstantiated ransomware claim that triggered a full cybersecurity investigation across its institutional networks. As of the latest official update, university officials have found no verified evidence that unauthorized actors have gained access to the UWI’s IT infrastructure, compromised core institutional systems, or exposed sensitive university data to public leaks.

    Given the growing global risk of cyberattacks against educational institutions, UWI leadership has classified the potential threat as a high-priority incident and activated its formal cybersecurity incident response protocol. The institution has assembled a cross-functional response team that includes in-house technical specialists from all five of its campuses, external independent cybersecurity experts, and regional law enforcement and regulatory authorities focused on digital crime. These teams are currently conducting comprehensive scans of all university systems, auditing access logs, and actively searching for any indicators of unauthorized access or compromise to shore up the institution’s digital defenses.

    In a public advisory released to the entire UWI community, university leadership urged all students, staff, faculty, and contract personnel to heighten their cybersecurity vigilance in the coming weeks. The advisory reminds all community members to avoid interacting with unsolicited links or attachments in unexpected emails or messages, and to immediately report any strange system behavior, unapproved access requests, or suspicious communications to their local campus IT Helpdesk for rapid review.

    University administration acknowledged that any report of a potential ransomware claim understandably generates uncertainty and concern among its broad base of stakeholders, which includes current staff and students, alumni, industry partners, and regional government bodies. Officials committed to publishing timely, transparent updates as the investigation progresses, whenever new developments emerge that require public disclosure.

    Beyond the current cybersecurity incident, UWI stands as the leading higher education and research institution in the Caribbean, with a 75-year legacy of driving social and economic development across the region. Founded in 1948 as an affiliated university college of the University of London in Jamaica, it opened its doors to an inaugural class of just 33 medical students. Today, it has expanded into a globally recognized research university with a total enrollment of nearly 50,000 students spread across five physical campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda, plus a fully remote Global Campus. It also maintains collaborative international research and education centers with partner institutions across North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

    UWI offers a vast academic portfolio of more than 1,000 academic programs spanning certificate, diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels across a wide range of disciplines, including the creative arts, food and agriculture, engineering, education, law, medical sciences, science and technology, social sciences, and sport. As the Caribbean’s premier tertiary institution, it hosts the region’s largest concentration of academic expertise, with a core mission of addressing pressing local and global challenges through research and public engagement.

    Since 2018, UWI’s academic standing has been formally recognized by the Times Higher Education (THE) global university rankings, confirming its place among the top higher education institutions worldwide. It is the only English-speaking university in the Caribbean to hold a placement across four of THE’s most prestigious ranking categories: the overall World University Rankings, which evaluates more than 2,000 leading research-focused universities globally; the Golden Age University Rankings, which highlight top institutions founded between 50 and 80 years ago; the Latin America and Caribbean Rankings, focused on regional higher education excellence; and the THE Impact Rankings, which measure institutions against their contributions to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    This global recognition has supported the launch of one of UWI’s newest initiatives, the International School for Development Justice (ISDJ), a global online graduate business school designed to train the next generation of leaders to advance equitable, sustainable development across the globe. Long recognized as a global leader in SDG-aligned research and education, UWI continues to uphold its mission of serving the Caribbean community while expanding its global impact. More information about the institution is available at its official website, www.uwi.edu.

  • Punta Cana Airport introduces AI technology to detect smuggling

    Punta Cana Airport introduces AI technology to detect smuggling

    In a landmark move for airport security innovation in the Caribbean, Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) has rolled out a cutting-edge artificial intelligence platform developed by Israeli tech firm SeeTrue, aiming to boost contraband detection capabilities at passenger security checkpoints.

    The new system has been seamlessly integrated with Leidos’ industry-leading ClearScan CT baggage scanners, combining advanced imaging technology with machine learning algorithms to deliver real-time analysis of luggage contents. Unlike traditional detection methods that often require additional secondary screenings that delay passenger flow, this AI-powered solution enables security officers to quickly and accurately spot hidden drugs and undeclared currency without disrupting regular processing operations.

    The modernization initiative is a collaborative effort between PUJ, global security technology provider Leidos, and local Dominican partner PBS Group. Airport officials framed the project as a proactive response to steadily rising international air travel volumes across the region, noting that the upgrade will simultaneously strengthen security standards, streamline operational efficiency, and expand the airport’s ability to process growing numbers of passengers annually.

    For SeeTrue, this deployment marks a historic industry first: it is the first time the company’s proprietary AI detection algorithms have been paired with ClearScan CT technology at any international airport, with a specific focus on targeting illicit drugs and unreported cash. The milestone cements both SeeTrue and PUJ’s reputations as pioneers in adopting next-generation security tools.

    Already recognized as the Best Airport in Central America and the Caribbean at the 2026 World Airport Awards, PUJ’s latest security upgrade further solidifies its standing as a regional leader in aviation security and technological innovation, setting a new benchmark for other airports across the Caribbean and Central America to follow.

  • BCCAR Reveals How Hackers Breached Its System

    BCCAR Reveals How Hackers Breached Its System

    In a final public update addressing a recently disclosed cybersecurity incident, the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry (BCCAR) has shed light on how unauthorized actors gained access to sensitive company records stored on its Online Business Registry System (OBRS). According to the agency’s official findings, hackers exploited an unpatched security vulnerability in the platform’s passport-based user registration workflow to break into the system and access confidential corporate documentation.

    The investigation, conducted internally in partnership with external cybersecurity experts, traced the breach directly to a weakness in the process used to generate limited-access public user accounts. Since discovering the root cause of the incident, BCCAR has moved quickly to mitigate risks: the vulnerability has been fully patched, core system access controls have been upgraded, and the problematic passport-based registration pathway has been temporarily taken offline to prevent further exploitation.

    To further harden the platform against future unauthorized access attempts, BCCAR has implemented several new operational safeguards. A strict new hourly limit of 100 document views and downloads per individual user account has been put in place to slow potential bulk data exfiltration attempts. The agency has also completed a full review of user authentication protocols, expanded system logging capabilities, and upgraded real-time monitoring infrastructure to flag and respond to anomalous activity far earlier than was possible before the breach.

    As an additional transparency measure for system users, all documents that were downloaded during the window of unauthorized access have been marked with a prominent warning icon within the OBRS interface, allowing registered users and agents to quickly identify compromised records.

    Notably, BCCAR has declined to disclose key details about the scope and origin of the attack. The agency has not released information on how many user accounts or corporate documents were impacted by the breach, what specific categories of corporate information were exposed to unauthorized actors, whether any suspects have been identified as responsible, or whether the attack originated from within Belize or from an overseas location.

    The OBRS platform was taken offline immediately after the breach was detected, and full service was restored to users on August 10. BCCAR confirmed that it is still working with independent cybersecurity specialists to conduct a third-party validation of the incident’s full scope, with final findings expected to be released internally in the coming weeks.

    Moving forward, the agency has shifted its operational approach to prioritize proactive cybersecurity prevention over full public transparency around the incident. BCCAR outlined a long-term plan to build out enhanced continuous monitoring capabilities, including automated alerts for unusual bulk activity, periodic mandatory access reviews for all user accounts, regular third-party vulnerability scanning, recurring penetration testing, and updated, more robust incident response protocols to contain future breaches faster.

    In closing, BCCAR has issued an official advisory urging all OBRS customers and registered corporate agents to conduct a thorough review of their account records and report any suspicious activity to the agency’s cybersecurity team immediately.

  • Grenada to host Caribbean Internet Governance Forums

    Grenada to host Caribbean Internet Governance Forums

    The Caribbean is set to welcome hundreds of regional and global digital stakeholders this year, as the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the Government of Grenada partner to host two landmark internet governance events: the 22nd Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) and the 5th Caribbean Youth Internet Governance Forum (CYIGF). Designed to align regional digital progress with global development goals, the dual forums will bring together cross-sector participants to chart a clear path forward for the Caribbean’s evolving digital ecosystem.

    Both gatherings will operate on a hybrid model, removing barriers to participation by welcoming both in-person attendees in Grenada and remote delegates from across the world. Set around the central theme “Connectivity to Capability: Shaping a Resilient, Trusted, and Innovative Digital Caribbean”, the forums aim to move beyond basic infrastructure access to build the skills, frameworks, and collaboration needed for long-term digital success.

    The CIGF, a pioneering regional initiative founded in 2005 through a joint effort between the CTU and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat, holds the distinction of being the longest-running continuous internet governance forum in the world. For more than 18 years, it has served as a unique open platform that rejects hierarchical structures, bringing together representatives from national governments, private sector tech firms, technical standards bodies, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and global intergovernmental bodies to align on the Caribbean’s top internet governance priorities. Over its history, the forum has driven tangible progress across the region: it facilitated the creation of the Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework, spurred the expansion of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) across Caribbean nations, built foundational local and regional capacity in digital governance, and elevated the Caribbean’s voice and influence in global internet policy discussions.

    Centering youth leadership as a core priority for sustainable digital development, the 5th CYIGF will once again run in parallel with the main CIGF event. Unlike traditional policy gatherings that treat youth engagement as an afterthought, the CYIGF is designed entirely by Caribbean young people for their regional peers, creating space for the next generation to contribute tangible ideas to regional and global digital policy debates while building their own leadership and technical skills in internet governance. Launched as a virtual inaugural event in 2022, the forum has grown rapidly to become a flagship regional program coordinated by the Caribbean ICT Youth Network (CIYN), and earned formal recognition this year as a National and Regional Internet Governance Forum Initiative (NRI) under the umbrella of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum.

    This year’s forums convene at a critical juncture for digital progress globally and regionally. As the international community completes the UN’s 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) and advances implementation of the landmark Global Digital Compact, Caribbean stakeholders have a rare coordinated opportunity to outline a unified regional vision for inclusive digital development that addresses the unique needs of small island developing states.

    Discussions across both forums will cover a broad range of pressing priority issues tailored to the Caribbean context. These include strengthening regional cybersecurity resilience and closing gaps in cybersecurity maturity across member states; unlocking the economic and social opportunities of artificial intelligence while putting in place guardrails for responsible, inclusive AI governance; building digital ecosystems that are inclusive, trusted, and environmentally sustainable; updating the existing Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework to address risks and opportunities posed by newly emerging digital technologies; deepening regional collaboration to ensure global digital commitments translate into actionable, impactful change at the local and regional level; and expanding pathways for Caribbean youth to take active leadership roles in shaping the region’s digital future.

    Beyond policy discussions, the core objectives of the 2024 forums include building sustained national and regional capacity in internet governance, fostering long-term cross-sector collaboration between governments, regulators, academic institutions, civil society, the technical community, private enterprises, and international partners, and building consensus around regional policy frameworks that will accelerate inclusive digital transformation across the Caribbean.

    Registration for both in-person and virtual participation is currently open to all interested stakeholders. Up-to-date information on the program overview, full agenda, registration links, and additional logistical details are available and will be updated regularly on the official CTU website. The CTU has called on stakeholders from across the Caribbean and the global internet governance community to take part in the discussions, emphasizing that broad participation is critical to developing a digital vision that serves all Caribbean people.

    More information on the CTU and its ongoing digital development initiatives across the region can be found on the organization’s official website at www.ctu.int.

  • ITLA and SpaceX explore expanded internet connectivity and AI training in Dominican Republic

    ITLA and SpaceX explore expanded internet connectivity and AI training in Dominican Republic

    A groundbreaking collaboration aimed at closing the digital divide and advancing next-generation tech education is taking shape in the Dominican Republic, as the country’s leading technical higher education institution, the Technological Institute of the Americas (ITLA), has entered exploratory talks with three of Elon Musk’s global technology ventures: SpaceX, its satellite internet division Starlink, and artificial intelligence firm xAI. The partnership discussions center on two core goals: expanding high-speed internet access to underserved regions across the country, and building world-class AI training programs to prepare Dominican students for a rapidly shifting global workforce.

    Leading the negotiations on ITLA’s side is institute rector Jimmy Rosario Bernard, who has held multiple working sessions with Katerina Álvarez, Starlink’s Strategic Connectivity Manager, alongside senior leadership from xAI. The most recent round of talks included Wilfredo Fernández, xAI’s Director for the Americas of Global Government Affairs, and Gabriela Castillo Madrid, xAI’s Senior Manager for the Americas. During the meeting, stakeholders centered their discussions on how cutting-edge emerging technologies can break down barriers to educational access and equip young Dominicans with the skills demanded by modern employers around the world.

    Several high-impact initiatives are currently under active consideration. One key proposal is the development of large-scale open online AI courses that would be accessible to learners across the Dominican Republic. The partnership could leverage xAI’s large language model Grok as a supporting educational tool for both traditional classroom instruction and adult continuing education programs, making advanced AI training more interactive and accessible to a broader audience.

    A second priority initiative focuses on expanding internet connectivity to the country’s rural communities, where limited digital infrastructure has long locked residents out of educational and economic opportunities. By rolling out Starlink’s low-latency satellite internet service in these underserved areas, the partners aim to extend formal technology training programs to regions that have historically been excluded from digital advancement.

    In a statement following the latest round of discussions, Rosario Bernard emphasized the transformative potential of the collaboration. “Through the democratization of knowledge, we are transforming technology into an accessible bridge for Dominican youth to lead the future,” he said.

    During their visits and talks, representatives from SpaceX and its affiliated companies gained a comprehensive overview of ITLA’s innovative educational model, its existing community-focused digital inclusion programs, and its impressive track record of graduate employability. The institute reports that over 90% of its graduates secure employment in their field shortly after completing their programs. ITLA also shared details of its current academic portfolio, which is intentionally aligned with the fastest-growing needs of the global labor market, including programs in cybersecurity, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and bioinformatics.

  • Dominican Republic’s new eTicket system surpasses 67,000 users

    Dominican Republic’s new eTicket system surpasses 67,000 users

    Santo Domingo — In a promising show of early success for digital transformation in border management, the Dominican Republic’s newly launched electronic travel ticketing (eTicket) system has already been utilized by more than 67,000 incoming and outgoing travelers, the nation’s General Directorate of Migration (DGM) has announced.

    In the first weeks since the digital platform went live, the DGM has processed 67,881 completed eTicket applications, alongside the creation of 50,301 independent user accounts and 32,377 dedicated companion profiles. These companion profiles are specifically designed to streamline pre-travel documentation for family groups and frequent travel companions, eliminating the need to re-enter basic information for co-travelers on every trip.

    DGM Director General Lee Ballester highlighted that the unexpectedly fast uptake of the new platform serves as clear validation of the Dominican government’s push to integrate modern technology into public-facing immigration services. According to Ballester, the widespread early adoption directly demonstrates how digital innovation can fundamentally reshape administrative procedures, turning what was once a slow, paper-heavy process into a far more agile, straightforward and time-efficient experience for both travelers and immigration staff.

    Developed to modernize the Dominican Republic’s entry and exit infrastructure, the eTicket system replaces the older paper-based declaration process with a fully digital workflow. It allows travelers to complete all required immigration documentation online ahead of their arrival or departure, cutting down on wait times at border checkpoints and airports, while giving migration officials a centralized, easy-to-access digital database of travel information.

  • Indotel proposes new law to modernize telecommunications and digital infrastructure

    Indotel proposes new law to modernize telecommunications and digital infrastructure

    SANTO DOMINGO — As the Dominican Republic undergoes rapid digital transformation, the nation’s top telecommunications regulatory body has unveiled a sweeping new piece of legislation designed to bring the country’s outdated sector rulebook into the 21st century. The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications, widely known as Indotel, has formally presented its proposed General Law on Telecommunications, Digital Infrastructure and Connectivity, a framework crafted to address gaps in current regulation that have emerged alongside new technological advances.

    Built as an update to the country’s existing 1998 Telecommunications Law (Law 153-98), the new draft integrates clear regulatory provisions for critical modern technologies and infrastructure that were not comprehensively addressed in the original legislation. This includes foundational assets such as fiber optic networks, next-generation advanced mobile communications, satellite connectivity, international submarine cables, and large-scale data centers — all core components of today’s digital ecosystem.

    Fausto Rosario Adames, an Indotel board member speaking on behalf of institute chairman Guido Gómez Mazara, outlined the draft’s intentional scope: regulation is concentrated exclusively on telecommunications networks, core services, physical infrastructure, and associated critical resources. Notably, the legislation excludes oversight of digital content, general e-commerce operations, and digital platforms that do not have direct ties to the core telecommunications sector.

    The proposed law introduces a suite of structural reforms to streamline sector operations and boost competitiveness. Key measures include the implementation of a unified concession system for operators, a single centralized digital portal to cut red tape and speed up infrastructure deployment, mandates for increased network sharing across providers to reduce redundant buildout, updated rules to strengthen fair market competition, and more efficient, data-driven management of the country’s finite radio spectrum.

    Consumer protection is also a central priority of the new framework. The draft codifies strict requirements for consistent service quality and continuity, mandates transparent billing practices to eliminate hidden fees, preserves and expands consumer right to number portability, enforces accessibility standards for users with disabilities, and establishes improved, streamlined mechanisms for resolving customer complaints. Additionally, the legislation creates a dedicated cybersecurity regime specific to the telecommunications sector, designed to protect the integrity, availability, and resilience of critical national communications networks and infrastructure against growing cyber threats.

    Indotel confirmed that the completed draft has already been submitted to the Executive Branch’s Office of Legal Counsel for review. Before the bill is forwarded to the Dominican Congress for formal legislative consideration, it will undergo a multi-stakeholder consultation process, gathering feedback from telecommunications operators, residential and business end users, academic researchers, industry experts, technology entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations across the country.

    The ultimate goal of this regulatory update, Indotel officials emphasized, is to deliver a refined, widely supported proposal that lays a solid legal foundation for building a more connected, inclusive, innovative, and globally competitive Dominican Republic that can adapt to future technological shifts.

  • Claude’s New Watermark Has Users Seeing Red

    Claude’s New Watermark Has Users Seeing Red

    In a move designed to meet the strict transparency requirements of the European Union’s AI Act, Anthropic — the developer of the popular Claude family of large language models — has rolled out mandatory invisible text watermarks and digital metadata labels for all AI-generated content produced by its systems across the globe. The new rule, which went into effect for all new Claude models launched in the EU after August 2, 2026, will eventually be extended to older versions of the model that were rolled out before that date, covering every major platform where Claude is available: the official Claude web interface, Claude API, Claude Code development tool, and the Claude Cowork collaboration platform. Unlike optional watermarking systems that let users choose whether to add identification markers, Anthropic has confirmed that no opt-out is available for any users of its services, according to reporting from Forbes.

    The watermarking system is engineered to be unobtrusive to human readers: the embedded markers are imperceptible to the naked eye, persist through standard copy-and-paste workflows, and do not alter the readability of generated text. For digital image outputs in common formats such as PNG and SVG, the system adds hidden metadata tags that track the content’s origin and enable detection of unauthorized tampering. Anthropic has also sought to ease user concerns by clarifying that the presence of a watermark only confirms that Claude interacted with the content, not that the entire work was fully AI-generated. The company added that watermarks can be easily removed through common content modification processes, including heavy editing, paraphrasing, cross-language translation, and screen capture of text. Moving forward, Anthropic plans to publish open technical guidance to help third-party developers integrate watermark detection tools into their own workflows, so that organizations can meet their own transparency obligations under the EU AI Act.

    Despite these clarifications, the policy has sparked immediate and widespread pushback from users across major social platforms including X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit, with the sharpest criticism coming from professional groups that rely on Claude as a productivity tool: software developers, freelance writers, and editorial professionals. Many users have raised concerns that even minor use of Claude for routine tasks — such as proofreading a human-written manuscript, debugging a section of custom code, or converting a file between formats — will leave a watermark on the final work, leading to incorrect labeling of original human-created content as fully AI-generated. Conservative radio host Erick Erickson was among the high-profile critics, publicly calling the policy “ridiculous” and noting that even his own original writing would end up carrying an AI watermark after receiving basic editing assistance from Claude.

  • Grenada’s AI push needs a sunset test

    Grenada’s AI push needs a sunset test

    As the Caribbean nation of Grenada accelerates its shift from conceptual discussions of digital transformation to tangible on-the-ground implementation, artificial intelligence has emerged as a central pillar of the government’s modernization agenda. The country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division has already elevated AI-powered public administration tools to its list of top strategic priorities, aligning with broader trends across the Caribbean documented at the recent CANTO (Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations) conference, which painted a picture of a rapidly evolving regional digital economy increasingly centered on AI innovation. Later this month, Grenada will further cement its role in regional digital development as a co-host of the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum, an event where digital transformation strategies and coordinated regional tech policy will take center stage in discussions.

    This growing momentum for AI adoption opens up significant new opportunities to improve public service delivery, streamline government operations, and boost Grenada’s digital competitiveness. However, it also carries a well-documented risk common to new technology pilot projects: untested initiatives often become permanently embedded in bureaucratic systems not because they deliver proven public value, but simply because they have been implemented and institutionalized over time.

    To address this critical governance gap, behavioral scientist Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, is calling for all public sector AI pilots in Grenada to adopt a mandatory “sunset test” framework before any tool is launched. Under this approach, government agencies are required to set a fixed formal review date before launch, explicitly document the specific public problem the AI tool is intended to solve, establish a baseline measurement of current performance, and outline clear pre-defined criteria that will determine whether the pilot is expanded, modified, or terminated after the review period.

    The specific metrics for a sunset test can be tailored to the function of each AI tool, Tsipursky explains. For example, a citizen-facing public service chatbot would be evaluated based on metrics such as the share of user inquiries that receive a complete, accurate answer on the first interaction (eliminating the need for follow-up contact with human staff), the frequency of incorrect responses that require staff correction, and the types of questions that still demand human intervention. For internal AI drafting tools used by government employees, success would not be measured by the speed of the first draft alone, but by the total net time saved after accounting for required staff review and revisions. For AI systems designed to prioritize public case processing or application reviews, key metrics would include how often human staff override the AI’s ranking recommendations and the core reasons for those overrides.

    Tsipursky emphasizes that sunset testing is non-negotiable because AI systems tend to accumulate hidden, long-term costs that make them difficult to remove even when they fail to deliver on promised value. Over time, employees develop workarounds to compensate for the tool’s flaws, managers restructure entire work processes around the system, and external AI vendors become deeply embedded in government operations. Within just six months of launch, an experimental AI pilot can become nearly impossible to discontinue, even when there is little hard evidence that it actually improves public outcomes.

    This framework does not require Grenada to reject imperfect or experimental AI pilots, Tsipursky notes – intentional experimentation is a necessary part of institutional learning and digital innovation. Instead, it establishes a clear rule that every pilot must prove its public value to earn a permanent place in government infrastructure.

    Conducting a useful sunset test review does not require lengthy, bureaucratic reports: Tsipursky notes that a rigorous review can be completed in a single page, focused on six core questions: What measurable public outcomes improved after implementing the tool? What new unplanned work did the tool create for government staff? What persistent errors continued to occur even with the AI system in place? Where did human judgment remain irreplaceable for delivering high-quality outcomes? Did AI implementation reduce delays for citizens, or did it create additional confusion? And finally, what tangible impact would occur if the tool was removed tomorrow?

    That final question is particularly critical, Tsipursky argues. If an AI pilot has truly become an indispensable part of public service delivery, government leaders deserve a clear explanation of why it creates value. If no team can identify a measurable loss of public value from turning the pilot off, the initiative is almost certainly wasting limited government attention and funding that could be allocated to higher-impact digital projects.

    As a small nation advancing its digital agenda at a rapid pace, Grenada has a unique opportunity to balance speed with disciplined governance, Tsipursky concludes. A mandatory sunset test framework makes experimentation politically and administratively defensible, because every new AI tool is introduced with clear evidence standards and a built-in exit strategy for underperforming initiatives. This approach is the most effective way for Grenada to move fast on digital transformation without allowing unproven yesterdays experiments to become unchallenged, wasteful dependencies tomorrow.

  • Indotel highlights digital connectivity as key to Dominican Republic’s economic growth

    Indotel highlights digital connectivity as key to Dominican Republic’s economic growth

    PUNTA CANA — As regional technology leaders gathered this week for one of the Caribbean’s most important telecommunications gatherings, a top Dominican regulator has framed universal digital access as the foundational pillar for shared growth across the island region.

    Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 41st Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO), hosted August 9 to 12 at Punta Cana’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Guido Gómez Mazara, president of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) Board of Directors, emphasized that robust digital connectivity has evolved from a convenience to a core strategic driver of national competitiveness, foreign direct investment, social equity, and broad-based economic development across the entire Caribbean.

    Gómez Mazara outlined the Dominican Republic’s ambitious national agenda to reshape its domestic production model by prioritizing large-scale investment in digital infrastructure and expansion of the digital economy. At the heart of the country’s plans is a commitment to inject more than $500 million into upgrading digital exchange infrastructure, boosting international connectivity through new and expanded submarine cable routes, and advancing the implementation of the national Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Beyond infrastructure, the country is actively working to build homegrown AI innovation capacity and carve out a sustainable role for Dominican stakeholders in global semiconductor supply chains.

    Indotel’s immediate regulatory priorities also focus on closing long-standing access gaps across the country, Gómez Mazara noted. The agency is pushing forward with aggressive expansion of 4G and 5G mobile networks, modernizing management of the public radio spectrum to accommodate growing demand, cutting the persistent digital divide that leaves marginalized communities disconnected, and fostering healthy, pro-consumer competition across the telecommunications sector.

    A core principle of the country’s regulatory approach, he stressed, is balancing two critical goals: creating a clear, attractive policy environment that draws in private and public investment, while ensuring that all telecommunications services remain affordable and accessible to every segment of the population. This balance is designed to prevent exclusion from the digital economy rooted in cost barriers, geographic isolation, or gaps in digital literacy, he explained.

    The conference also marked a milestone for Indotel: the Dominican regulator formally joined CANTO as a full member, making this year’s event its first annual participation as an official member of the regional association. Gómez Mazara highlighted that cross-border cooperation between Caribbean nations is not optional, but essential, to tackle shared technological challenges, harmonize regulatory frameworks, and exchange successful policy experiences that benefit the entire region.

    This year’s CANTO conference gathers hundreds of telecommunications providers, regulators, technology innovators, and policy stakeholders from across the Caribbean and beyond. Attendees are engaging in four days of discussions covering pressing industry topics including universal connectivity expansion, emerging digital innovation, new investment opportunities, adaptive regulatory policy, and building long-term digital competitiveness for small and medium economies across the region.