CANTO Board members, general members and delegates from
throughout the Caribbean will be attending the CANTO 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Mini Expo at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino, January 29-31.
Accelerating the Broadband experience for telecommunication providers and users in the Caribbean is the theme of the 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM) being hosted at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino this weekend.
The event is being hosted on St. Maarten by incumbent telecommunication provider, TelEm Group and attracts telecommunication providers, suppliers and CANTO board officials from throughout the region.
CANTO officials began arriving on the island last night to make final preparations for arriving guests and delegates for the opening ceremonies on Sunday evening and for the main business sessions on Monday and Tuesday next week.
As host country, TelEm Group has the support of Minister responsible for Telecommunication Mr. Franklin Meyers, who will be providing the official welcome to the delegates and participants of the CANTO 28th AGM. Prime Minister and TelEm Group Shareholder representative, Mrs. Sarah Wescott-Williams, will be delivering the feature address during the opening ceremonies.
Also during the opening ceremonies Sunday, members and delegates will witness a parade of flags and after hearing from the host country, will receive opening remarks from CANTO Secretary General, Regenie Fraser and Chairman of the CANTO Board of Directors, Dirk Currie.
According to TelEm Group, the demand of greater bandwidth and faster Intenet connection speeds have led to the development of several technological approaches to provide broadband access to all consumers, therefore the exchange amongst regional telecommunication providers and suppliers cannot come at a more appropriate time.
For its part CANTO says that from its own IDB Broadband forum held in Miami last year, and viewed as a critical step in CANTO’s Connect the Caribbean initiative towards developing a common action plan for both the private and public sector, the path was paved for a Broadband discussion at the 28th Annual General Meeting this year.
CANTO also states that for the first time at an (AGM) it will also be showcasing a Mini Expo of products and services in St. Maarten.
The Mini Expo will feature ten (10) of the major suppliers that manufacture and distribute telecommunication products and services in voice, data, image, e-content and multi-media fields.
"This is a highly anticipated AGM hinging on the theme of "accelerating Broadband Experience in the Caribbean – Transforming the way we live.", says CANTO on its website promoting the St. Maarten meeting.
CANTO says among other topics up for discussion will be:
• Presentation of the Annual report for 2010/11
• Review of the frame work of the Broadband Initiative
• Elections for Board Director positions
• Face to face meetings of CANTO’s five working committees
• Workshop – theme to be confirmed
TelEm Group’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mrs. Helma Etnel says excitement has been growing in the past days in anticipation of the upcoming AGM.
"St. Maarten always holds a special place for delegates who have been here before and I am sure we will be making many more new friends once the AGM is over," said Mrs. Etnel, who is also on the CANTO board.
The Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO) was founded in 1985 as a nonprofit association of telephone operating companies in the Caribbean. This initiative marked the first time that Caribbean operating companies had come together to address independently a wide array of telecommunication issues of mutual concern. CANTO’s objective, then and now, is to establish a forum through which Caribbean Telecommunication Organizations may exchange information and expertise pertaining to the telecommunications field, generate inputs for orderly growth of the sectors, formulate policy and consider matters of mutual interest to its members.