CEO Inge Smidts delivers Feature Address at CANTO Connect 2026 and 42 nd AGM
Port of Spain, TRININDAD & TOBAGO
Leading telecommunications provider Liberty Caribbean, the operators of Flow, Liberty Business and BTC, has issued a compelling call to regional leaders, regulators and industry partners to translate connectivity
into tangible, measurable prosperity for the Caribbean.
Delivering the feature address at CANTO Connect 2026, CEO Inge Smidts set out a clear,
actionable agenda for how the region can convert its hard-won digital infrastructure into
jobs, services and scalable Caribbean innovation.
“Connectivity is now our foundation, so the question before us is simple and urgent: with
that foundation in place, what are we going to build,” she said.
CANTO is the leading regional body that brings together telecommunications operators, ICT
providers, regulators, governments, and industry partners to support the development of the
Caribbean’s digital and communications landscape.
Speaking under the conference theme, ‘Elevate the Caribbean — From Connectivity to
Global Competitiveness’, Smidts focused on three interconnected priorities: anchoring
technology in Caribbean identity, designing intelligent and resilient networks around people,
and accelerating the transformation of telcos into technology platforms that create
homegrown opportunity.
“When we marry Caribbean creativity with dependable connectivity and smart policy, we
unlock jobs, services and businesses that compete on the world stage. Liberty Caribbean is
committed to leading that work by investing in the people, partnerships and platforms that
turn connection into measurable prosperity for our islands,” she said.
Smidts called for strengthened partnership models that go beyond financing to include co-
regulation, regulatory sandboxes and shared governance.
“Public-private partnership is the engine that will accelerate progress. Governments provide
vision and legitimacy; industry brings scale and technical capability; universities and civil
society bring scrutiny and social purpose. When incentives align, impact follows,” she said.
Liberty Caribbean reiterated its readiness to lead and convene. The company offered to
connect investors with developers, match government programmes to cloud and edge
infrastructure, and scale apprenticeship and talent pipelines so Caribbean entrepreneurs
and technologists can build and export regional solutions.
“Invest in platforms and invest in people. Design policy to enable bold experimentation.
Build governance that shares responsibility and protects citizens. Together, let us ensure
the next wave of Caribbean success is driven by homegrown ideas, led by Caribbean
people, and scaled to the world,” she said.
Smidts highlighted Liberty Caribbean’s practical work in the region, including the JUMP
inclusion programme that combines subsidised access, devices, training and an
entrepreneurial track to help households and microentrepreneurs learn, trade and scale.
She emphasised that intelligent connectivity must be designed for real local needs and must
be engineered for the realities of a disaster-prone region.
“At the same time, we design our networks for the realities our communities face. Intelligent
connectivity must serve real local needs, and in a region like ours, it must also be resilient
by design, so people, businesses and essential services stay connected when it matters
most,” she said.
“We build in the heart of a hurricane zone, active fault lines, and volcanoes. When disaster
strikes, connectivity is not optional, it is lifesaving. Our regional emergency work shows that
when the industry players partner with satellite providers and governments, we can restore
life-critical communications in hours rather than days.”
Addressing developments in Trinidad and Tobago, Smidts noted the momentum driven by
public policy and investment, including the Blueprint Revitalisation Plan, high-profile investor
engagement and a successful US$1 billion bond roadshow.
She highlighted national digital initiatives that demonstrate the country’s ambition such as
the ANANSI national digital assistant, partnerships with UNESCO and UNDP on a National
AI assessment, collaborative work with OpenAI to explore education and public service
transformation, and the Developers’ Hub (D’Hub) which enables SMEs and developers to
co-create government digital services.