January 2017 | Business View Caribbean

106 107 The SpectrumManagement Authority of Jamaica operators, and also regulate content. So, the goal of the ICT Act is to have a more modern regulatory regime that is closer to the FCC in the U.S. or OFCOM in the U.K.” BVM: When will that new legisla- tion become effective? McBean: “The expectation is that the legislation will be passed in 2017, and the establishment of the single ICT regulator will take effect late 2017, or early 2018.” BVM: Howwill it affect your agency? McBean: “Fundamentally it won’t, as the entire spectrum management functions will be required for the establishment of the single ICT regu- lator.” BVM: What else would you like our readers to know about the Spectrum Management Authority? McBean: “We have a proposed three-year expansion project to mod- ernize our monitoring system across the entire island. We have a big re- sponsibility to monitor the spectrum and the very explosive growth that has been, and will be, in telecommu- nications, for the future. So, our job is to make sure that Jamaica remains among the leaders in the Caribbean Preferred vendors n TCI International, Inc. www.spx.com TCI International is a U.S.-based communications company for military, radio, and data technology. TCI brings over 46 years of innovation in spectrum monitoring, radio direction finding, and signals intelligence solutions for civilian, government, and military agencies worldwide. The company also helps defend high-value areas such as government facilities, embassies, air- ports, harbors, and public venues. TCI is also a recognized leader in the design and manufacture of antennas for communications and high-power radio broadcasting. Selected for use in more than 100 countries, TCI products are supported by a global network of customer and training services. TCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of SPX Corporation. n International Procurement Institute (INPRI) www.inpri.org The International Procurement Institute (INPRI) is an inter- national center of excellence in public sector procurement. Its mission is to promote excellence in procurement by providing specialized training and education, advice, and support to a wide- range of stakeholders including governments, international orga- nizations, and private sector companies. INPRI was established in 2007 in Washington, D.C. by a group of highly experienced profes- sionals in diverse and highly complementary disciplines, including management, law, information and communication technology, public financial management, finance, and procurement. n Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd. www.cwc.com Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd. (Lime Jamaica), the Jamai- can subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Communications plc (CWC), provides voice, data, and IP services to business and residential customers, ranging from basic telephone services and internet access to managed data network solutions, ISDN, and cellular ser- vices via an enhanced network which became fully digital in 1991. The company, formed from the integrated businesses of Cable & Wireless in the Caribbean, adopted the LIME name in 2008. It is set to deploy 4G LTE services on the island after being awarded an AWS spectrum concession. CWC will be able to compete in the data services market with Digicel, which launched a network in 2012 and has been the only provider of high-speed broadband in Jamaica since then. and Latin America in terms of its tele- communications network and systems. And we do that by ensuring that we have modern regulation in tandem with global regulations, because we don’t make technology in Jamaica, but we certainly use it. “We see ourselves as an important part of the economic landscape be- cause, as an island, we have to attract foreign investment. For the last 20 years, a big selling point for Jamaica is that it has a modern telecommuni- cations infrastructure, and we regard regulation as being a key enabler for having that modern infrastructure. So, we allocate our frequencies and services to ensure that we harmonize with global standards and, in particu- lar, standards of the Americas, because that’s the region we live in and that’s the region where most of our invest- ment partnerships and equipment comes from. “We’re constantly giving policy advice and regulatory advice to the Ministry responsible for telecommunications, so that they are informed and have wide policy options to enact programs and legislation which dovetail with what we’re doing. We also work very closely with our users of spectrum to keep on the cutting edge of what’s happening and what’s to come.”