42 November 2016 - Business View Caribbean
The Spectrum Management
Authority of Jamaica
A Conversation with Dr. David McBean
The Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) is the
national regulator for the radio frequency spectrum
in Jamaica as authorized under the Telecommunica-
tions Act of 2000. The radio frequency (RF) spectrum
is a valuable natural resource which facilitates the use
of wireless technology for the development of the ICT
(Information and Communications Technology) sector
and is an enabler of businesses in other sectors of the
economy.
The radio spectrum is a subset of the electromagnetic
waves lying between the frequencies from 9 kilohertz
(kHz - thousands of cycles per second) to 30 gigahertz
(GHz - billions of cycles per second). These support a
wide range of business, personal, industrial, scientific,
medical research, and cultural activities, both public
and private. Communications are foremost among
those activities and, together with other radio services,
are increasingly important to the country’s economic
