9 April – June 2022 | VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica to explore issues related to Internet access and its impact on society. The day’s events included a panel discussion, workshop and exhibition booths showcasing the latest in ICT trends and innovations. At the opening ceremony greetings and remarks were received from the Honourable Daryl Vaz, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Honourable Fayval Williams, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, former Minister of Science, Energy and Technology and Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, UTech, Jamaica. In his greetings, Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, UTech, Jamaica indicated that the University and the Universal Service Fund “have enjoyed a long-term productive partnership under the shared mission of bridging the information gap in our country and facilitating access to ICT technologies and knowledge sharing.” He highlighted a $20M grant received by the University in 2015 from the USF, to support the expansion of broadband Internet access on the Papine and Western campuses, which he noted, “enabled faster Internet connectivity and an expansion in the coverage of the campus wireless network Internet access points.” The Future of Broadband Internet and Community Level Access was the topic of the panel discussion moderated by Professor Sean Thorpe, Head, School of Computing and Information Technology, UTech, Jamaica, and featured experts in academia, local telecommunications providers and representatives from the public and private sector. Participating in the discussion via Zoom and in-person were Mr. Anthonio Anderson, Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer, UTech, Jamaica; Mr. Justin Morin, Chairman, Universal Service Fund; Dr. Maria MyersHamilton, Managing Director, Spectrum Management Authority; Dr. Gunjan Mansingh, Senior Lecturer, Department Head, School of Computing, The University of the West Indies; Mr. Chris Dehring, Chief Executive Officer, Ready Communications Limited; Mr. Ronald Donaldson, Major Account Manager, Fortinet Jamaica; Mr. Jabbor Kayumov, Chief Executive Officer, Digicel Jamaica; Mr. Charles Douglas, Senior Manager for Regulatory Affairs, Flow Jamaica; Mr. Errol Roberts, Distinguished Architect, CISCO; and Mr. Pablo Perez, Head of Market Insights, and Mr. Larkland Morley, Engineering Manager, Google. The panelists, who agreed on the need to reduce the digital divide and prepare the country for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, expressed that there is work to be done to enable communities, especially those that are underserved and in rural areas to have reliable, and affordable, access to the Internet. A Broadband-Spectrum Management Workshop looking at “Initiatives in Bridging Broadband Access” and projects aimed at satisfying the Universal Service Obligations, closed out the final segment of the day’s activities. Participating in the workshop were Mr. Trevor Forrest, Founder, 876 Technology Solutions; Mr. Kwan Wilson, Director of Projects, Universal Service Fund; Mr. Mike Saunderson, Operations Manager, National Works Agency and Mr. Lyndel McDonald, Manager of Telecommunications, Spectrum Management Authority. Panellists, from left to right, Dr. Maria Myers-Hamilton, Managing Director, Spectrum Management Authority, Mr. Anthonio Anderson, Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer, UTech, Jamaica, Mr. Chris Dehring, Chief Executive Officer, Ready Communications Limited, Mr. Charles Douglas, Senior Manager for Regulatory Affairs, Flow Jamaica, Mr. Jabbor Kayumov, Chief Executive Officer, Digicel Jamaica and Mr. Justin Morin, Chairman, Universal Service Fund in discussion. Cont’d from page 8...Collaboration with USF for ICT Lecture and Workshop
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