Category: Podcast Episodes

ICTP 379: The importance of being additive when it comes to emergency communications, with Fabian Lewis

Although we are at the end of the 2025 North Atlantic Hurricane Season, we are only six months away from the start of the 2026 hurricane season. Moreover, other hazards or disasters, such as fire, earthquake, or even a utility failure due to a cyberattack, can occur at any time. Fabian Lewis, a telecommunications, emergency medicine and disaster management specialist from Saint Lucia, joins us to discuss how we as individuals, organisations and countries can improve our telecoms resilience and increase the chances that we will be able to remain connected when we need it most. Among other things, we discuss: what makes the Caribbean particularly vulnerable when it comes to telecoms and ICT disruptions during disasters; whether amateur radio is still important in a country’s disaster/emergency communications management effort; and common mistakes organisations make when preparing (or failing to prepare) their telecoms and ICT systems for disasters.

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ICTP 378: Digital ID systems, AI governance, and cloud versus local or on-premises services

In our November 2025 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, ICT Consultant Natalie Maharaj of Trinidad and Tobago, and Dr Lyndell St. Ville of Saint Lucia and the tech firm Datashore, the panel discusses: the imperative of implementing digital ID systems in the Caribbean region; the current state of AI governance; and cloud versus local or on-premises facilities and services in the Caribbean.

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ICTP 377: Rebuilding a country’s telecoms and ICT infrastructure bigger and better after a disaster, with Craig Nesty and Sylvester Cadette

In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated Jamaica in October 2025, the current focus is on disaster recovery. In telecoms and ICT, much of the infrastructure was adversely affected, hence the priority is remediation and restoration. Learning from the experience of the region, we are joined by Craig Nesty, the telecoms regulator in Dominica, and Sylvester Cadette, of the International Telecommunications Union Area Office for the Caribbean. We discuss, among other things, Dominica’s experience following Hurricane Maria in 2017; why having a well-functioning National Emergency Telecommunications Plan is critical; innovative projects that have been implemented; and strategies that countries could consider implementing prior to or following a disaster to expedite recovery.

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ICTP 376: Internet fragmentation and why it matters, with William J Drake

The internet was once envisioned as a borderless, open, and unified network connecting people, information, and innovation across the globe. However, in recent years, that vision has been increasingly threatened by what experts call “internet fragmentation”. William J Drake, one of the leading experts on the subject, joins us to discuss, among other things: how and why internet fragmentation came to the fore on the international agenda; how he would define ‘internet fragmentation’; whether there are any circumstances in which internet fragmentation can be a good thing; and why Caribbean countries and other developing regions should be concerned about internet fragmentation.

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ICTP 375: Can Caribbean countries sustain advanced digital technologies, with Sam Tabbara of Paradise Mobile

At almost every stage, Caribbean countries have had to justify whether their markets can support advanced digital technologies. Co-Founder and CEO of Paradise Mobile, Sam Tabbara, joins us in this episode to share his thoughts on issues including:  the claims by major regional telcos that there was no business case for 5G in the region; whether it is possible and plausible for less populous or lower-income Caribbean countries to sustain advanced digital technologies; the role of the regulator in the emerging construct; and what is next for Paradise Mobile in the Caribbean region.

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