As discussed on the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS) online call on June 15 2023, representatives from TTCS were invited to participate in a meeting last month with the Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT) and the Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank (IDB) to discuss initiatives under the IDB/MDT Programme to Accelerate the Digital Transformation Agenda related to Digital Economy: Digital Innovation Ecosystem.
At that meeting, the MDT also shared some preliminary details regarding Developers’ Hub (D’Hub), an initiative to empower developers to collaborate, learn, and innovate in building open-source and open-standard mobile and web applications.
The MDT will be hosting a virtual session on Tuesday June 20 2023 from 5:30pm to 7pm During the session, MDT will provide an overview of the D’Hub project, its objectives, and the exciting opportunities it presents for developers in Trinidad and Tobago.
To confirm your attendance or if you have any questions, send an email at [email protected] to get the meeting link ASAP.
Also, there was an interview with MDT’s Digital Transformation Advisor, Devindra Ramnarine, with consultants Ms. Ieva Žilionienė and Mr. Julius Zubė from NRD Companies where they spoke about the MDT’s Developers’ Hub (D’Hub) initiative on TTTLive.
You can go to Starlink’s website at https://www.starlink.com and in the service address search field enter “Trinidad and Tobago” in the service address
You will be taken to an order form to fill out.
According to Starlink, typical download speeds for residential service are around 100Mbps.
The pricing for the Residential Service cost is $365 TT / month for the Internet Service and $3900 TT for the hardware with a shipping and handling cost of $154.00 TT
According to Starlink, Starlink Business (aka Priority) is “Designed for high demand users, such as businesses, prosumers, governments and institutions at a fixed, land-based location.”
The key features are
Different Starlink higher gain antenna with better weather performance
Priority Data, which includes faster speeds (typically 40-220 Mbps download, 8-25 Mbps upload) and top network priority. After priority data is used, you are allocated an unlimited amount of standard data (similar to the Residential package)
Publicly routable IPv4 address.
Dedicated priority support
Enterprise dashboard for remote monitoring & network management
As such, the pricing for the Starlink Business packages are as follows :
1TB Priority Data for $1080 TT
2TB Priority Data for $2149 TT
6TB Priority Data for $6446 TT
The Starlink hardware costs $19.082.25 TT and typical shipping and handling is $653.34 TT.
The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) in collaboration with ICANN and the Latin American and Caribbean Regional At-Large Organisation (LACRALO) (the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society is a member of LACRALO) will be hosting an online session on Tuesday April 18 2023 from 9am to 1pm to hear from leading experts in the field of Universal Acceptance who will share their insights on the benefits of Universal Acceptance, the challenges faced in achieving it, and what we can do to make it happen.
What is Universal Acceptance (UA) ?
A cornerstone of today’s global Internet, UA offers many benefits for both individual Internet users as well as the organizations that serve them. There are currently approximately five billion Internet users, and at least one billion more are expected to come online. Most of these potential new users live in countries that speak and write in languages other than English. Achieving UA ensures everybody has the ability to experience the full social and economic power of the Internet using their chosen domain name and email address that best aligns with their interests, business, culture, language, and script.
UA is the gateway to a more inclusive and multilingual Internet. The Domain Name System (DNS) has expanded dramatically in recent years with the addition of new generic top-level domains (e.g., .photography, .technology). These also include Internationalized Domain Names (e.g., एमईआईटीवाई.सरकार.भारत, 红螺寺.网址, صحة.مصر, стопкоронавирус.рф) and country code top-level domains (e.g., .भारत). However, while the DNS has evolved, the checks used by many software applications to validate domain names and email addresses remain outdated. In addition, not all online portals are primed for the using or opening of a user account with an internationalized email address, leaving many people unable to navigate the Internet using their language and online identity of choice. Considered a technical compliance best practice, UA solves these issues by ensuring all valid domain names and email addresses, regardless of script, language, or character length, can be used equally by all Internet-enabled applications, devices, and systems.
By adopting Universal Acceptance, we can help ensure that everyone, regardless of their language or culture, can fully participate in the digital economy. You can learn more about UA at https://uasg.tech/
The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society will be having an online meeting on Thursday April 13 2023 at 8pm local time.
Come join us as we chat about
* Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the recent development of ChatGPT
* update on computer refurbishment project which reached a new milestone of 600 computers refurbished and donated
* upcoming session in collaboration with the Telecom Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) and ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers) on Tuesday, 18th April 2023 to celebrate Universal Acceptance (UA) Day.
* planning for upcoming ICT event in late April 2023
The theme of TTIGF 2023 is “Creating a Stronger, More Resilient Internet for Trinidad and Tobago’s Shared Sustainable Future” and the TTIGF 2023 agenda features the following panel sessions :
In the proposed framework, TATT defines Over the Top Services as “Content, service or application, accessed by the public via the Internet, that may be a direct substitute for, and/or may compete with a public telecommunications and/or broadcasting service.” and that the scope of the proposed Framework is limited to OTT communications (voice and messaging) and OTT media services.
Some popular examples of OTT communications include
WhatsApp (including WhatsApp video and audio calling)
Skype
iMessage
Google Messages
FaceTime
Some popular examples of OTT media services include
Netflix
Disney+
YouTube
HBO Max
According to TATT, “This Framework presents the Authority’s proposed strategies and recommendations to address OTT services accessed in Trinidad and Tobago.”
“The Framework is intended to:
present the definition of OTTs adopted by the Authority.
outline the policy considerations for OTTs, including challenges and opportunities
examine approaches adopted internationally and their relevance within the local context.
present the Authority’s short-term and long-term strategies for addressing OTTs within its legislative framework.
propose recommendations for the harmonisation of OTT-based policies and regulations at the regional level.
explore options for OTT providers’ investment within the industry, inclusive of infrastructure and local content development.”
Therefore this document sets out how Trinidad and Tobago users will be able to interact (or not) with OTT services in the future.
Interested persons are asked to submit comments on this document in accordance with the TATT’s Public Consultation Comment Submission Form on or before Monday 26th September 2022.
In a Ministry of Digital Transformation press release on July 29 2022, the Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT ; https://mdt.gov.tt/) announced the meeting of four technical working groups comprising “skilled nationals and members of our diaspora” on Wednesday 27th July 2022 to begin the preparatory work towards Trinidad and Tobago’s National Digital Transformation Strategy for 2023-2026.
Stages for developing a Trinidad and Tobago National Digital Transformation Strategy 2023-2026 from July 2022
According to a slide accompanying the press release, there will be several steps starting from July 2022 to January 2023 :
Step 1 – Initiation (presumably the convening of the four technical working groups)
Step 2 – Assessing the Digital Environment
Step 3 – Creating a Compelling Vision for National DT
Step 4 – Action Planning of Prioritised Projects
Step 5 – Implementation ; Monitoring and Evaluation
Steps 4 and 5 has the note “October 2022 – Submission to Cabinet”
The text of the press release from MDT is as follows :
Work Commences Towards TT National Digital Transformation Strategy
Four (4) Technical Working Groups (TWGs) comprising skilled nationals and members of our diaspora met on Wednesday 27th July, 2022, to officially begin the preparatory work towards our new National Digital Transformation Strategy for the period 2023 – 2026.
Speaking at the virtual launch this morning, Minister of Digital Transformation, Senator the Honourable Hassel Bacchus emphasised that the strategy is not only about transformation but about ensuring that no one is left behind. “Everything that we are doing is for our customers – this means citizens, public officers, business-persons, the diaspora – all stakeholders. This is for Trinidad and Tobago.” He thanked the members of the Technical Working Groups who said “YES” to the call to contribute, “YES”, to the call to serve the country, and “YES” to the challenge to carve out a new way of creating a pathway for the future for T&T.
The new Digital Strategy will take into account the gains achieved by previous strategic documents which have guided national ICT strategy – fastforward (2003-2008), smarTT (2014- 2018), and the ICT Blueprint, which covered the period 2018 to the end of 2022. It will also seek to incorporate the principles of co-creation, collaboration and communication.
In the coming weeks, members of the public will be invited to contribute their ideas, comments and feedback through different public engagement channels. The Working Groups will utilise all of the ideas coming in to create the vision. They will also source strategic information, advice and guidance from various digital assessments and reports, including the Digital Readiness Assessment (DRA) conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) this year.
Initial findings of the UNDP DRA Assessment report, which were shared with the TWGs at the session on Wednesday, show that there is a strong foundation for digital transformation and several opportunities exist for enhancement of our digital landscape. The UNDP, IDB, along with other local, regional and international agencies and stakeholders have committed to partnering with TT in its ambitious vision to have the National DT Strategy ready for implementation by January 2023.
Mr. Devindra Ramnarine, Digital Transformation Advisor, in his brief remarks commented that the MDT and by extension T&T will achieve its digital ambitions by being agile and learning from its mistakes, by building on the natural creativity of our people and by taking “moko jumbie steps” that will propel us forward in the shortest time possible.
More information on the public engagement will be provided soon. In the meantime, persons are invited to engage with the Strategy team by sending ideas, comments or queries to [email protected], and visit the Ministry of Digital Transformation’s website mdt.gov.tt for more info.
