Caribbean Nations Bolster Telecoms Resilience Against Natural Disasters

At the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) ICT Week, held in St. Kitts and Nevis from September 30 to October 4, 2024, James Wild, Managing Partner at Cenerva, shared valuable insights on strengthening the region’s telecommunications infrastructure against increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters.

The conference, themed ‘Bridging Technologies for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future’, brought together key stakeholders from across the Caribbean to promote ICT development, discuss emerging trends, and facilitate meaningful collaboration. As part of this important dialogue, Wild’s presentation focused on addressing the pressing need for robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) disaster preparation and coordination.

Wild introduced the Telecommunications Emergency Readiness Masterplan (TERM), a comprehensive framework designed to leverage, prepare, and safeguard critical ICT assets in the face of devastating hurricanes that have plagued the region in recent years.

“The Caribbean has faced unprecedented challenges, with six Category 5 hurricanes hitting the region since 2016,” Wild stated. “Our TERM initiative is about maximising the resilience of existing infrastructure through improved coordination and preparedness.”

The urgency of such measures cannot be overstated. Wild highlighted that recent hurricanes, such as Irma and Maria in 2017, devastated up to 75% of telecommunications infrastructure, costing networks over $500 million in repairs and leaving some areas without service for up to 12 months.

TERM’s approach is multifaceted, involving the creation of cross-sector Working Groups, drafting new Telecoms Emergency Preparedness & Response Policies (TEPRP), and implementing Emergency Preparedness Agreements (EPA) between operators. These measures aim to ensure critical services can be maintained during emergencies by expanding existing interconnection arrangements.

A key component of the strategy is the introduction of annual Disaster Preparedness Reports (DPR), effectively serving as audit reports on key infrastructure for each network operator. This proactive approach allows for the identification and addressing of weaknesses before disaster strikes.

Wild also unveiled plans for a broader Caribbean Regional Project, dubbed “TERM Plus”. This initiative, pending funding from the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), aims to align with the UN’s Early Warnings for All (EW4All) global initiative. The project will assess telecoms infrastructure resilience, develop or update National Emergency Telecoms Plans (NETP), and evaluate Cell Broadcast systems in four countries: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, and Jamaica.

“By working together and leveraging our existing resources more effectively, we can build a more resilient telecommunications network across the Caribbean,” Wild emphasised. “This isn’t just about protecting infrastructure; it’s about safeguarding lives and livelihoods in the face of increasingly unpredictable climate challenges.”

Wild’s presentation builds on Cenerva’s extensive experience in the Caribbean region. Recently, the firm played a crucial role in developing the Telecommunications Emergency Preparedness and Response Policy (TEPRP) for the Turks and Caicos Islands. This initiative, which culminated in an Emergency Preparedness Agreement between the islands’ network operators, Digicel and Flow, demonstrates Cenerva’s commitment to enhancing telecommunications resilience in the face of natural disasters.

“Our work in Turks and Caicos has shown that collaborative efforts between regulators, operators, and consultants can yield significant improvements in emergency preparedness,” Wild noted. “We’re applying these lessons learned across the Caribbean to help create more resilient networks region-wide.”

The presentation was met with enthusiasm from attendees, signalling a new era of cooperation and preparedness in Caribbean telecommunications. As the region braces for future hurricane seasons, the implementation of TERM and TERM Plus could prove crucial in mitigating the impact of natural disasters on vital communication networks.

Read more about Cenerva’s work in telecommunications emergency preparedness in the Caribbean:

Turks and Caicos Islands Regulator Successfully Finalises Emergency Preparedness Agreement

特克斯和凱科斯群島監管機構在塞內爾瓦的支援下成功推出其TEPRP