Tobago in dead e- zone?

A critical component of the infrastructure stock of any country in the modern world, is that of information and communications technology (ICT). This is an area that is of particular relevance to Tobago which can position itself to create businesses and industries based on information and communications technology. Such industries are generally eco-friendly and will be consistent with the “green” objective of Tobago. Tobago being largely at the start of any such development, can gain a competitive edge by acquiring the cutting edge technology in selected areas. Little planning took place in this area of activity in the past but the ‘Integrated Plan for the Development of the People of Tobago in the 21st Century’ did see the need for the extension of the telecommunications network in Tobago.

Information and Communications
Technology Plan
More recently, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago commissioned the preparation of a National Information and Communication Technology Plan in recognition of the fact that the development of an information and communications technology capacity is critical to achieving the overall objective of developed country status. The initial reports on the subject comprised an assessment study of the country’s state of electronic readiness and a benchmarking study comparing Trinidad and Tobago’s e-readiness with other nations which studies were completed in 2003.  The key findings of these reports point to the relative state of unpreparedness for e-technology in respect of Internet usage, lagging telecommunications liberalisation, a definitive broadband policy and concluded that the country was in somewhat of a vicious downward spiral of ICT usage.

In response to the above assessment, a strategic plan for Information and Communication Technology was completed in late 2003, which provides Tobago with the opportunity to capitalize on the technical and business possibilities presented by the information age.  These include services, such as medical transcription and offshore information processing, which can be facilitated if Tobago develops a comparative advantage by virtue of having a more reliable power supply as the backbone to the communications infrastructure complemented by a trained workforce. The key aspects of these reports are summarised here because of the relevance to the future development of Tobago.

With respect to the current state of e-readiness and information and communications technology development in general, Trinidad and Tobago represents a perfect reflection of the small-island developing state as portrayed in the 2002 study Networked Readiness and Small Island Developing States, by Geoffrey S Kirkman, of the Centre for International Development at Harvard University. These characteristics are:

• Some elements of development in network access and infrastructure build out


• String use of fixed line and cellular telephone service


• Low general Internet usage, mirrored by low availability of online services


• Lagging in telecommunications liberalisation, affecting competition, price and quality of service


• No definitive broadband policy.

In order to accelerate the e-economy the three primary strategies that can be applied to help Trinidad and Tobago stimulate the e-economy and ICT take-up were proposed as:  facilitating improved access and affordability; increasing promotion, awareness and education; programme acceleration with the Government in the lead. The objective of a benchmarking study that was also undertaken was to understand the level of ICT development in Trinidad and Tobago relative to various comparator countries. When combined with the “e-Readiness Report,” which examines, in absolute terms, Trinidad and Tobago’s progress in five key areas of ICT development, a comprehensive picture of the “current state” of ICT emerges. In terms of infrastructure requirements the minimum necessary condition for connectivity is access to adequate network infrastructure.

Without access to global communications networks, no community can participate in the networked world. Access is determined by a combination of the availability and affordability of using the network itself, as well as of the hardware and software needed for network interface. The quality and speed of the network are also important in determining how the network is used. The customer service orientation of access providers is a major factor in network application, adoption and usability. Because of the growing importance and unique character of the Internet, which provides a global platform for both data and increasingly, voice services, the assessment of network access should be carried out in the context of Internet access, rather than access to either voice or data. The significance of the Internet will only continue to grow in terms of global trade and communication.

Telephone Cost and Usage
The telephone is the simplest and most affordable means of communicating interactively over long distances. For this reason, the affordability and accessibility of telephone technology is an important measure of a country’s ICT development. In addition to being a tool for voice communication, telephone networks can also be used for the transmission of data over the Internet. Trinidad and Tobago has an average number of telephone subscribers per capita, based on its income and general development level, being roughly on par with all comparative countries except Ireland and Singapore. It is not surprising that telephone usage is fairly widespread in Trinidad and Tobago as both residential and business connection charges seem affordable when compared with other countries, especially since its GNI per capita is higher than Costa Rica, Mauritius and Jamaica.

Monthly residential subscription charges are also affordable, although business rates seem relatively expensive. On the whole, telephone usage in Trinidad and Tobago is equal to or above that of its nearest competitors, but far below that of more developed countries (Ireland and Singapore). The overall findings showed that in terms of e-readiness, Trinidad and Tobago ranked very low in key categories when compared to selected countries.  While no separate data were presented for Tobago, the situation in Tobago is likely to be worse than in Trinidad in terms of relative technological development. Tobago, except for the presence of cellular phones, can be described as a technological backwater in business and organisational terms.  This situation is unlikely to change in the short to medium term unless specific technological investments are targetted and the requisite training programmes undertaken.

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt

Haven Allahar is a Project Development Consultant