Another interesting and informative day of discussion at CANTO 2017. One Panel discussion was: Can Telco's take advantage of the disruptive digital economy (DDE)? The Moderator of the panel was Javier Rua, ICT Legal Council and the panelists included Shernon Osepa, Internet Society (IS), Veena Rawat, GSMA, and Jose Otero, 5GAmericas and Delroy McClean, CWC.

In weighing in on what Telcos are doing to survive, Shernon Osepa noted that Telco's should get acquainted with and take advantage of the DDE. If they don't, they die, and emphasized that nothing is wrong with disruptive technologies.

Delroy McClean of CWC stated that they encourage their people and conduct internship programs. This he said helps them to understand what their demands are first hand. He stated that CWC uses the technology to remove barriers as they are encountered in organization and that they embraced models of internal disruption. The panel also discussed the regulatory approach to OTT and the concept of a single ICT space.

In conclusion, the moderator noted that there are lots of opportunity in digital in the Caribbean. That collaboration among stakeholders is paramount as no collaboration, means no progress. It was noted that in order to take advantage of the disruptive digital economy we should focus on barriers and facilitate harmonization especially in the sub region, and ideally global. As the region moved forward what the panel determined as necessary was flexibility and long term planning which would include a road map for regulations and spectrum management. 

The Future of the Digital economy: Is it really digital? This was the title of a presentation done by Renato Osato, Vice President, Customer Business Executive.

Mr. Osato noted that there were 3 forces shaping communications market: digital economy; digital technology; digital customer and that digital technologies: open and scalable technologies have the capacity of enabling business and customer transformation.

He pointed to statistics which show that 50% of CSPs new digital services originate from partnerships and investments. In order for new and old businesses to survive he noted that the digital customer has to be catered to and that today's digital customer is more complex. Getting this right he noted would retain customer loyalty and allow companies to achieve higher Net Promoter Score

Mr. Soto also discussed some of the challenges hindering digital transformation which included, explosion of new services, complexity of new processes, lack of funding, lack of available skills and a lack of management support.

The 33rd Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition, affectionately referred to as CANTO 2017 is the Caribbean's premier telecommunications event for industry professionals, academics and regional governments. The event ran from the 16th -19th July at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana Dominican Republic.

About CANTO
CANTO is recognized as the leading trade association of the ICT sector for shaping information and communication in the Caribbean. Founded in 1985 as a non-profit association of 8 telephone operating companies, CANTO has now grown to over 125 members in more than 35 countries. A Board of Directors appointed by the membership directs policy of the Association. This strategy is executed by the staff of a permanent Secretariat based in Trinidad and Tobago