Address by Hon Phillip Paulwell
Minister of Commerce Science and Technology
Official Opening Jamaica Network Access Point
Taken from http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:XzG7O7kPLGcJ:www.mct.gov.jm/Minister%27s%2520Address%2520JNAP.pdf+jamaica+network+access+point&hl=en
March 2, 2004
Salutations etc
I am delighted to be associated with this exciting development.
By designating your company Jamaica’s gateway
to the world, you have
captured in a most profound way our vision of Jamaica…the
premier knowledge-based society of the Caribbean!
I am mindful of the agility of Jamaica Network Access Point which
in less than three months after receiving your telecommunications
licenses you started your build out process and already is a force
to recon with, providing interconnection to the three major telecommunication
companies in Jamaica; C&W, Digicel and Oceanic Digital.
Indeed, I am impressed by your early status as the only company
in Jamaica that has four different types of fiber interconnections
and can stand up to hurricanes of over 200mph.
I must commend your team of returning residents, Dean Panton and
Mark Reid and a US national, Carlos Palacio who together has over
20 years of telecommunications experience.
I am sure that the Jamaican consumer, who has now become more discerning
and technologically conscious since their exposure to a variety
of choices, will welcome your presence in the Jamaican marketplace.
We are also mindful that with your capacity as a gateway Government
entities such as to schools, hospitals and other government related
agencies will be further enabled to access island wide telephone
and internet services.
When we moved just over three years ago to fast-tract the liberalization
of the telecommunications sector it was felt in some quarters that
we were moving too fast. If we appeared to be in a hurry to realize
our goals, it was because of our recognition that the new economy,
the digital age waits for no one.
We are in a race and our fortunes rest on our ability to attract
investments, to compete, to prepare our people for the challenges
of change and opportunity and to provide the infrastructure, environment
and legislation to facilitate trade and development.
Today even the severest doubting Thomases are constrained to recognize
our achievements. In fact, we are now on the verge of signing on
yet another player in the mobile telephone industry, the US giant
– AT&T.
The intensity of global competition and capital transfer is largely
driven by ease of access and the speed of doing business in a net-worked
world. Even as we seek to put our economic house in order, we must
flow with the tide of the new economy, we must be connected.
Today, the Jamaica Trade Point is reality. As Jamaica’s trade
facilitation portal exporters and importers can now carry out their
trade related
transactions with the relevant organizations online and in a seamless
manner. This initiative is one of the major projects of the Jamaican
government’s Public Sector Modernization Programme with the
guiding hand and strong support of the World Trade Point Federation
and the United Nations Development Programme.
The facility not only offers the convenience of electronic payment
but also has the potential for enhancing market access and competitiveness.
For instance a rural farmer will be able to access a buyer for his
product via Trade Point. Through this facility, the farmer can contact
a buyer, negotiate prices and work out delivery details...all within
a few hours or less... a process that would take weeks, not to mention
the expense of the middleman.
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