Pond Island:--- TelEm Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mrs. Helma Etnel, says the company is delivering on its promise to the general population of St. Maarten to connect every home within two years to super-fast fibre-optic cable with the host of economic, social and entertainment possibilities that this brings.
Mrs. Etnel made the comment as a member of the final panel to speak at the end of last week’s Caribbean Peering Interconnection Forum ( CarPIF ) conference, hosted by the Bureau of Telecommunications & Post St. Maarten.
She was responding specifically to a closing comment from the Head of the Technical Division, Bureau of Telecommunications & Post, St. Maarten Mr. Sidney De Weever, who stated: “By pooling telecommunication resources by means of a one infrastructure development, we can extend the internet to more people. We can make delivery of internet cheaper for everyone and in the end, the customer will benefit.”
“Our CEO, Mr. Dupersoy, both in another panel discussion and from the floor, made clear what TelEm’s position is when it comes to providing the investment needed to fulfil the promise we made to the St. Maarten community to provide Fiber to the Home and Fiber to the Business to revolutionise telecommunication on St. Maarten,” said Mrs. Etnel.
“As we did many years ago, when we invited others to join us when laying fiber from SXM to Puerto Rico for the SMPR-1 submarine cable project at Smitcoms and did not have any takers, so too are we are we once again taking again the lead and financial risk to provide the entire island of St. Maarten with fiber,” said Mrs. Etnel.
“While others are talking, and focussing on sharing, TelEm Group is delivering on its promise to provide everyone on the island with high-speed internet access within two (2) years,” stated the CFO.
She told the CarPIF audience that unlike others who only invest in the neighborhoods where can get a better return, TelEm Group is committed to providing high-speed internet to everyone on St. Maarten.
“In our view, it is far more important to take time now to think of ways how to use high-speed internet (once delivered), in a way that will enhance education, provide business opportunities and alleviate poverty on the island,” continued Mrs. Etnel.
Mrs. Etnel advised the regulator, at this stage at least, to focus on high-speed bandwidth to every home at an affordable rate and to give incentives to the companies taking the financial risks to roll out the required infrastructure, instead of burdening them with regulations about sharing their infrastructure.
\r\n\t\t\t\t\tTelEm Group welcomes talking points from recent CarPIF Internet Conference.
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