Barbados Chief Telecommunications

Officer Champions VoIP
 
Posted on the Barbados Advocate web site - Thu Mar 31 2005
The most important communications technology impacting Barbados at the present time is the ability to make telephone calls via the Internet, known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

In view of this reality, Chief Telecommunications Officer, Chelston Bourne is urging all concerned Barbadians to review Governments recommendations for control of the emerging industrial activity, and to make their concerns know to the Telecommunications Ministry by April 30.

Bourne spoke about the issue yesterday during a breakfast seminar at the Accra Beach Hotel…. ..

Bourne outlined a number of clear benefits both for corporate and individual users of the technology, and urged interested persons to peruse the policy document which can be found on the Homepage of the Telecommunications Unit at www.telecoms.gov.bb.

Yesterday, Bourne highlighted several categories of users who would be impacted by the final policy to be published by Government on use of this technology. He said, for example, it was proposed that individual users of the technology for their own personal benefit would continue to do so free of cost and be subject to no regulation or scrutiny whatsoever. Bourne noted it would be impractical to attempt to do otherwise, since it would be virtually impossible to track or police this activity which is already happening in Barbados.

However, with respect to Cyber-cafés offering this service to the public, Bourne said Government would wish to keep a record of such activity, adding it was proposed that such businesses pay a one-time administration fee of BDS$100 to register with the Telecommunications Unit.

Regarding persons who sell VoIP telephones and other IP devices, Bourne said the proposal was that such persons must hold a valid Sellers and Dealers Licence from the Telecommunications Unit, at a cost of BDS$1 200 annually.

Bourne said it was foreseeable that conflicts could arise if major suppliers of VoIP to the public were allow to do so without some paid licensing arrangement in place. He said the incumbent and other international telephone service providers presently paid 500 000 annually or three per cent of annual turnover. As a result, it is proposed that major suppliers of VoIP to the public, using an adapter, be allowed to set up this service without licensing for year one. However, at the end of year one, they will be required to submit audited statements of their Annual Gross Turn Over (AGTO) to the Ministry. If the Ministry finds that the AGTO exceeds a certain limit, the provider may be asked to pay 1.5 per cent of AGTO to the Ministry.

He said the Cabinet of Barbados would ultimately determine what that certain limit would be, noting it was up to concerned parties to make their representations on the matter now.

Bourne added that the number of major suppliers of VoIP would be determined by market forces, noting Government would not want to regulate this or to restrict any potential investor. He noted, for example, that in Jamaica, when this segment of the telecoms market was opened, there were some 60 entrants, a number that market forces have currently reduced to just 15.