The Tribune

The head of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) immediate parent company has called for regional leaders to team with regulators and the private sector to convert improved connectivity into tangible, measurable prosperity for the Caribbean.

Inge Smidts, chief executive of Liberty Caibbean, used her address at the regional CANTO Connect 2026 communications conference to set out an actionable agenda for how digital infrastructure can translate iinto jobs, services and scalable Caribbean innovation.

“Connectivity is now our foundation, so the question before us is simple and urgent: With that foundation in place, what are we going to build,” she said. 

Speaking under the conference theme, ‘Elevate the Caribbean — from connectivity to global competitiveness’, Ms Smidts focused on three linked priorities - anchoring technology in Caribbean identity; designing intelligent and resilient networks around people; and accelerating the transformation of telecommunications companies into technology platforms that create homegrown opportunity. 

“When we marry Caribbean creativity with dependable connectivity and smart policy, we unlock jobs, services and businesses that compete on the world stage. Liberty Caribbean is committed to leading that work by investing in the people, partnerships and platforms that turn connection into measurable prosperity for our islands,” she said. 

Ms Smidts called for strengthened partnership models that go beyond financing to include co-regulation, regulatory sandboxes and shared governance.

“Public-private partnership is the engine that will accelerate progress. Governments provide vision and legitimacy; industry brings scale and technical capability; universities and civil society bring scrutiny and social purpose. When incentives align, impact follows,” she added. 

“Invest in platforms and invest in people. Design policy to enable bold experimentation. Build governance that shares responsibility and protects citizens. Together, let us ensure the next wave of Caribbean success is driven by homegrown ideas, led by Caribbean people, and scaled to the world.”

Ms Smidts highlighted Liberty Caribbean’s work in the region, including the JUMP inclusion programme that combines subsidised access, devices, training and an entrepreneurial track to help households and micro-entrepreneurs learn, trade and scale. She emphasised that intelligent connectivity must be designed for real local needs, and has to be engineered for the realities of a disaster-prone region.

“At the same time, we design our networks for the realities our communities face. Intelligent connectivity must serve real local needs, and in a region like ours, it must also be resilient by design so people, businesses and essential services stay connected when it matters most,” she said. 

“We build in the heart of a hurricane zone, active fault lines and volcanoes. When disaster strikes, connectivity is not optional; it is lifesaving.  Our regional emergency work shows that when the industry players partner with satellite providers and governments, we can restore life-critical communications in hours rather than days.”