DBSF Caribbean Spotlights the Key Issues and Challenges of Switchover on the Islands

DBSF Caribbean Spotlights the Key Issues and Challenges of Switchover on the Islands

St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, July 12, 2012 – Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum (DBSF) Caribbean, planned for August 13 and 14 at the Grand Royal Antiguan Resort, will mark the first major conference and workshop addressing the complex issues of transition from analogue to digital transmission in the Caribbean, drawing on the combined expertise of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation and its sister agency, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, and key Caribbean organisations, the Caribbean Broadcasting Union and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union. DBSF Caribbean immediately precedes the 43rd Annual General Assembly of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, from 15th to 17th August which is expected to attract CEOs and decision-makers from major broadcasters in the region including TVJ (Jamaica); CCN-TV6 (Trinidad); CBC and Starcom (Barbados); ABS (Antigua); GBN (Grenada); SXM Cable (St. Maarten); SVG and NBC (St. Vincent); Channel 5 (Belize); NCN (Guyana); Cablevision (St. Lucia); teleCuracao (Curacao) and ATV (Surinam). The 2-day event will revolve around five workshops dwelling on the strategic and practical challenges of the switchover: • Transmission and reception: Creating a digital network from start to finish • Styling and repurposing content for the digital era • Regulating the transition, with case studies from Guyana and Mauritius • Funding terrestrial infrastructure and consumer terminals • Switchover implementation checklists Mr. Pham Hai, Head of Broadcasting, International Telecommunications Union, will present the global state of play in digital broadcasting switchover while Mr. Cordel Green, Executive Director, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, and Mr. Cris Seecharan, Executive Director, Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad & Tobago, will present national perspectives of the two countries that have made great progress in the digital broadcasting switchover. Case studies from Mr. Valmikki Singh, Spectrum Regulator and Head of the National Frequency Management Unit of Guyana and Mr. Trilock Dwarka, Chairman of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Mauritius will enrich the proceedings with best practices in spectrum regulation and licensing. “The Caribbean region is characterised by the presence a multiplicity of standards, unlike Africa, which, with very few exceptions, has converged towards DVB-T,” says Prof. Tim Unwin, Chief Executive Officer of the CTO. “This makes the region a dynamic place where the interplay of policies, regulation, technology and content, is more complex. We aim to support the region as a whole to manage these complexities in way that will maximise the benefits of digital technologies for all of its peoples" The partnership of four agencies promises to bring together, at the Grand Royal Antiguan Resort on August 13 and 14, the entire ecosystem of digital broadcasting spanning the broadcasters, telecom operators, technology providers, equipment vendors and content providers together with the policy-makers and regulators at the highest-levels. The Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Telecommunications, Science and Technology of Antigua & Barbuda will host a farewell reception for the delegates of the Forum on the 15th. On August 15, delegates and sponsors are invited to an exhibition combining screenings and presentations, showcasing various facets of the Digital Broadcasting Switchover.