ECTEL 10th Anniversary Programme

Castries, 19th February 2010 – The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) will launch a one-year programme in observance of its tenth anniversary, on Thursday 25th February 2010 at the Bay Gardens Beach Resort in Saint Lucia.

A leading Caribbean figure has been invited to deliver the feature address. Addresses will also be delivered by the Chairman of the ECTEL Council of Ministers Hon. Joseph Gilbert of Grenada, the Hon. Guy Joseph, Minister responsible for Telecommunications in Saint Lucia and former Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Dr. Kenny D. Anthony. Representatives of regional organisations have been invited to attend this historic event.

The launch of the programme is the first major activity in observance of the tenth anniversary of ECTEL, which was established by Treaty in May 2000. During the year, activities will be held in all Member States in collaboration with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions (NTRCs). At these events, people who have made a significant contribution to the evolution of the regional telecommunications regulatory system will be honored.

ECTEL will also pay tribute to the institutions which facilitated the process of liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in the Eastern Caribbean. The anniversary programme will include a series of symposia and lectures involving the major stakeholders in the telecommunications sector.

The highlight of the celebrations will be a recommittal ceremony in Grenada on 4th May 2010, to coincide with the meeting of the ECTEL Council of Ministers and the ECTEL Board of Directors.

The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority regulates the telecommunications sector in the Member States of Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It includes a regional Directorate based in Saint Lucia, which provides regulatory guidance and advice to the NTRCs in each of the five Member States.