Pond Island:---The TelEm Group of Companies is joining other telecommunication companies on the island, in the regional and around the world in celebration of the 50th World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) Friday – May 17, 2019.
WTISD is marked by Telcos each year to bring focus to all workers in the telecommunication industry worldwide as well as focus on the important services and technologies provided to communities - especially those with limited resources.
This year the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is looking inward, in celebration of its 50th year of overseeing recognition of WTISD by promoting the theme “bridging the standardization gap."
“Setting standards is a fundamental pillar of ITU's mission as the specialized agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies, said ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, in recognition of the day today.
Mr. Zhao says people all over the world want to connect to the internet, enjoy sports events on TV, listen to radio in their car and watch video on their Smartphones, and they can look to the ITU for making these things possible by ensuring standards are maintained over the years through the group’s Bridging the Standardization Gap (BSG) program.
Closer to home, and in observance of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, locally, TelEm Group CEO, Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, called on company personnel to reflect on the service they continue to provide to customers and the community generally and the important role they are playing in a constantly evolving telecommunications sector.
“Local Telcos today, in smaller developing communities like ours, exponentially have to invest as much, and sometimes many times more than more developed countries to keep our communities connected with the latest innovations and telecommunication advancements. No sooner than one technology is implemented, than another takes its place, with huge costs required just to keep up with the rest of the world,” said Mr. Dupersoy.
The CEO says there is no better time than the present, to revisit the ITU theme of standardization in all its forms, so that level playing fields can be created and promoted throughout the telecommunication industry.
“At TelEm Group we are playing our part by providing customers and St. Maarten with an island-wide fiber-optic network. We continue to improve broadband capacity to the island, however, 5G technology is already around the corner and with it all the other innovations and possibilities for our communities and the consumer. Once again, we have to standardize so that we can future-proof what we have now, looking forward to the future,” said Mr. Dupersoy.
The TelEm Group CEO thanks management and staff for their continued hard work in the industry and the efforts they put in each day to keep family, friends and businesses connected and also urged staff to reflect on how the industry has continued to provide them with a source of income for themselves and their loved ones.
“We all have our part to play and we can feel very proud of reaching and celebrating a milestone of 50 years of celebrating our own day - World Telecommunication and Information Society Day,” said Mr. Dupersoy.
Members of the General Public and TelEm Group customers are informed that in observance of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, TelEm Group offices will be closed from 12:00 noon on Friday, May 17, 2019.
