PHILIPSBURG:--- Philipsburg - The telecom administrations of St. Maarten, Saint Martin/ St. Barth, Anguilla, Saba, and Statia have completed a revised spectrum coordination agreement, which will allow a seamless deployment of 5G services across the islands.
Having established an equitable division of spectrum for 5G use for St. Maarten will mean that all service providers that require 5G spectrum, can now begin to apply for the necessary license(s) to be able to render such. 5G is continuously proving itself to be the catalyst for progress and innovation across all sectors.
The process of reaching a consensus took a little longer than expected due to the pandemic. Non the less the regulators continued with the required preparations and coordination within their respective administrations. The ongoing efforts of the Head of the Technical Department of BTP, Mr. Sidney de Weever, eventually resulted in a revised agreement between St. Maarten and the other administrations. This represents a huge milestone for this region as spectrum coordination across four different administrations is something to be proud of. Mr. de Weever stated: “we are the leaders in the Caribbean as it relates to cross-border coordination, whereby our framework is now being used by other administrations. We are proud to be an example of how the division of spectrum can be done equitably.”
Commenting on the revised spectrum agreement, interim Director of BTP Mrs. Judianne Labega-Hoeve said, “we are delighted to have signed this agreement with our neighboring islands. This agreement is a testament to the strong partnership between our administrations and our shared commitment to ensuring that our citizens have access to high-quality communication services.”
Hoeve continued: “St. Maarten is now on the cusp of what is widely being dubbed as the technology revolution, whereby it has gained the opportunity to deploy technology that will greatly enhance the lives and livelihoods of its inhabitants and visitors alike”.