PHILIPSBURG:--- The Interim Director of Bureau Telecommunications and Post (BTP), Mrs. Judianne Labega-Hoeve, delivered a clear and forward-looking message during a high-level panel at the CANTO Caribbean Telecommunications Conference held this week in Nassau, Bahamas.
The panel, themed "Building the Caribbean Gigabit Society through a Federated Cloud," brought together regional leaders to discuss innovation in telecom, cloud infrastructure, digital sovereignty, disaster preparedness, and alignment with the CARICOM Single ICT Space.
Representing Sint Maarten, Mrs. Labega-Hoeve emphasized the critical need for stronger regional collaboration to achieve digital resilience and inclusive growth. “It is essential that regional traffic stays within the region,” she stated. “Localizing our data flows enhances security, improves speed and reliability, and fuels the development of a stronger regional digital economy.”
BTP remains committed to working closely with CARICOM, the CTU, CANTO, and other stakeholders to ensure Sint Maarten stays aligned with regional ICT goals. The agency supports the development of a Gigabit Society—where ultra-fast broadband is widely accessible—enabling transformative advances such as remote education, better healthcare, increased investment, and innovation-driven employment.
“It won’t be easy,” Mrs. Labega-Hoeve acknowledged, “but it’s important to set the bar high. It’s better to aim high and miss than to aim low and succeed.”
BTP’s active role at CANTO reinforces its strategic focus on digital transformation and its mission to keep Sint Maarten competitive in the rapidly evolving global digital landscape.
