Ministry of Economic Planning to launch National Broadband Plan Consultations

A series of public consultations will be held by the Ministry of Economic Planning, Sustainable Development, Industry, Labour and Information beginning on January 31 to seek feedback from stakeholders to finalise the National Broadband Plan (NBP), which aims to bridge the digital divide by further advancing the delivery of high-speed broadband in SVG.

The World Bank funded Caribbean Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme (CARCIP) has developed the first draft of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) for St.Vincent and the Grenadines.

National Broadband plans are important mechanisms a government can utilise to set vision and strategy on how technology can move a country forward. Broadband adoption has demonstrated the greatest impact on the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) played a substantive role in the development of this first draft of the NBP, which is expected to address the critical gaps and unexploited opportunities in the broadband and recommend ways in which the Government of St.Vincent and the Grenadines can stimulate private sector investments, innovations, lower prices, increase speeds, improve quality of service and provide better options for citizens.

The National Broadband Plan is expected to be implemented over the next five-year period and is intended to remove barriers hindering Information Communication Technology (ICT) and broadband development in this country.