Caribbean telecom leaders are calling for a shift in focus from mere speeds of connections to platform-based nation building. 

In a compelling discussion at CANTO’s 40th annual conference, currently underway at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in the Bahamian capital Nassau, stakeholders agreed that forging a truly “smart” Caribbean will require adopting an innovative approach to leveraging connectivity.

“We must work together to ensure communities are digitally literate, thereby harnessing ecosystems that power businesses, governments, and neighbourhoods alike. The foundation of this digital backbone is going to enable economic resilience in our region and power the progress of economic growth and prosperity,” said Sameer Bhatti, chief executive officer, BTC. 

Bhatti was leading a panel discussion entitled ‘More than Mobile: Building the Backbone of Smart Caribbean Nations’. 

“It is about protecting critical services, driving community progress, and raising our global standards and security our future. We have built the largest fibre network in the region, and we are powering the progress of economic growth. We will now go beyond connectivity and thinking about speed, voice and data and focus on platform-based nation building,” added Bhatti. 

Shelton Flash, director, B2B, North Caribbean, Liberty Caribbean, painted a vivid picture of smart Caribbean cities powered by data-driven systems. 

“Imagine streetlights that self-adjust for efficiency, transport networks that respond in real time, and public services that dynamically adapt to community needs. This is the kind of intelligent, responsive urban fabric we can build when connectivity, analytics, and community collaboration come together,” he said. 

Aamir Hussain, chief technical officer at Liberty Latin America, expanded on 5G’s role as a complement to existing fixed networks, noting its potential to unlock low-latency capacity across both urban and rural settings. 

“5G is not an endpoint but an accelerator. By layering 5G over our robust fibre backbone, we can deliver ultra‑responsive connectivity that supports immersive experiences. In dense city centres, this means seamless video conferencing, automated traffic management, and on‑demand public safety systems. In rural communities, it translates to precision farming, distance learning, and remote healthcare services that were previously impossible,” he said. 

Representing global standards and industry insights, Shamit Bhat, senior director of products at the GSMA, emphasised the organisation’s work in harmonising 5G specifications to ensure interoperability and drive widespread adoption. 

“When every operator works from the same technical playbook, innovation flourishes across all markets. Harmonised standards reduce complexity for device makers, accelerate network deployment, and enable seamless roaming – so a farmer in Grenada and a student in Trinidad can both rely on the same high‑speed, low‑latency experience,” he said.

Elizabeth Jauregui, head of government and industry relations at Ericsson, detailed how the company’s partnership with Liberty Caribbean, the operators of Flow, Liberty Business and BTC, has elevated network reliability and performance. 

“Our combined radio, core, and cloud innovations have laid a robust foundation for tomorrow’s digital society. Our end‑to‑end solutions—from multi‑band 5G radio deployments to automated, software‑defined cores and edge-optimised cloud platforms—ensure seamless connectivity even under peak loads or during extreme weather events,” she said. 

“This robust foundation not only supports today’s demands for high‑definition streaming and real‑time communications but also paves the way for future innovations like network slicing and IoT ecosystems.”

Liberty Caribbean is the headline sponsor of CANTO’s milestone conference that has convened leaders from telecom, government, and technology under the theme ‘Towards a Unified and Sustainable Caribbean Gigabit Society’.

CANTO is a non-profit association made up of operators, organisations, companies, and individuals primarily focused on leading the information and communications technology (ICT) sector across the Caribbean region and the Americas.