TelEm Group CTO Eldert Louisa was one of the panellists at the opening of the international tech conference on Monday.
PHILIPSBURG--TelEm Group management and personnel were “well represented” at the tech conference that kicked off at Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort, Casino and Spa on Monday.
The event is being organised by Caribbean Network Operators Group CaribNOG, the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry LACNIC and the Internet Society with the theme: “St. Maarten on the Move.” It also involves a week of events being coordinated by the Bureau of Telecommunications and Post (BTP) St. Maarten entitled: “Internet Week St. Maarten.”
The opening session was followed by the first panel discussion, which featured TelEm Group Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Eldert Louisa and fellow panellists from BTP and the Internet Society.
Louisa delivered a presentation on local development of Internet services and telecom on the island, how these services are provided technically and steps that TelEm Group is taking to improve on these services – including installation of a new ISP core, preparation for an island-wife fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) roll-out and most recently the purchase of a local Cable TV operation for the strategic development of IPTV and coaxial Internet cable service to customers in St. Maarten.
Louisa said a global increase in demand for data is causing carriers to tailor their infrastructures and networks to cater to this demand, which in the case of TelEm Group, means capital investments to keep ahead of the game, provision of unlimited bandwidth and providing a very reliable infrastructure and affordable packages.
He is expected to address attendees again on Thursday on St. Maarten’s own Internet Exchange, founded and coordinated by TelEm Group several years ago.
Louisa said equipment used by the local Internet Exchange means services like Google are being accessed locally by St. Maarten customers, instead of having to access these services from overseas servers, which can be many times slower.
“Customers who are now viewing Netflix and find their connection is not smooth because of buffering must understand that this is happening because the movies or shows they are watching are probably being hosted on servers anywhere in the USA, and that is what is causing interruptions in their viewing. Once we start hosting Netflix on the island, these customers will see an instant improvement in their viewing,” Louisa said.
He congratulated those responsible for hosting the conference, saying it afforded the opportunity for TelEm Group managers and staff to learn about developments in the industry and meet some of their counterparts from Latin America and the Caribbean. “The sessions are all the more attractive because they are also being provided free of charge to those attending, also making it possible for more individuals to attend,” he said.
