CHEAP and reliable broadband is the key to Government's efforts to developing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the country and if the private sector will not provide it, then Government will, says Minister of Public Administration and Information Dr Lenny Saith.He said the two options were either to create an environment to encourage private sector to provide cheap and reliable broadband or for the State to do it, and he was prepared to go to Cabinet and ask for money to that end.He was speaking at the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce's breakfast seminar "Partnering to Drive the Nation Forward through Information and Communication Technology (ICT)" held yesterday at the Chamber building at Westmoorings.Saith noted that Cabinet had recently approved a National Broadband Strategic Plan to facilitate higher connectivity speeds, more robust data security and lower costs.He also said that the first of a number of planned multiple international submarine fibre optic cables landed at Macqueripe last April, and pointed out that the Government has allowed additional cables to come in to break the stranglehold of current broadband monopoly.He stressed that it "makes no sense" implementing ICT developmental programmes-including its national ICT Strategy "fastforward"-and having all these computers and trained people, but for them to access the internet they have to pay "these outrageous charges".During the question-and-answer segment one of the attendees asked Saith why, by an apparent "sleight of hand", importation of parts used to assemble computers locally still attracted duties and VAT.He pointed out that there were no taxes or duties on computers and related items, and with the current ICT drive this was a "regressive step" by Government.Saith said this had been corrected with the passage of the Finance Bill (2007) in Senate at 12.30 that morning.
He also said that the first of a number of planned multiple international submarine fibre optic cables landed at Macqueripe last April, and pointed out that the Government has allowed additional cables to come in to break the stranglehold of current broadband monopoly.
CABLE TELEVISION provider, Columbus Communications (Flow), is to commence a $248 million project to lay 1,200km of fibre-optic cable from Trinidad to Curacao and undertake other upgrades to the Flow brand of services. Today, the Tycom Reliance vessel, which docked in the country on Friday night, will begin the laying of the cable from Macqueripe Beach, Chaguaramas, to the Netherlands Antillean island of Curacao, a project that should take 10 to 14 days.
boy.. the long and short is we need more bandwidth, and we need it now! loli guess we payin the price for keepin the monopoly intact for so long
Quote from: disciple on June 28, 2007, 02:52:22 PMboy.. the long and short is we need more bandwidth, and we need it now! loli guess we payin the price for keepin the monopoly intact for so longNEED and WANT are two very different words. What do we NEED it for? I can only think of a few legitimate applications that we would NEED it for. No, before you guys even ask, downloading HD pron faster is not a legitimate NEED. It's like these blasted newfangled cars. They go so blasted fast compared to the old donkey carts, and people STILL rushing to get where they going. I tell you one thing, less people would be involved in fatal road accidents if we was still using donkey carts. Hell, the only accident you get from a donkey cart is when the donkey accidentally leave something behind in the road.Really and truly, ask yourself what you NEED faster broadband for. Many of us will come up empty.What we should be seeing is REASONABLE prices for the "broadband" options we already have.
yeah speed don't really affect ping time if u get 256k from tstt ping time would be the same as 1.5mb from tstt.
