ECTEL Celebrates 25 Years of Pioneering Regulatory Leadership

Introduction to ECTEL

St. Lucia – The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) proudly marks its 25th anniversary, celebrating a quarter-century of pioneering regulatory leadership in the electronic communications sector in its five Contracting States: the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Key Milestones and Achievements

Established on the 4th of May 2000, ECTEL has been instrumental in promoting open markets, fair competition, and harmonised policies to ensure efficient and modern electronic communications services for all. Some of the Directorates key milestones include an exponential fall in prices for all electronic communications services in the sub-region; the implementation of Mobile Number Portability in 2019, and the establishment of the Universal Service Fund (USF) in 2008. Through the dedicated work of National Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions (“NTRCs”) USF projects have enabled or promoted affordable and even free access to electronic communications services and devices for members of the public in all Contracting States, and benefitted low-income households, persons with disabilities, schools, community Wi-Fi points, health centres, and police stations.

Celebrating 25 Years of ECTEL

To celebrate this milestone, ECTEL will be launching several activities, including its ‘25 Years, 25 Questions’ trivia contest in May, a “Girls in ICT” competition for students, a special episode of ECTEL Bytes and the airing of a special commemorative public service announcement outlining some of ECTEL’s major accomplishments since its establishment in 2000 on all its social media platforms. A longer, specially commissioned documentary will also be part of the celebrations, highlighting some of the organisation’s achievements and challenges over the past quarter-century, and its work to collaborate with NTRCs to positively impact the lives of people in the Contracting States. ECTEL will also be launching the Pearl Allison Lake (P.A.L) Scholarship Fund in early June in memory of the late employee, who served as one of its longest-serving staff members, before her untimely passing in June 2024.

Message from ECTEL’s Managing Director

In observance of the milestone, ECTEL’s Managing Director, Mr. David Cox, noted:“The creation and establishment of ECTEL, including the march to liberalisation from monopoly, and all the political and social drama that attended it, is a unique and remarkable story about the ingenuity and resilience of the people of the Eastern Caribbean. Those of us who have had the privilege to work with ECTEL, are proud to be carrying on the legacy of those visionaries who saw the need to create the institution. We continue to fight every day, to improve the lives of the people we serve, by working to bring down prices, improve the quality of their services, and enable the most advance technology we can.”

Conclusion

ECTEL remains committed to fostering a connected, sustainable, and inclusive digital future for the people of its five Contracting States. To learn more about what we do, visit www.ectel.int, or follow us on Facebook and YouTube @ectel and on Instagram, X and LinkedIn at @ectelauthority.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is ECTEL?

A: ECTEL is the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority, a regulatory body that oversees the electronic communications sector in its five Contracting States.

Q: What are ECTEL’s key milestones and achievements?

A: ECTEL’s key milestones include an exponential fall in prices for all electronic communications services, the implementation of Mobile Number Portability, and the establishment of the Universal Service Fund (USF).

Q: How can I learn more about ECTEL?

A: You can visit ECTEL’s website at www.ectel.int, or follow them on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.