Life is tough in the Caribbean Presentation PeeringForum 2006 Stijn Janssen

Welcome to Paradise ! Bonaire: –Size: 290 km2 –population: approx –Part of the Dutch Antilles –Main economic activity: tourism –Most beautiful dive site in the World –Famous for its flamingo’s –No traffic lights!

Just watch out for donkeys crossing the street…!

Stijn Janssen Turnaround manager/COO at B.H.M (government holding Co.) in Bonaire Managing –Telbo (Bonaire Telco) –WEB (Water & Electricity Co.) –Selibon (Waste management Co.) –4 smaller entities

TELBO (Telefonia Bonairiano) N.V. N.V.) Local incumbent Full service telecom provider Fixed and wireless network Buy transit to Miami via KPN Approx customers 35 people

Telcom is tough in the Caribbean The Caribbean: a marketeer's nightmare: –About 38 million people and 40 million tourists –Great number of scattered small markets (24 entities) –Markets not very homogeneous –No volume –Relatively low income –The ‘snek’-effect

The ‘snek –effect’ On the island of Curaçao: –500+ snack bars –15 ISP’s –21 radiostations –8 newspapers –etc.

Telecom is tough in the Caribbean (2) Telecom Market trends: –Development 0 – 5 years back to US/Europe –Going through a period of massive change –Liberalization in progress –Lot of mergers, acquisitions and failures –Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) initiative –Often bad management by politicians

Telecom is tough in the Caribbean (3)

Telecom is tough in the Caribbean (4) Main strategies –Incumbents Frustrate newcomers – losers f.i.: –UTS Curacao IP multiplay – survivors f.i.: –Cable & Wireless –Setar Aruba –Telbo Bonaire

Telecom is tough in the Caribbean (5) Main strategies (2) –Pirates Mobiles, wireless broadband Try to become regional network, then aim for exit f.i.: Digicel –Quiters Cingular

Major Challenges for the Region Switch to IP Developing specific business models aimed at: –Tourism –Low-income Liberalization vs. controlled liberalization Price of Broadband connection

Call for a Regional IX

Call for a Region IX (2) Traffic will increase (10x) in next 2 to 3 years Initiative for a ‘Lat-IX’on Curacao did not materialize Need cooperation from: –Major cable co.’s such as ARCOS –Local incumbent for the local loop Possibly a distributed IX is the answer

Major Challenge for Bonaire Vision of Island Government: “economic growth while preserving nature and culture”

Major Challenges for TELBO Market development: –Intense competition coming in from Digicel and MIO/E.Oliver Capital Group

Major Challenges for TELBO TELBO’s answer: –Full ADSL 2 plus roll-out by end of 2006 –IPTV up and running Q Major challenge: acquiring mainstream US content –Quadruple play (incl. IP Mobile) in 2007, would be the first in the Caribbean

Future Projects Become the first ‘Green Telco’ in the world Attract a major ICT campus to Bonaire.

But whatever happens Bonaire has to stay a Paradise…

Come and visit us! A great place for a future peering forum?

Next up: Henk Steenman Ladies please refrain from screaming!