A Step in the Right Direction: Island-wide Internet Access

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he internet is essential to our daily life and business. This is recognised on a local and global level. For those of us who see a cute cat pic find its way across our Facebook, or the latest viral video pop up on YouTube, it may seem like the internet’s enduring value to business is opaque. But within the international arena – where the UN defines internet access as a basic human right and regards it as a core pillar of a free society – the internet is invaluable. Any upgrade of connectivity or speed can deliver huge advantages to the community, which benefits. That’s why Saint Lucia’s pilot project for island-wide internet access is so exciting.

WHAT YOU MISSED

For many years Saint Lucia has had a growing digital divide. In the north of our island, internet connectivity in Castries and Gros Islet has far outpaced the south. This device was not only one of geography, but density, as connectivity in our urban centre outpaced rural areas.

With the announcement of the Government Island-wide Network (GINet) Project in late January 2018, a big change is set to occur. The US$4 million project is a joint-initiative between the Saint Lucian government and the Taiwanese government, with Saint Lucia contributing US$720,000 and Taiwan US$3.28 million.

As with all governments, politics plays a role and we’ll discuss this further shortly. Meantime let’s leave the ins and outs of government and talk about what this means for Saint Lucians.

WHY IT MATTERS NOW

As we’ve written here before at The STAR Businessweek, internet speeds and connectivity remain a big challenge in the Caribbean. This will only grow in time ahead, as there is immense potential for growth in the digital economy within our region. There will also be pitfalls in not moving to take advantage of improvements, as other regions around the world compete for an online advantage. With this programme, Saint Lucia takes a decisive step forward.

The project will see 63 public Wi-Fi hotspots installed throughout the island. As opposed to a private connection in a home or business, a public hotspot allows anyone to connect to the local internet connection. Some hotspots can be expensive – and prohibitive to potential users as a result – but this project won’t bring this problem.  Hotspot connections will either be free, or low-cost to use.

Not only will this pilot breathe new life into the digital arena across Saint Lucia, but it will also create new activity around the hotspots, as surrounding businesses benefit from the increased foot traffic of internet users.

The programme will also benefit tourism, even at the village level. It may sound strange at first to hear the internet is becoming more instant, but with the greater use of smartphones and apps like Snapchat, the demand for ubiquitous connectivity is ever increasing. This means many tourists want to share their holiday fun in real-time and will now have a greater chance to do so if this pilot is successful. More widely, it gives rise to the prospect of Saint Lucia growing its presence on apps like Google and Bing Maps, as the quick, easy, and affordable WLAN connection will encourage sharing of data beyond tourism content.

The benefit of this is something that Ms. Karen Kuo, Manager of GO Network, is keenly aware of. Ms. Kuo has been a resident of Saint Lucia for over ten years as the project manager for ICT Technical Cooperation (ICT) Project, which resides under the umbrella of the broader Taiwanese International Cooperation and Development Fund.

“In the internet generation, people are finding it more and more difficult to live without the internet, even when they are travelling”, says Ms Kuo. “If tourists can get free or low-cost internet in public areas the convenience factor of being able to upload their travel messages in real-time is great for them, and great for the promotion of Saint Lucia!”

Ms Kuo also indicated that the benefits of this pilot can extend well beyond the tourism business.

“This network will give all people in Saint Lucia greater access to the internet. This is particularly great for Saint Lucians who had little or no internet access before”, says Kuo. “Now they can get online, engage, and, in time, build further the Saint Lucian economy and nation in the digital world.”

WHAT IS MEANS MORE WIDELY

For all the virtues of this new development, there’s an elephant in the room. This initiative is one underwritten to a substantial degree by the Republic of China (Taiwan). This was evident at the launch of the project. Alongside extending his thanks to FLOW, Government Information Technology Services (GITS) and Digicel, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet was profuse in his thanks to ROC Taiwan for its involvement. The partnership between Saint Lucia and ROC Taiwan will bring real benefits locally but it is also a feature of great power politics globally.

Taipei will be happy that this is another strong link for ROC’s ongoing relationship with Castries. It’s part of ROC Taiwan’s global strategy to build and maintain official diplomatic relations with nations who will recognise Taipei’s claim as the legitimate government of China, but it’s also good soft power in illustrating ROC Taiwan’s global advocacy for technology and communications.

This is something that Taipei has done well in the Caribbean and does well abroad. Alongside the Caribbean family feeling an intrinsic connection via our history to the story of a smaller nation seeking to govern independently from a larger more authoritarian power, Taiwan has gone to great efforts abroad to project itself as a friendly, dynamic, and cutting-edge nation.

Taiwan has carefully crafted this image. Over time, it has shifted emphasis in its foreign aid programmes from agriculture and public health to more complex offerings in education, conservation and communications. The government’s work has been complemented by ASUS, BENQ, HTC and other businesses who have sold Taiwanese goods to great success abroad.

This is something Beijing largely can’t do. The authoritarian governance of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is an anathema to citizens of free nations, and suffocates Beijing’s capacity to pursue similar diplomacy. As Xi Jinping’s presidency has seen him consolidate his power and further wind back civil rights like internet freedom – something his predecessor Hu Jintao’s era was more lackadaisical about – it’s highly unlikely Taipei will cede this advantage anytime soon.

Nonetheless, this won’t do away with the overtures from Beijing directed at small island states like ours to end formal relations with Taipei and recognise Beijing as the sole government of China. Saint Lucia and Taipei have had official relations since 2007, and (seemingly) solid prospects that this will endure for now. However, the efforts of Beijing’s renewed campaign against ROC Taiwan in the Caribbean and Latin America during the past year cannot be discounted.

WHAT CAN BE DONE IN FUTURE

At its core this is also a great development for Saint Lucia’s national brand. Island-wide access means the nation has a new selling point in the region, and the world, from city to town, coast to coast. It also means more voices than ever before will be heard among Saint Lucians in our digital discourse, and a new climate has been created for online business to start and grow here.

This new programme gives Saint Lucia a great new platform on which to build in 2018. This pilot project is one that will surely be well-received at home and abroad, and this newspaper will be following its progress with great interest.