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The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in collaboration with Packet Clearing House (PCH) have convened three symposia on Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) for stakeholders in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Overview
The Symposia, which are being hosted by the Governments of the respective countries, are being supported by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO). The Symposia will present the principles and benefits of establishing local IXPs.
A local IXP can be considered as a critical platform for providing domestic-focused, bandwidth-intense applications and services; the cornerstone for local content development initiatives; and an essential mechanism for developing and expanding the economy and market for internet-based products and services.
The CTU has been raising awareness of the importance and benefits of establishing local IXPs and other critical Internet infrastructure within the Caribbean through its Caribbean ICT Roadshow initiative. These symposia continue the work of the ICT Roadshow by providing fora for deepening the understanding of the issues relating to establishment and proliferation of Internet Exchange Points in the Caribbean.
Objectives
The objective of these Symposia is to provide the information necessary for stakeholders to make informed decisions and take appropriate action for establishing local IXPs. The Symposia will:
- Explain the principles, role and function of IXPs
- Present the IXP economic value proposition
- Discuss internet service provider (ISP) operations
- Provide the requirements and practical steps for establishing an IXP
- Present IXP governance models and best practice
- Answer frequently asked IXP start-up questions
- Present the issues for national development
- Explore IXP-enabled opportunities for the information society within a country
Audience
Each Symposium will be open to representatives of organisations that use the Internet to deliver or receive local content or data services. These include Governments, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), academic institutions, media houses and content creators.
Expected Outcomes
Immediate
- Increased understanding of the issues surrounding IXP establishment
- Support for the establishment of local IXP
- Identification of services which can benefit from IXP establishment
Short term – 1 Month
- Demonstrated commitment by stakeholders to collaborate on the establishment of a local IXP
- Establishment of a working Committee of stakeholders
Medium Term – 3 Months
- Establishment of an IXP
Long Term – 1 Year
- Emergence of bandwidth intensive applications and services
IXP Symposia Organisers
The Caribbean Telecommunications Union is the regional inter-governmental information and communications technology (ICT) organisation responsible for facilitating the development of the Caribbean ICT sector. The CTU provides advice to its members on matters of ICT development and is involved in the formulation of harmonized ICT policies for the Caribbean ICT Sector. It is a significant contributor to ICT capacity building and assists members and other stakeholders in realizing the full potential of their ICT investments.
Packet Clearing House is a non-profit organisation that has been directly involved in setting up IXPs across the world. PCH also support IXPs and ccTLD operators by putting small clusters of routers and servers in IXPs; publishing statistics about the success of the IXPs; offering looking-glass and route-server functionality; and providing anycast name service. At present, PCH serves over 65 TLDs out of its servers in IXPs around the world.
Caribbean IXP Symposium Agenda
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Time
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Topic Agenda
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09:00
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Welcome
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09:15
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Opening Remarks
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09:30
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Introduction of Stakeholders
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09:35
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Overview of current Internet traffic routing
The Role of an IXP
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10:30
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COFFEE BREAK
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11:00
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IXP Value Proposition
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11:30
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IXP Governance Models
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12:30
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LUNCH
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13:30
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ICT-enabled Applications and Services
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14:30
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FAQs
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15:00
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COFFEE BREAK
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15:15
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Open Discussion
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16:00
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End of Symposium
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