GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Ingrid Arrindell on Tuesday, 17th of May congratulated, via a press statement, all telecommunication-sector workers on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), which is being internationally observed today.
The theme for WTISD is “ICT entrepreneurship for social impact.”
May 17th has been identified as a day to help raise awareness of the opportunities that the use of the internet, and other information and communication technologies (ICT), can bring to societies and economies, as well as the ability of the internet to bridge the digital divide.
“Developments in telecommunications and information technology, today form the basis of nearly everything we do. Times have changed, and we live in a different world – a digital world. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all telecommunication workers, as well as all those working in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) field on their special day. The tasks that you perform daily are critical to our economy and daily life, as just about everything is digitally driven. Many systems are dependent on telecommunications and ICT, and both are indeed the drivers of innovation.
“I call on small and medium-sized businesses to seize the opportunity to innovate, through the use of ICT, to create products and services that will create the new digital Sint Maarten economy. We must think outside of the box in the 21st century and stretch the imagination as far as it can go. We must project where we as a country should be fifty years from now.”
“Technological innovations will continue to improve the quality of our lives. For example, when we can sit at our computer and pay all of our bills instead of driving to GEBE, TelEm/UTS, Cable TV, etc. This increases productivity by saving time – no spending time standing in long lines to pay a bill, this helps the environment – saves gas, and this alleviates traffic congestion on our roads”.
Our young entrepreneurs-to-be and those who have graduated, we need your expertise to harness the power of the digital world from a Sint Maarten perspective. Let us work together to create a Sint Maarten digital revolution and develop this sector where jobs are created for our young, bright and vibrant minds.
May 17th marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865 and the creation of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This year marks the 151st anniversary of ITU.
May 17th is a day to reflect upon where we are today and where we want to be 50-years from now. We must not sit back and wait on others, but jump-start and take the lead in the digital age. I challenge our youth and young entrepreneurs to become the digital pioneers of our country,” Minister Ingrid Arrindell said on Tuesday.
