The challenges facing the future of telecommunications in the Caribbean will be the focus for a seminar held at the Elbow Beach Hotel next week.

The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in association with the Government of the Bermuda will be hosting the CTU Ministerial Strategic Seminar on February 28 and 29.

The seminar, which is sponsored by Digicel, CellularOne, TBI Ltd., BTC Ltd., Northrock Communications Ltd. and IBM Ltd. Brasil Telecom (Globenet), will put the challenges facing the Caribbean in a global context and consider ICT tools for regional integration and development, as well as presenting a number of workshops on a variety of topics including Bermuda's ICT initiatives, the CTU's work in harmonisation for the regional ICT sector, technological implications for regulatory frameworks the Connected Caribbean Initiative from the CTU and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) perspectives and the strategies for collective regional action.

Dr. Hamadoun Toure, secretary general of the ITU and Bermuda's Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce, Terry Lister, as well as leading Caribbean and international experts are scheduled to share their perspectives and experiences.

Preceding the seminar there will be a two-day CTU executive council meeting that will be closed to the public and will include representatives from across the Caribbean and Bermuda.

Mr. Lister said: "This seminar will bring together leaders in the telecommunications sector from Bermuda and the Caribbean and the Bermuda Government is excited to be hosting this important meeting."