April 08th 2008

The Authority hosted an International Seminar entitled "Balance on the airwaves: free speech and responsibility" on April 2nd and 3rd 2008.
Presentations from the Seminar

March 14th 2008

The Authority has been advised that on Friday 14th March 2008, the Honourable Kennedy Swaratsingh, Minister of Public Administration, exercised his powers pursuant to sections 30 and 39 of the Telecommunications Act 2001, to terminate concessions and licences granted to Laqtel Limited.
Read the News Release

March 08th 2008
News Release

The Dispute Resolution Panel appointed to resolve the dispute in relation to final interconnection rates between Digicel Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Digicel) and Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TSTT) delivered its final decision yesterday, 7th March 2008.

Read the Decision

February 21st 2008
Notice

The Authority wishes to announce that the deadline for comments on the "Proposed Central office Codes Exhaust Analysis Methodology" has been extended to March 7th 2008 at 4.00 p.m.

January 11th 2008
Recommendations have been made to the Minister of Public Administration for two additional Concessions for the provision of Free to Air Television Broadcasting services
more

October 29th 2007
The Authority has published Radio Frequency Radiation measurements taken from cell towers throughout the country.
more

October 22nd 2007
The Authority has issued a Press Statement on the Auction of Radio Spectrum to provide Public Broadband Wireless Services (BWA). more

October 16th 2007
The Authority wishes to advise that modifications have been made to the following documents:

• Eligibity and Evaluation Criteria for Concessions
  

• Concession Application Form

October 1st 2007
The Authority has laid charges against Laqtel Ltd. for failure to post a Peformance Bond. more

The Authority has issued a Request For Proposals to Provide Free To Air Television Broadcasting Services. more

August 9th 2007

NOTICE

We wish to advise that a modification has been made to the Consultative Document: " Proposed Costing Methodology". more

COMMENTS INVITED ON PROPOSED COSTING METHODOLOGY FOR THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR .
more

July 16th 2007
A new version of the paper "Position and Procedures in respect of Non-Objections for Applications to Town and Country Planning Division for Site Approval of Telecommunications Structures" has been published.
more

20th June 2007
Migration Plan: 1800 MHz Band to 1900 MHz Band Allocated to Cellular Mobile Services for the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT)

The Authority invites comments to the captioned consultative document. This document seeks to establish the process by which TSTT shall migrate its public domestic mobile telecommunications network from the 1800 MHz band to the 1900 MHz band allocated for cellular mobile services.

more

June 15th 2007
Applications for the provision of public Internet services using wired facilities are invited.
more

May 24th 2007
A revised version of the document 'Eligibility and availability criteria for Concessions' has been published. There have been changes to the Status of the Application Process for the various types of concessions.
more

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day,
May 17th 2007.

Greetings from the Chairman
Greetings from the Executive Director (ag.)

Expressions of Interest are hereby invited from parties interested in providing ‘FREE TO AIR’ TELEVISION BROADCASTING SERVICES.
more

Notice of Central Office Codes assigned to the various providers of mobile and fixed line telephone services in Trinidad and Tobago.
more

Approved Budget for 2006/2007
more

Mr. Yaseen Rahaman President, Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association
Mrs. Halcyon Marhue – Vice President, TTPBA
Mr. Dominic Beaubrun –Secretary/Treasurer TTPBA
Members of the Executive and other Members of the TTPBA
Distinguished Guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

I wish to thank Directors of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association for the opportunity to address the Association at its Annual General Meeting.

I have been asked to speak on the topic “Policy and Plans for the Development of the Broadcast Sector”. I consider this topic to be quite appropriate given the fact that Trinidad and Tobago’s rapidly expanding broadcasting sector is heavily engaging the attention of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago at this time.

From the commencement of formal operations on 1st July 2004, the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago immediately launched initiatives aimed at the realization of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago’s objective regarding the broadcasting sector outlined in the National Policy on Broadcast and the Broadcast Industry which is “to create the regulatory environment to foster the development of a fully modernized and dynamic broadcasting sector, which would contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of Trinidad and Tobago”.
As you are aware, over the past two decades the country has witnessed tremendous growth in the broadcasting landscape. Notwithstanding this, the Authority is mindful of the myriad of issues which challenge the development of the broadcasting sector and towards this end, the Authority has identified specific objectives and has established a number of initiatives towards the realization of the national policy objectives.

These objectives include:

1. Ensuring that all citizens, have access to a wide range and variety of high-quality broadcast services;
2. Developing regulatory mechanisms to allow for the effective management of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors;
3. Licensing all existing ‘free to air’ radio and TV broadcasters to ensure that the broadcasting needs of the public are maintained and to effectively transfer all broadcasters under the ambit of the new Telecommunications Act;
4. Establishing quality of service standards to ensure the provision of high quality broadcasting services to the public;
5. Ensuring the efficient use of the broadcast spectrum resource to maximize the number of broadcasters while ensuring acceptable levels of service;
6. Creating incentives for investment in the telecommunications as well as broadcasting sectors which can result in the infusion of technology and promotion of the national interest at the global level; and
7. Monitoring broadcast services to ensure compliance with the relevant legal, regulatory and policy obligations.

I will now provide you with a summary of some of Authority’s initiatives towards the realization of some of the above objectives:

ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ENABLING AUTHORIZATION FRAMEWORK

Consistent with the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, the Authority has sought to establish a framework for the granting of Concessions and Licences to meet the needs of all of the Authority’s stakeholders.

Of note also is the fact that several Types of Concessions are now available which have been tailored to meet the demands of broadcasters whilst serving the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Concessions are now available to broadcasters which will enable them to reach listeners or viewers within specific geographical boundaries.

Thus broadcasters, by choice, currently hold concessions in four categories viz.
National – coverage throughout Trinidad and Tobago,
Major Territorial – coverage throughout Trinidad only,
Minor Territorial – coverage throughout Tobago only and
Niche – coverage for specific underserved and/or rural communities.

It should be emphasised that within the Concessions granted to broadcasters are roll-out obligations and specific guidelines for meeting strict technical and operational parameters.

Consequent upon this, the Authority has started and will continue its regulatory function in actively monitoring the operations of broadcasters to ensure strict compliance with conditions outlined in their Concessions and associated Licences.

Mindful of new entrants in the telecommunications and broadcasting arena and concerned that the licensing process for new and existing licence holders could prove challenging, the Authority hosted a seminar with the primary objective of providing practical information on issues surrounding the licensing and utilization of radiocommunications equipment to ensure familiarity with the licensing process across the board.

Broadcasters were among the licence holders invited to participate in the first seminar which was held in Tobago on April 27th 2006 and titled “Licence Holders…Getting it right the first time …”

At this seminar broadcasters along with other attendees voiced a number of concerns including issues of interference. These concerns and suggestions have been taken into consideration and will be addressed at the Trinidad leg of the seminar which is carded to take place during the third quarter of this year.

UNIVERSAL SERVICE

It is widely accepted that access to information from information and communications technologies is a significant driving force behind global socio-economic development, making the issue of Universality in Trinidad and Tobago crucial as we transition toward developed nation status.

Universality is important to ensure that all members of society have access to and therefore benefit from basic telecommunication and broadcasting services.

These services must of necessity be reliable and of high quality.

Access becomes even more crucial during times of natural and other types of disasters. We have just entered the hurricane season and it is important for individuals, including those who reside in geographically challenged areas, to be aware of the approach of a tropical storm or hurricane. Lack of access to this vital information could lead to severe destruction of property, or even worse, injury or death.

QUALITY OF SERVICE

While there has been a numerical increase in radio and television stations resulting in increased access to information by members of the public, the Authority is concerned over certain complaints received from consumers in respect to the quality of service.

In this regard, I wish to draw your attention to the fact that in the Concessions granted to broadcasters earlier this year, broadcasters are required to deliver services “in a good, efficient and continuous manner satisfactory to the Authority and in accordance with any regulations or directions made by the Authority in relation to quality of service standards manner from time to time”.

We are all aware of the value of high quality broadcasting services to the development of a people. The Authority will therefore continue to closely monitor the operations of broadcasters to ensure compliance with QOS standards outlined on their concessions.

SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT

As we are all aware, spectrum is a scarce resource. It is therefore imperative that in the expansion of the local broadcasting industry, proper planning and management of the country’s spectrum is essential.

I wish to outline some of the initiatives taken by the Authority in the area of spectrum management.

New Channelling Scheme for Radio and Television

This initiative involved the licensing of ‘Free To Air’ FM Radio and Television broadcasters using spectrum under a Band Plan which identifies a channelling scheme to cater for existing and future broadcasters.

The band plan as it relates to ‘Free to Air’ FM Radio and Television was developed taking into account existing analog and also the emerging digital broadcasting services.

For FM Radio, a channel spacing of 400kHz has been utilized, with assignments made on the odd one tenth megahertz. This spacing will allow analog broadcasters to exist while accommodating the introduction of digital radio broadcasting services such as IBOC.

Within the television band plan, a standard channel spacing of 6MHz has been used which at present in the industry allows for analog television broadcasting and the transition into digital broadcasting using the same 6MHz bandwidth allocation.

Automated Spectrum Monitoring and Management System

The Authority is currently in the process of evaluating proposals for the procurement of an Advanced Automated Spectrum Monitoring and Management System (AASMMS) the primary purpose of which will be to monitor and manage the RF spectrum used in Trinidad and Tobago.

The AASMMS system is intended to be a multi-user, multi function computerised application which will provide the Authority with automated support for management of  licence records; frequency assignment and interference calculations; spectrum occupancy, planning and allocation; national and international frequency coordination; licensing and billing procedures; and report generation.

All service providers, including broadcasters, will benefit from the efficient management of spectrum by the Authority since:

1. The proper administration of spectrum will allow for greater ease with which users will have access to spectrum. This in turn will allow the country to maximise the benefit from the spectrum resource as increase in the number and variety of radio services will result in an increase the quality of life and efficiency of the economic community.
2. A proper administrative procedure will allow requested frequencies to be coordinated and licensed within a reasonable amount of time. This will facilitate access to spectrum to be granted in an equitable fashion, promoting innovation for service providers to provide the best service possible and
3. Effective management of spectrum will enable communications users and providers to invest time and finances, secure in the fact that their activities will proceed without unnecessary impediment.

Proposals are in the final stages of evaluation and an award should be made very shortly. The anticipated start up period will be in the last quarter of 2006 and it is expected that the project will be completed within a period of 18 months.

RF Propagation Analysis

The Authority is currently conducting a Radio Frequency propagation analysis for both Broadcasting and Mobile Radio (cellular) services to determine the most optimal use of spectrum and the configuration of transmitter locations. Some of the outputs of this exercise, as it relates to Broadcasting, will include the ability to conduct interference analysis and prediction, analyze rollout plans and coverage obligations of broadcasters and discovering possible additional transmitter locations based on this country’s topography.

In summary, the aim of the Authority’s spectrum management initiatives are to ensure its  efficient and effective use of this finite resource in order to maximize the number of broadcast channels available, while ensuring optimal service delivery levels.

BROADCAST CODE

Consistent with the mandate given to the Authority under the Telecommunications Act, the Authority is committed to the formulation of a Broadcast Code that does not infringe on the constitutional rights of the media, but that at the same time will foster an environment where high standards of decency and quality are upheld and where a multi-ethnic and multi-racial society can co-exist harmoniously.

In this regard the Authority is moving towards re-drafting the Broadcasting Code for Trinidad and Tobago. You will recall that a first draft of the code was prepared and consultations held initially with broadcasters in order to obtain sector feedback. Consultations were also held with members of the wider national community.  From these, the Authority received extremely valuable feedback from all quarters which aided in identifying next steps in the process.

One of the most significant suggestions that emanated from the broadcasters was that the code be prepared by entities external to the Authority. This suggestion was considered and the Authority subsequently issued a Request for Proposals for the re-drafting of the Broadcasting Code. The process has been quite lengthy; however, I am pleased to announce that the Authority has selected a consulting team to re-draft the code.

Of note to you would be the fact that the team selected is comprised of a number of esteemed broadcasters and journalists from the local community. The redrafting process is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2006.

We anticipate that the entire process towards the formulation of a National Broadcasting Code for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago will be completed by the first quarter of 2007.

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Within the last two decades , this country has moved from having only four radio stations to thirty-four (34) and from one television station to six (6).

Over the past few months we have also witnessed the expansion of subscription broadcasting service providers to five (5) currently in the market

This expansion can be attributed to the Authority’s open invitation process for provision of a number of broadcasting services including Wired Cable Television Network and Services in keeping with its liberalization mandate.

It must be noted that operators of Wired Cable Television Network and Services will be allowed to provide not only cable television through their networks but also voice and data services – so called triple play.

Technology convergence will continue to result in demands being placed on providers for new products and services.

For your information, the Authority is in the final stages of completing a Spectrum Plan for the Accommodation of Broadband Wireless Services which will make spectrum available for the deployment of new broadcasting technologies.

The objectives of this plan include the identification of frequency bands which will be allocated to the provision of broadband wireless access services, in accordance with the market and sector interests and will include the process for licensing allocated frequency bands.

Provision will be made for wireless technologies, such as Multi-channel Video Distribution Services (MVDS), which would be particularly attractive in our technologically developing society.
The Authority is also mindful of other technologies which will foster the growth of the broadcasting sector such as digital audio broadcasting (DAB) services which are at present deployed around the world. Examples of digital terrestrial and satellite radio broadcasting services include Eureka 147,  XM Satellite Radio and WorldSpace.

The drafting of regulations and policies will take into account the relevant spectrum and regulatory requirement for the provisioning of such services in the broadcasting market of this country.

This will be definitely a focal point of the Authority as it plans and structures the development of Broadcasting in the 21st century.

CONCLUSION

The foregoing,  ladies and gentlemen, are among some of the key initiatives engaging the attention of the Authority with respect to the broadcasting sector geared towards the  improvement of service delivery levels and to cater to the needs and expectations of the public.

Within a few weeks, on July 1st, the Authority would have been in existence for two years. During that time the Authority has enjoyed a harmonious relationship with the TTPBA as an entity and with key members of this organization who are directly involved in radio and television broadcasting. Through these relationships the Authority has been able to shape its policies and plans as a direct result of your input which we are confident will redound to the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Thus on behalf of the Management and staff of the Authority I want to thank you for your valued input and to assure you that the Authority will continue to partner with you as we seek to realise our objectives to develop and liberalize this country’s broadcasting sector.

Thank You