Insights

Somos Joins the Conversation at OOCUR 2024: Insights and Innovations from the Caribbean Utility Sector

Nov 04, 2024

We were honored to participate in the Organization of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) Annual Conference from October 28-30 in Suriname. This year's theme, “Right-sizing Regulatory Agencies,” provided a platform for discussions on fostering an inclusive digital economy in the Caribbean. Representing Somos, our Senior Director of Public Policy & External Relations, Kevin Green, joined regulators, carriers and vendors from over 15 nations to address the most pressing issues facing telecom and utility sectors across the region. 

Throughout the event, we saw a clear, unified commitment from regulatory bodies to protect and prioritize consumers while ensuring that Caribbean countries stay competitive within the global digital landscape. Key challenges like 5G deployment, infrastructure gaps and economic disparities underscored the need for collaborative solutions to drive regional telecom advancement. 

Building trust in communications also emerged as a prominent theme, with the growing need to address illegal robocalls and robotexts. Somos shared insights into call-based fraud prevention and highlighted our RealNumber DNO (Do-Not-Originate) solutions, sparking interest from carrier representatives eager to improve telecom security for their customers. These discussions underscored yet another shared commitment to regional safety and a readiness to adopt proactive security measures.

Another topic that generated enthusiasm was the impact of AI and IoT technologies, especially as several Caribbean nations begin implementing smart metering for utilities. Somos’ connected asset management solution, SomosID for IoT, was presented as a potential solution for the secure and efficient rollout of these technologies. 

Somos is excited to build upon these partnerships, offering Caribbean regulators and carriers tools to foster growth, enhance telecom integrity and protect consumers. With both region-wide collaboration and standalone opportunities, we look forward to supporting the Caribbean in strengthening its position in the digital economy. 

To learn more about OOCUR, please visit https://newoocur.org/