Antigua and Barbuda will host the eighteenth regional meeting of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) from September 25 to 27.

CaribNOG is a vibrant community of professionals committed to improving the region’s networks, expanding the technical capacity of those who build and secure them, and strengthening the interconnections among all actors in the Internet space.

Called CaribNOG 18, the upcoming meeting is themed “Securing Caribbean Networks,” and will focus on a range of stability, security and resiliency issues that are central to Internet development. IT and security professionals, network administrators, telecommunications and computer engineers, Internet exchange point operators and data centre managers from across the region are expected to attend.

Stephen Lee, CaribNOG Program Director invited all interested stakeholders to submit proposals for topics, lightning presentations or full sessions for the consideration of the CaribNOG 18 coordination team.

“It’s an opportunity for anyone with an interest in Caribbean development to let us know how the community of people who take responsibility for developing the Internet in the region can focus our attention, efforts and resources, to align with the evolving development priorities of the region,” Lee said.

Meeting registration, provisional agenda, as well as a call for presentations and sponsors, will be available online soon.

Bevil Wooding, Caribbean Outreach Liaison at the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) and one of the founders of CaribNOG, announced the date and venue of the upcoming meeting on the closing day of CaribNOG 17, held at Hilton Barbados Resort, Bridgetown from April 10 to 12. The September meeting is one of several highlights of the group’s 2019 calendar.

On April 30 and May 1, CaribNOG will be a part of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union’s “Caribbean FutureScape” event at Hyatt Regency Trinidad in Port of Spain, which aims to provide participants with an immersive and interactive experience demonstrating the possibility of a fully integrated digital Caribbean.

On June 3 and 4, CaribNOG will work alongside the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Society, to support an “ARIN in the Caribbean” outreach event targeting network operators, business leaders, regulators, and government officials in Nassau, Bahamas. Since 2018, the “ARIN in the Caribbean” series has touched eight Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and the US Virgin Islands.

On June 11 to 13, CaribNOG will support the fifth meeting of the Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum, called CarPIF 5, to be held in St George’s, Grenada. CarPIF is a CaribNOG initiative held in collaboration with the Internet Society as well as local, regional and international stakeholders. At CarPIF, Internet service providers, data centre managers, Internet exchange point coordinators, content delivery network operators and technology professionals come together to exchange practical knowledge and strike deals to develop and improve the region’s Internet sector. Content providers such as Google, Akamai and Facebook have regularly attended at the event.

Apart from its upcoming events, the CaribNOG community will also focus on a range of capacity-building activities, including collaborative research projects, resource development, expanded communication channels and new outreach initiatives throughout the year.