Exploring The Depths of Cable and Telecommunications in the Caribbean

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WHEN

Monday, January 25 through Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Mark your calendars now for the CCTA 2016 Annual Meeting!

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WHERE

Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in sunny, warm and welcoming San Juan, Puerto Rico. Reserve now for our early booking discount!

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HOW

Convenient online registration for Members and Non-Members includes options for exhibit space and the golf tournament.

The Countdown to the 2016 Caribbean Show Continues!

The CCTA is pleased to announce the following confirmed speakers for the 2016 Annual Meeting at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San Juan. Join movers and shakers from the Caribbean, North and South America and Europe to hear these leading experts on the topics of the moment:

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Find and Stop Revenue Losses From Fraud and System Misalignment
11:15am to 12:15pm Tuesday, January 26
Stephane Bourque
President and CEO / Incognito

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Super-Charging your Marketing in 2016 with the Newest Trends in Email, Social and Mobile
11:15am to 12:15pm Tuesday, January 26
Aaron Wesley Means
CEO / ACTIVATE Business Solutions

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Current Challenges and Upcoming Advancements in In-Home Wi-Fi Troubleshooting
11:15am to 12:15pm Wednesday, January 27
Scott Helms
Vice President of Technology / ZCorum

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FAQ

Information for All Attendees.

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Exhibitor FAQ

Documents for Exhibitors and Potential Exhibitors. ​​

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CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 9 - Summer 2015

Community Charities Receive a Boost from CCTA

Eight exceptional charities will benefit from the CCTA's Community Charities Program in 2015. The board of directors unanimously agreed to award $1,250 to each of the eight organizations that had been nominated by a cable system member of the CCTA.

The eight grant recipients and their sponsoring companies are: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda, nominated by Bermuda CableVision Ltd.; M.A.L.E. (Mentoring Anointed Leaders Everywhere), nominated by BVI Cable TV; Harrison College, nominated by Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation of Barbados; The Steven Anthony Ayala Rivera Foundation, Inc., nominated by Choice Cable TV of Puerto Rico; May Pen Hospital, nominated by General Satelite Network Company Ltd. of Jamaica; Colegio de Educacion Especial y Rehabilitacion Integral, nominated by Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; Be The Change Foundation, nominated by St. Maarten Cable TV; and St. Kitts Nevis National Majorettes, nominated by The Cable of St. Kitts.

Terry Roberson, CCTA Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Bermuda CableVision, stated, “The 2015 grant winners provide a variety of services to their communities, ranging from health facilities to mentoring programs for children. All nominees provide vital human service programs to people in the Caribbean and we are pleased to be able to help each one.” The board made the decision to provide all 2015 nominees with $1,250 at their meeting on May 18.

The Community Charities Program was established by the CCTA in 1993. Since then, the program has distributed over $290,000 in grants to more than 130 charities in the region.

CCTA Renews its Agreement with Laureate Online Education

The CCTA recently renewed its agreement with Laureate Online Education to promote the organization's online degree programs with Walden University, the University of Liverpool and the University of Roehampton. Laureate, as the University of Liverpool's exclusive worldwide e-learning partner, makes the University's programs available online, providing an e-learning environment and personal student support. Both partners are renowned for quality, innovation and continuous improvement in online teaching and learning.

Online degrees and certificate programs are designed to help each student balance his or her personal and professional commitments while investing in the future.

For further information on the degrees offered, you can visit www.laureate.net, or contact Caribbean Manager Kelly Bute-Seaton at kelly.bute-seaton@laureate.net(tel: 1-868-683-4308), or Enrolment Advisor Renee Robertson at renee.robertson@laureate.net.

We Mark Your Calendars for the 2015 Training Sessions, July 21-23!

The CCTA's annual Technical Training Sessions are right around the corner. The sessions will be held at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San Juan on July 21, 22 and 23, 2015.

A variety of relevant technical subject matter will be explored by leading experts in the industry. The 2015 program will cover: "Better Understanding of How OFDM and LDPC Work"; "Getting the Most from Workforce Management Systems"; "Lowering Churn Rate on Installations and Service Calls – Increased QoS"; "LTE Interference Challenges using Shielding Integrity Monitoring Solution"; "Maximizing Fiber Networks"; "State of Readiness in order to Deploy DOCSIS 3.1"; and "Total Power per Hertz on the Return Path".

The CCTA has provided free annual training to employees of Active Members for many years and the response has always been positive. Bringing information on the current topics in the cable television and telecommunications industries to the region is one of the organization's primary missions. Although member companies must cover transportation, lodging and evening meal expenses, the CCTA handles the cost of the training sessions and all daytime meals. For representatives of Associate Members or non-members, the training sessions are available for reasonable daily fees.

For the 2015 Technical Training Sessions, the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino has provided a rate of $139 per night, single or double occupancy, plus 11% tax and a $15 hotel fee. There is also a $1.00 per room, per day maid gratuity and $5.00 per person, one-time bellman gratuity. This special rate is available from July 20 through July 22, based on availability, plus three days prior to and three days after the event dates. Reservations must be made by July 6. A deposit equal to one night's room and tax will be charged at the time the reservation is made. Deposits are refundable if a cancellation notice is received by the Hotel at least seven days prior to arrival and a cancellation number is obtained.

Rooms in the CCTA's block can be reserved by calling the Sheraton's Centralized Reservations Department at 1-866-932-7269, or directly to the hotel in San Juan at 1-787-993-3500. The phrase "CCTA Technical Training" must be mentioned to receive the special negotiated rate. Hotel reservations can also be made through the CCTA dedicated reservations page ( https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/CCTA2015 )

CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 8 - Spring 2015

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A Big THANK YOU to our 2015 Sponsors and Donors

The Lorac Communications team in the Exhibit Hall.

The Lorac Communications team in the Exhibit Hall.

The CCTA extends its gratitude to the companies that sponsored events or provided items for the 2015 Annual Meeting. These generous corporate friends are:

Platinum Sponsor:

  • Cable Bahamas

Gold Sponsors:

  • Lorac Communications

  • Caribbean Cable Cooperative Ltd.

  • GulfCom

  • Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP

  • Fox Networks

  • HBO

  • HBO Latin America Group

  • Revolt Media & TV

Silver Sponsors

  • A+E Networks

  • Quality Cable & Electronics

  • Harmonic Inc.

  • TBS Latin America

  • Turner Network Sales

  • Cable Technologies International

  • CommScope

  • Ion Media Networks

Bronze Sponsors

  • TVC Communications

  • Incospec Communications

  • Toner Cable Equipment, Inc.

Congratulations to the new Board of Directors

New Board of Directors members were elected during the meeting: Chair Terry Roberson of Bermuda CableVision; Vice Chair and Chair Elect Gaby Palerm of Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; Past Chair David Burrows of Cable Bahamas; Director and Treasurer Mike Carrosquilla of Choice Cable TV (Puerto Rico); Director Andrew Greene of Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (Barbados); Director Beulah Jonis of St. Maarten Cable TV; Director Raul Ponson of SETAR N.V. (Aruba); Associate Director Patrick Harrell of Align Broadcasting; and Associate Director John T. Kurpinski, Sr. of Tarpon Communications.

Mark your calendars now for the 2016 Annual Meeting!

Next year's Annual Meeting will be held at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino from January 25 to 27. More details will be forthcoming in future editions of the Wavelengths Newsletter.

Irie! (everyt'ing good!)

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We Got Together to Feel All Right (CCTA Jamaican Style)!

The 32nd Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Cable & Telecommunications Association, held in lovely Montego Bay, Jamaica, is now a fond memory for the 323 individuals who participated. The setting was spectacular, the hospitality of the staffs of both the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Montego Bay Convention Centre was second to none, and business buzzed in the Exhibit Hall and during all networking opportunities. The Welcome Cocktail Party and Banquet on the Beach, featuring steel pan and reggae music respectively, took place on beautiful, clear evenings with a full moon shining overhead. Who will ever forget those breathtaking moments? Admittedly there were some hiccups and a few logistical challenges, but all in all the 2015 Annual Meeting can be considered a rousing success. Take a look at Will Yan's blog post on the Annual Meeting for an attendee's perspective on the event. COLUMN HERE

One Caribbean Television's festive exhibitor booth.

One Caribbean Television's festive exhibitor booth.

Participants represented 163 different companies or organizations from 27 distinct nations or jurisdictions in North America, South America, Europe and the Caribbean. There were 50 cable and telecommunications companies on hand to talk with programmers and hardware and software vendors, and many were first-time attendees at an Annual Meeting.

WWE pro wrestler Kofi Kingston poses with admirers at the CCTA Annual Meeting in Jamaica.

WWE pro wrestler Kofi Kingston poses with admirers at the CCTA Annual Meeting in Jamaica.

The Exhibit Hall featured 82 companies and included a special appearance by WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, courtesy of Fox International. If you would like a complete list of the 323 participants at the 2015 Caribbean Show, please send a request to CCTA Executive Director Andrea Martin at info@cctanet.com.

2015 Educational Sessions Inspire and Enlighten

The educational sessions had much to do with the success of the Annual Meeting. From individual speakers to panel discussions, each one presented innovative, educational, and enlightening information during the presentations. Keynote speaker, the Honourable Sandrea Falconer, Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Jamaican Prime Minister, discussed "Globalized Communication and National Values: Opportunities and Challenges of the Converged World" to an appreciative audience.

Marketing Session 1, moderated by Jeff Kreger, was a lively discussion on "Managing the VOD and SVOD Storefront." The panel included Mike Curran of Vubiquity, Andreina Kock of SETAR N.V., and Teneile Simmons of Cable Bahamas. Marketing Session 2, "Excellence in Marketing and Advertising Strategies," featured outstanding presentations by Fernando Alcazar of SGA: “CCTA 2015”, “Chuito Discovers the Internet” and “Chuito Me Gusta La De Casi”; and one by Erik Russell of Keen i Media Ltd. (view Erik's talk here).

Not to be outdone, the two Technical Sessions were also well-received. Tom Gorman of opXL, Inc. discussed "Installing and Maintaining a Digital Headend" in Session 1 (click to download his PowerPoint presentation. Please note: this is a large file).

Quality Cable & Electronics presents its products and services in the Exhibit Hall during the 2015 Annual Meeting.

Quality Cable & Electronics presents its products and services in the Exhibit Hall during the 2015 Annual Meeting.

Bryan Grimm of Metaswitch covered "Bringing Hosted Business Services to Market" (click here to download his .pptx discussion; also a large file) in Technical Session 2.
We are very grateful to these speakers for their contributions to the Annual Meeting's educational sessions.