St. George’s, July 11, 2011 (GIS) – The Grenada Government is trying to lure more investment in Information and Communication Technology to the country.

The government’s effort is being spearheaded by Senator Arley Gill who is attending a conference in Suriname of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Operators (CANTO).

The theme the conference and trade exhibition is, “Shaping the Future of Information and Communication.’’

The event is being attended by ministers and officials from various Caribbean countries, as well as telecommunications industry players such as representatives of Microsoft and HP.

Senator Gill addressed the meeting on Monday and outlined some of Grenada’s ICT achievements, including the establishment of the Centre for Excellence and Innovation and the country having the distinction of being the first in Caribbean with its own Internet Exchange Point (IXP).

The Senator, who is the Minister responsible for ICT, Information and Culture, has also been meeting with officials on the fringes of the conference and trade exhibition.

He told the Government Information Service that the discussions have focused on attracting ICT businesses to Grenada, including telecommunication call centres and companies involved in software development.

The CANTO conference, which ends on Wednesday, is examining topics such as: “Utilizing ICT to Modernize Trade in the Caribbean’’; “IXP Proliferation – A Regional Partnership;’’ “Incentivizing Investment in Telecom;’’ and “Accelerating Broadband Development for National Development.’’

Senator Gill calls the conference, which is being attended by officials of the International Telecommunication Union and Caribbean Telecommunication Union, the “premier ICT meeting’’ in the Caribbean.

“This is a really big meeting,’’ he said.