By Gerard Best
CJ Contributor

PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten—Belize will host the fourth Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum, known as CarPIF, on June 6 and 7, 2018.

The 2018 meeting is expected to be the largest to date, according to organizer Bevil Wooding, an Internet strategist with Packet Clearing House and executive director of the Caribbean Network Operators Group. He described the annual event as “a truly unique opportunity for players in the Caribbean’s Internet community to connect with peers and industry colleagues.”

CarPIF is an initiative of the Internet Society, Packet Clearing House and the Caribbean Network Operators Group. Since its inception in 2015, the forum has brought together regional and international technology experts and telecommunications industry execs to discuss a range of topics related to Internet peering  and interconnection trends, and their relevance to the Caribbean region.

“International firms like Google, Facebook and Akamai have the opportunity to meet with decision makers from Caribbean internet service providers, digital content creators, regulators, government officials and other Internet entrepreneurs. Participants gain global insights on how the Caribbean can maximize the opportunities that can be derived through greater interconnection and peering,” Wooding said.

The 2018 meeting dates were announced at CarPIF 3, which was held in Phillipsburg, St Maarten on July 5 and 6. The two-day agenda featured interactive panel discussions, debates and open mic sessions, facilitated by Wooding and Shernon Osepa, manager of regional affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Internet Society.

“The Internet Society actively supports peering forums around the world. We see CarPIF as a very positive step for development of the Internet economy in the Caribbean,” Osepa said.