Minister for Finance & Economic Development Hon. Rolston Anglin and Minister for Social Development & Innovation Hon. Isaac Rankine represented the Cayman Islands at the Seventh World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology Policy Forum (WTPF-26) in Nassau, The Bahamas from 2 to 4 September.
WTPF-26 was preceded by a Strategic Dialogue session with representatives of small-island states on 1 September, which Minister Anglin and Minister Rankine also participated in.
WTPF-26 brought together more than 500 participants in person and online. The Forum culminated in the adoption of five Opinions on 4 September 2026 which are non-binding and provide guidance to ITU members and the wider international telecommunications community.
The ITU is the United Nations specialised agency for digital technologies. It brings together 194 Member States and more than 1,000 companies, universities, civil-society organisations and other international and regional organisations.
The WTPF-26 Opinions address digital inclusion, environmentally sustainable digital development, the resilience of telecommunications and ICT systems, space and satellite connectivity, and technology-based innovation and entrepreneurship.
Minister Anglin noted that for the Cayman Islands, the most immediate value of the discussions is their application to national work already under way. He explained that secure communications support financial services, schools, Government systems, healthcare, business continuity and emergency response. Telecommunications must therefore be planned and protected as essential economic and social infrastructure.
The Forum's focus on resilient systems, infrastructure investment and international cooperation supports the National Coalition for Caymanians (NCFC) Government's procurement of an additional submarine fibre-optic connection for the Cayman Islands. The project is intended to add another international connectivity route for Grand Cayman and strengthen network redundancy.
The WTPF-26 discussions also reinforced the need to combine submarine cable capacity with terrestrial network resilience, emergency restoration arrangements and appropriate satellite options as part of wider digital-resilience planning.
Minister Anglin said: "Cayman depends on secure communications every day, from financial services transactions and classroom learning to the delivery of public services and coordination during a hurricane. The Forum confirmed that network resilience requires more than capacity. It requires diverse routes, sound regulation, sustained investment and clear plans for maintaining and restoring service."
"Our participation must lead to practical results. We will apply the most relevant guidance to the additional submarine fibre-optic project, emergency-connectivity planning and our work with the Utility Regulation and Competition Office (URCO, also commonly known as OfReg)," Minister Anglin added.
Minister Rankine said: "Reliable and affordable connectivity has a direct effect on people. It affects whether students can learn, families can reach essential services, communities can stay informed during emergencies and Caymanians can take part in new economic opportunities."
"Cayman must consider emergency back-up communications opportunities alongside careful spectrum planning, fair competition, infrastructure investment and clear safeguards for consumers," Minister Rankine added.
Following WTPF-26, Minister Anglin noted that the Government will continue to work with URCO and other relevant public-sector agencies to consider the Forum's five adopted Opinions alongside Cayman's existing telecommunications policy, legislation, licensing arrangements and national digital resilience framework, and to identify any areas that would benefit from further refinement.
Minister Anglin said, “Cayman's telecommunications infrastructure, goals and policies are already well aligned with international best practice, and we were encouraged and heartened during discussions with representatives of other small island states to see that our Islands have achieved positive results in supporting affordable and meaningful access while encouraging competition, responsible investment and innovation, and that we have done much work to strengthen consumer protection through clear, transparent information, effective complaints processes, development of robust consumer protection regulations and appropriate oversight of service disruptions. WTPF-26 gives us a useful international reference point against which we will continue to build on that progress.”
The Ministers also used the Forum to engage with governments, regulators, technology providers and potential investment partners on the particular needs of small island jurisdictions, including higher infrastructure costs, geographic separation, limited route diversity and exposure to hurricanes and other natural hazards.
The five Opinions emerging from WTPF-26 will help inform international discussion ahead of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Doha, Qatar in November 2026, which will set the organisation's strategic direction for the following four years.
For further information on WTPF-26 and the adopted policy Opinions, visit https://wtpf.itu.int/2026/.