Jamaica internet exchange refresh targets wider operator base and stronger outage resilience

Lee Hamilton, introduced as director of information technology and research, has set out the thinking behind a renewed push on JAIX, the internet exchange platform first rolled out in 2014, with fresh hardware including replacement servers forming part of the update.

Hamilton said the central ambition dating back a decade remains unfinished: moving the exchange away from effective dominance by the country’s two largest internet providers and opening participation to a wider mix of operators and content companies.

On resilience, he framed Jamaica’s geography as the core challenge. The island depends on connectivity carried on two submarine links, he noted, and those links can fail, be damaged, be tampered with, or be shut down remotely. In such a scenario, he argued, value still lies in Jamaicans being able to reach one another digitally, keeping email and other essential tools working on-island until international routes return.

He placed modern broadband alongside electricity and water as infrastructure people treat as indispensable, citing the habit of turning to internet-based messaging, including WhatsApp, during emergencies.

Hamilton also pointed to consumer-facing hopes tied to the project. He said the aim is to make it markedly cheaper and simpler for individuals and small enterprises to stand up websites without routing everything through large foreign registration or hosting paths, using a straightforward local connection instead of relying first on overseas providers.

Separately, he raised sovereignty over information. He warned that when sensitive correspondence sits with foreign platforms, overseas authorities may obtain access, and he cited the case of a British Virgin Islands deputy premier whose Gmail-linked activity reportedly contributed to his arrest on arrival in Miami. Jamaica, he insisted, must steer more of its information under domestic control.

Hamilton closed by describing the programme as part of efforts to harden Jamaica’s digital backbone.