This is a roundup of the ICT/technology news across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 15 August to Sunday 21 August 2011.

Monday, 15 August 2011

No double-cross intended by cable provider

Antigua & Barbuda – Since a deal was struck between Turner Broadcasting System Latin America, Inc (TBSLA) and Karib Cable giving them exclusive rights to broadcast TBSLA programming, the cable provider is speaking for the first time, saying they did not double-cross CTV with the July agreement… more

Jamaica looking for technology partners

Jamaica – Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, says the government of Jamaica is eager to partner with technology providers on major projects that will revolutionise the use of computer technology locally and increase productivity and value-added… more

Tourism Department adopts smartphone app

St. Thomas, USVI – My Virgin Islands, an application for smartphones first developed by St. Croix native Shomari Moorehead, has been adopted as the territory’s official app by the V.I. Tourism Department… more

Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Phone tap, e-mail snoops OK

Cayman Islands – New rules allow “any person employed by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service to intercept a message in relation to a matter or person” for the purposes of gathering intelligence… more

Ministers mum on cellphone tapping

Trinidad & Tobago – Both Minister of Communication Dr Suruj Rambachan and Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh on Sunday declined to comment on recent reports that the National Security Council, headed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, had met with Digicel to get assistance in tapping cellphones… more

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

Cable Bahamas To Launch New Service

Bahamas – Cable Bahamas will introduce its brand new fixed line telephone service at the end of the month, marketing manager Dave Burrows told Tribune Business yesterday, stating that the company is confident its REVOICE offering would bring serious competition to the fixed line market…. more’

Phone tapping: Who has the oversight?

Cayman Islands – The motivation for and oversight of Cayman’s new telecommunications interception regulations – the rules that govern how and when police can monitor telephone, email and postal communications – is being questioned by the leader of the country’s opposition political party… more

LIME rolls out ‘FLIPtop’ plan to push Internet access

Jamaica – Telecommunications Company LIME yester-day rolled out a new plan aimed at increasing Internet penetration across the island, offering new customers a low-cost laptop with two-year residential Internet service packages… more

LIME Launches Low-Cost Laptop

Jamaica – Telecommunications firm LIME Jamaica has launched a low-cost laptop, available for customers who sign up for its Internet service, as part of its drive to increase Internet penetration in the island… more

Thursday, 18 August 2011

BTC Stock Sale To Boost Bahamas Exchange

Bahamas – The Bahamas’ Ministry of Finance has invited proposals from financial groups to advise the government on the sale of a 9% tranche of its shares in Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC)… more

New call centre opens in Dominica

Dominica – Over 150 Dominicans are expected to gain employment in the coming months, as Wikibuli Communications Inc. commences operations on the island… more

Friday, 19 August 2011

Government reacts to CCJ ruling

Belize – The Belize government says its welcomes the decision by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to  grant special leave to the British Caribbean Bank Limited (BCBL) to appeal against part of the judgment of a lower court relating to the nationalization of the country’s sole telecommunication company… more

Digicel not ruling out investment in local landline service

Guyana – DIGICEL Chief Executive Officer Gregory Deane says the company is not ruling out post-liberalization investment in the country’s domestic landline telephone service though he says that the first order of business once the monopoly comes to an end would be to move to reduce the rates for overseas calls by providing competition in that area… more

LIME Jamaica posts losses of $1.3b for the first quarter

Jamaica – Integrated telecommunications services provider, LIME Jamaica, continues to rack up losses for the three months to June 30, 2011. Its Income Statement for the period under review, reveals that LIME Jamaica generated revenues of $4.609 billion which produced a loss of $1.3 billion dollars. This comes on the heels of the telecoms company posting a whopping loss of $3 billion for year end March 2010… more

Saturday, 20 August 2011

APUA illegally constructs cell towers

Antigua & Barbuda – A minister of government has identified the state- owned Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) as one of the main culprits engaged in unauthorized construction of cell phone towers and other telecommunications facilities… more

Sunday, 21 August 2011

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