This is a roundup of the ICT/technology news across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 2 January to Sunday 8 January 2012.
Monday, 2 January 2012
IXP for Dominica expected in January
Dominica – Dominica is expected to have an internet exchange point (IXP) up and running in January, the third in the English-speaking Caribbean, Bernadette Lewis, secretary general of the Caribbean Telecoms Union (CTU), told BNamericas… more
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Bahamas Out of Step on ‘Information Age’
Bahamas – The Bahamas must retool its economy and workforce to offer an expanded services menu including software development and retirement homes, the Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chairman suggesting Freeport’s industrial focus was ‘out of step’ with the world’s main growth areas… more
Authority stands firm on telephone number portability
Cayman Islands – The Information and Telecommunications Technology Authority for the Cayman Islands is standing firm on the 31 January deadline for the implementation of local number portability… more
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
BTC Launches 4G (HSPA+) Services in the Bahamas
Bahamas – Cable & Wireless Communications‟ (CWC) business in The Bahamas, The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), has significantly upgraded its mobile services… more
BTC to hire as much as 80 persons in 2012
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) intends to hire up to 80 people over the course of the year as the company seeks to “refresh” its operations, according to BTC CEO Geoff Houston… more
FTC slams Digicel-Claro merger
Jamaica – Mobile phone customers are likely to be hurt by the approved merger of telecoms providers Digicel and Claro, says the Fair Trading Commission (FTC)… more
iPhone 4S coming to China, Caribbean islands next week
Jamaica – Apple has announced that the iPhone 4S will be making its way to China and 21 other countries beginning next Friday, January 13th… more
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Jamaica to Benefit from Digicel Acquisition of Claro
Jamaica – The acquisition of Claro in Jamaica by Digicel, which was completed on November 30th 2011, will spur both innovation and investment and benefit consumers right across Jamaica, the telecommunications provider announced today… more
Friday, 6 January 2012
Information Ministry hosts cyber workshop
Antigua & Barbuda – The Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Telecommunications, Science and Technology in conjunction with United Alert held a cyber security awareness workshop for several employees, yesterday… more
Digicel To Go National With 4G Network
Jamaica – Undeterred by a pending legal challenge of its Claro acquisition by Jamaica’s competition watchdog, Digicel Group said Thursday that it would invest the equivalent of J$2.6 billion to expand its 4G network nationwide… more
LIME backs FTC on opposition to Digicel/Claro merger
Jamaica – LIME endorses the lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court against the Digicel and Claro merger by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) and supports the Commission’s position that the deal is anti-competitive… more
Mobile Money Breakthrough Predicted For Jamaica
Jamaica – An American economist is predicting that the introduction of mobile money services in Jamaica will find a ready market because of the scarcity of user-friendly financial services on the island… more
St. Maarten Cable TV Announces Channel Changes For Digital Launch
St. Maarten – St. Maarten Cable TV today announces another step forward to upgrade the cable TV system to an all-digital platform this spring. To ensure that the digital channel line-up will be in place by the February 1, 2012 deadline, eight channels will be removed from the analog line-up on January 23, 2012… more
St. Maarten Cable TV Upgrades to Digital Headend!
St. Maarten – St. Maarten Cable TV has undertaken a major capital upgrade to encode and convert all analog services to the digital format. Effective February 1, 2012, all customers who subscribe to our services are required to switch to a Motorola digital converter to continue receiving service… more
Saturday, 7 January 2012
BTC to fix dropped calls problem
Bahamas – Acknowledging that Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) customers have experienced dropped calls since the company launched its 4G network late last year, BTC CEO Geoff Houston says the problem should be solved by the end of the month… more
Sunday, 8 January 2012
4G Mobile vs Broadband
Jamaica – I write with reference to the article on the front page of the Financial Gleaner on Friday 6th January 2012 titled ‘4G goes national’ and would like to take this opportunity to point out a number of inaccuracies which result in the article causing huge confusion to consumers… more
Digicel, LIME Stake Out Positions On FTC Challenge
Jamaica – Meanwhile, Digicel says it is yet to be served with the FTC’s claim and has, in turn, blasted the competition watchdog for poor timing and overreach, saying it does not have legal jurisdiction to challenge the deal… more
____________
