This is a roundup of the ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 12 March to Sunday 18 March 2012.
Monday, 12 March 2012
CANTO’s 6th WTISD – Essay Competition
Trinidad & Tobago – CANTO based in Trinidad & Tobago will stage its 6th annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day- Essay Competition under the theme: “Women and girls in ICT”… more
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
BTC, union talks at ‘stalemate’
Bahamas – Discussions over the terms of a new industrial agreement between the union that represents line staff of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and its owners have reached a ‘stalemate’, according to Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) General Secretary Denise Wilson… more
LIME and RIM to Host Black Berry App Developer Hackathon
Barbados – LIME with support from Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of BlackBerry® smartphones and the BlackBerry® PlayBookTM tablet, is hosting the first application developer hackathon in Barbados… more
Police will provide cell phone ban warning
Cayman Islands – Judging from the number of individuals still driving around Grand Cayman while talking on their hand-held cell phones, it’s clear a government-approved ban on the use of those devices in cars hasn’t yet taken effect… more
OAS assistant secretary general calls for accelerated measures to address cyber-security
Costa Rica – The OAS assistant secretary general, Albert Ramdin, has called on the countries of the hemisphere to accelerate efforts to address threats to cyber-security, while emphasizing the importance of doing so while respecting citizens’ rights and civil liberties… more
Submarine cable to improve West Demerara’s power supply
Guyana – The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) is laying a cable across the Demerara River which it says will boost electricity supply to residents on the western side of the waterway as part of a US$42M Chinese-funded infrastructure development project… more
LIME Fibers the City
St. Vincent & the Grenadines – This country’s premium full service provider has embarked on a project to lay fibre optic cable around Kingstown. The entire project is expected to cost in excess of $700,000… more
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Information Ministry Highlights Accomplishments
Antigua & Barbuda – Minister of Information, Broadcasting, Telecommunications, Science, and Technology Dr Edmond Mansoor has reflected on his ministry’s accomplishments during the eighth anniversary of the United Progressive Party (UPP) administration… more
BTC Introduces New Features
Bahamas – BTC announced that come July 1, it will transform Directory Assistance, introducing new features available on 916 calls, a long-standing, underused service that one executive said remained “a sleeper in the array of customer products” for decades… more
BTC union threatens industrial action
Bahamas – Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President Bernard Evans said yesterday the union is now considering industrial action because it has reached an impasse with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) over proposed salary increases in a new industrial agreement… more
Report: 90% of BTC line staff underpaid
Bahamas – Most of the line staff at the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) are underpaid in comparison to employees at similar local and regional companies, and despite the fact that BTC has been saving and generating millions in profits, according to union chief Bernard Evans… more
GPL begins laying of $5M submarine cable across Demerara River
Guyana – Electricity supply, particularly to the West Demerara area, will be greatly improved when the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Company completes laying its US$5M submarine along the river bed connecting the two grids… more
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Deadline for registering of cell phones extended by a couple weeks
Belize – At both telephone companies today, customers lined up for hours in a mad rush to register prepaid cellular phones and avoid disconnection… more
OLPF head resigned over project targets tension – Luncheon
Guyana – Concerns about achieving the targets of the government’s One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative were at the root of the resignation of Senior Project Manager Sesh Sukhdeo, administration spokesman Dr. Roger Luncheon has revealed… more
Law on Phone Tapping Passed — Opposition voted against, people’s privacy will be invaded
Sint Maarten – The two factions of the current coalition government approved the amendment on the national ordinance for special investigative powers… more
Friday, 16 March 2012
Gov’t rolls out Connect Antigua & Barbuda Biz
Antigua & Barbuda – Further proof that it’s now a digital world came last evening as government unveiled the Connect Antigua and Barbuda Biz initiative…. more
Greater use of ICTs in education encouraged
Barbados – Transforming education through technology will require emphasis on learning how to create, how to collaborate and how to communicate in education without neglecting the content… more
Software piracy means US$86.0M in losses yearly
Dominican Republic – Software piracy means companies lose around US$86.0 million yearly, though the practice has fallen from 77% to 76%, affirmed Microsoft general manager Jorge Cabeza… more
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Sacked laptop boss now at OP
Guyana – “Tensions” over the implementation of the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project led the government to eventually let go of project head Sesh Sukhdeo, but he now enjoys a similar contract at the Office of the President… more
Sunday, 18 March 2012
LIME pay talks soon
Barbados – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is preparing to make his first attempt at brokering a lasting settlement to the ongoing dispute between LIME and the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU)… more
Battle Of The Digital Wallets
Jamaica – While the central bank predicted at the start of 2012 that new technology might have an impact on remittance flows, such as the Zoompass Wallet, local companies say the absence of an approved policy on mobile money is likely to leave Jamaica far behind in the more efficient digital transactions arena… more
Image courtesy of Gary Thomson, flickr
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