A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 10 December to Sunday 16 December 2012.
Monday, 10 December 2012
Internet-Based Bahamas Soul Radio Making Waves
Bahamas – Local Internet radio company Bahamas Soul Radio is making waves in cyberspace… more
The Electronic Transactions Act
Trinidad & Tobago – The Electronic Transactions Act was passed in 2011 and has been partially proclaimed by Legal Notices 1 and 8 of 2012… more
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Union To Oppose Digicel Move
Bahamas – As a former Jamaican prime minister arrived in Nassau to discuss the entrance of mobile phone service operator Digicel into the country’s telecommunications market, the BCPOU revealed that it will oppose the move if there are Bahamian companies that can do the job… more
Barbados’ Sunbeach Communications Inc. Selects DiViNetworks to Expand International Capacity
Barbados – Sunbeach Communications, a leading ISP in the Caribbean, selected DiViNetworks as its data capacity expansion provider. The DiViCloud service adds International capacity without any upfront investment… more
PUC’s role likely to widen with impending telecoms legislations – Justice Persaud
Guyana – With the possible passage of a Telecommunications Act and an Amended Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Act in the National Assembly, Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Justice Prem Persaud, is eyeing a challenging year ahead… more
State-of-the-art civil identity registry system
Haiti – The government of Haiti has announced it is partnering with the multinational Smartmatic to continue efforts toward the modernization, consolidation and upgrading of the country’s civil and identity registry system… more
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
BTC team hears concerns on Moore’s Island
Bahamas – Abaco’s Moore’s Island residents welcomed BTC’s executive team headed by CEO Geoff Houston, who visited to hear customer concerns and offer some good news following the post-Hurricane Sandy restoration work… more
Cable Builds Us ‘Mirror Image’ Via New $24m Deal
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas yesterday unveiled its third Florida acquisition within three months via its $24 million purchase of a Caribbean Crossings “mirror image”… more
Digicel may face opposition entering Bahamian market
Bahamas – Digicel could face some opposition if it decides to enter the Bahamian telecommunications industry… more
Digicel May Hire ‘Up To 60’ In Bahamas
Bahamas – Prime Minister Perry Christie said Digicel has promised to hire as many as 60 employees if it enters the local telecoms market… more
PM explains Digicel’s proposal
Bahamas – The government is considering an application from regional mobile phone provider Digicel to offer broadband services locally, Prime Minister Perry Christie said yesterday… more
LIME Dials Up New Customer-Care Firm
Jamaica – In a bid to improve its customer satisfaction, telecoms giant LIME Jamaica will today affirm the Canadian-based telecommunications company, TELUS International, as its customer-service operators at a media launch in Montego Bay, St James… more
Digicel celebrates birthday with flagship store opening
St. Kitts & Nevis – Branded ‘The Bigger Better Network’, telecommunications company Digicel last Friday morning (Dec. 7) officially opened its new flagship store at The Circus… more
Digicel CEO: Number portability good for industry
Trinidad & Tobago – John Delves, Digicel’s chief executive officer, said he believes T&T’s telecommunications technology is on par with the region and the rest of the world and is moving in the right direction with the number portability initiative… more
Is cloud computing the ‘future of the future?’
Trinidad & Tobago – At the National ICT Business & Innovation Symposium recently, Jeremy Geelan, president of 21st Century Internet Group Inc concluded his keynote address by saying, “Cloud computing allows you to create and if you can create, you can be what’s next.” … more
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Digicel wants to offer broadband services in Bahamas
Bahamas – The government of The Bahamas is considering an application from regional mobile phone provider Digicel to offer broadband services locally, Prime Minister Perry Christie said on Tuesday… more
New LIME centre to create scores of jobs
Barbados – Scores of Barbadians will find employment at a new LIME contact centre that’s officially opening here early next week… more
Appeals Court says B.T.L. can now issue dividends
Belize – An oral decision was handed down in the Court of Appeal shortly after two this afternoon, which would allow Belize Telemedia to issue dividends to shareholders… more
TRC launches public consultation on international connectivity
British Virgin Islands – The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (“TRC”) today launched a consultation on International Connectivity, which seeks to address the high costs of international bandwidth connecting the BVI and the rest of the world… more
Curaçao Technology Exchange Is Building The Next Generation Data Center
Curacao – Curaçao Technology Exchange (CTEX) announced that it is building within its data center a major landing station for various regional cable operators… more
Digicel (Guyana) wants end-date for liberalization negotiations
Guyana – Digicel (Guyana) on Thursday said it was satisfied with draft telecommunications laws and urged government to set a target-date by which all negotiations would be completed rather than leave it… more
180 persons to be employed at LIME contact centre in St James
Jamaica – Junior Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams has welcomed the opening of the LIME contact centre in Montego Bay, which will create roughly 180 jobs in coming weeks… more
BBB warns of international Jamaican phone scam operating in Acadiana area
Jamaica – The Better Business Bureau of Acadiana is warning the public of numerous scam phone calls coming into the Lafayette region… more
Pilot Project in Remote Schools to Improve Performance
Jamaica – The Ministry of Education will pilot, for the first time, Live and on Demand Content (educational) in 50 remote schools via Internet Protocol Television (IP TV) and 10 schools via free to air television, by January 2013… more
Experts and Authorities in the Region Hold Dialogue on Cyber Security at the OAS
Regional – The Organization of American States (OAS), the World Economic Forum, and Georgetown University today organized a “Cyber Security Dialogue,” in which experts and government officials of the hemisphere exchanged experiences and discussed the priorities of Latin America and the Caribbean on the issue… more
Friday, 14 December 2012
Telemedia dividend payouts put on pause again by court injunction
Belize – In media broadcast last night it was aired that BTL was getting ready to make dividend payout totaling almost 12 million dollars. This is after the Court of Appeal had refused an injunction against the Telemedia Company… more
Gov’t Seeking Partners to Grow ICT Space
Jamaica – Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, says that the Government is actively seeking opportunities for public-private partnership to develop additional Information Communication Technology (ICT) space to meet growing demand… more
Opposition demands timeline for digital switchover
Jamaica – The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party says the Government must, as “a matter of urgency”, move to get a definite timeline for the proposed Digital Switchover (DSO) from the National Steering Committee… more
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Digicel Partners with Barbadian N.G.O. to Further Greening Efforts
Barbados – Recognizing the ever growing need to increase public focus on energy conversation and environmentally friendly practices, leading Telecommunications company, Digicel, has partnered with the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) to help promote its efforts… more
No deliberate efforts to ‘drag out’ liberalisation of telecoms sector — Teixeira
Guyana – There are no deliberate moves to delay the liberalisation of the local telecommunication sector since such a process is critical to Guyana’s national development strategy. That was the view of Chief Whip of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic, Ms Gail Teixeira, during the post Cabinet press briefing at Office of the President yesterday… more
Forum of User of Geo-spatial Information in Haiti – GEOTECH 2012
Haiti – Mr. Boby Emmanuel Piard, CNIGS Director explained that the purpose of this forum is to bring closer the data users of CNIGS so that they can know the institution, its tools and technologies used … more
Haiti, Digicel National Fund for Education smells fishy
Haiti – President Michel Martelly told the Haitian Diaspora community in Miami that the National Fund for Education, established in May 2011, had accumulated $16 million [US] and not a penny of it had been touched… more
Connect Puerto Rico Releases New Broadband Availability Figures
Puerto Rico – New research unveiled by Connect Puerto Rico shows that nearly 85% of Puerto Rico households have access to fixed broadband at advertised speeds of at least 3 Mbps download/768 Kbps upload, up from 57% one year ago… more
Sunday, 16 December 2012
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Image credits: RambergMediaImages (flickr); Sunbeach; Brand of the World; BVI News; St Kitts & Nevis Observer; Wikipedia
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