A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 4 March to Sunday 10 March 2013.
Monday, 4 March 2012
Government abandons plans to sell 9% stake in BTC
Bahamas – Bahamian PM Perry Christie has confirmed that the government will not be selling any of its shares in incumbent operator Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), drawing a line under speculation that the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) may revert to plans proposed by the previous administration, The Freeport News reports… more
Unified Video Technologies Completes First Phase of ZNS Digital Upgrade
Bahamas – Unified Video Technologies (UNIV), specialists in developing, integrating and operating complete high-performance media and broadcast ecosystems for broadcasters and enterprises, announced that it has completed the first phase of the analog-to-HD digital upgrade of ZNS TV-13, a network owned and operated by the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas… more
Flow adds 40 international landline destinations
Jamaica – Broadband provider Flow yesterday announced 40 additional destinations in its international calling plan, which it said will give its consumers more value on their overseas calls… more
Gov’t Providing More ICT Space
Jamaica – The Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) is retrofitting more than 63,000 square feet of space at the Montego Bay Free Zone for outsourcing and other operations… more
Caribbean fibre research network inaugurated
Regional – The fibre-optic network C@ribNET, built to connect educational and research institutions in the Caribbean, has been inaugurated in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago… more
Columbus International Inc. Announces Acquisition of Karib Cable
Regional – Columbus International Inc. (“Columbus” or the “Company”), a diversified telecommunications provider in the Caribbean, Central America and Andean region, is pleased to announce that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kelcom International Limited and certain of its related companies (together “Kelcom”)… more
EL-Dorado North Hindu Primary gets ICT lab
Trinidad & Tobago – EL DORADO North Hindu Primary School created history earlier this year, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but the wider Caribbean region, by being the first school to have a library outfitted with an internet-based study/research system (known as an ICT lab) tailor made for the school’s curriculum… more
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
‘Lime-Powered’ Caribbean Learning Network Launched
Anguilla – The Caribbean Research and Education Network, C@ribNET, a broadband fibre optic network constructed by Regional telco, LIME, was officially launched in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on February 26… more
Caribbean Leadership Training
Antigua & Barbuda – Four of Antigua and Barbuda’s government programmes have been selected for scrutiny by delegates participating in a $20M Canadian Investment Development Bank (CIDA) funded leadership programme… more
Dismissed workers recalled
Dominica – he Waterfront and Allied Workers Union (WAWU) says 11 employees of the television and telecommunications company, Marpin 2k4, who had been sent dismissal letters have been recalled… more
Digicel Limited Announces Early Tender Results Of Its Tender Offer For Any And All Of Its 12% Senior Notes Due 2014
Jamaica – Digicel Limited today announced that it has received and accepted for purchase $262,587,000 aggregate principal amount, or 51.49%, of its outstanding 12% Senior Notes due 2014 (the “Notes”) validly tendered by 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 4th, 2013 and expects to pay for tendered Notes on March 5th, 2013… more
Digicel Limited Completes US$1 Billion Corporate Bond Offering
Jamaica – Digicel Limited (“DL”) today announced it has successfully completed a US$1 billion corporate bond offering. The bonds carry a coupon of 6.00%… more
Go with the Flow: Karib Cable bought by Columbus
Regional – Barbados-based telecoms group Columbus International has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kelcom International, which operates cable-based services under the name Karib Cable in St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines and Antigua… more
Minister calls for free online tertiary education
Trinidad & Tobago – Science Technology and Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim is calling for three leading tertiary institutions to introduce free online education… more
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
BTC Collapsed Berry Islands Tower Restored
Bahamas – BTC services are now fully restored to Bullocks Harbour in the Berry Islands 9 days after an external contracting company accidentally caused the collapse of the BTC communication tower… more
BTC Offers Franchise Opportunities
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is inviting entrepreneurs and business owners to learn more about the BTC franchise opportunities available for sign-up now for up to 40 new BTC stores, kiosks and store-in-stores, nationwide… more
BTC Targets 40 Store Franchise Roll-Out
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) plans to expand its retail footprint with a projected 24-month roll-out of 12-15 franchise stores on New Providence, and 25 in the Family Islands… more
Cable Unveils GB Data Centre
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas has unveiled its state-of-the-art Grand Bahama data centre, which is designed to provide commercial clients with histing and business continuity/disaster recovery services… more
Digicel opts to ‘Be Extraordinary’
Cayman Islands – Digicel unveiled its new brand promise, “Be Extraordinary”, on Friday, 1 March… more
Canto’s 29Th Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition Plus – 7th Human Resource Forum To Be Held In Aruba
Regional – CANTO and co-host SETAR welcome all to the 29th Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition which will be held at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino – Aruba, 14th -19tth July, 2013… more
Caribbean banks issue credit card alert
Regional – According to the Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB), banks and other financial institutions across the Caribbean have been impacted by a security breach at a financial institution in the region… more
Tech firms end signage headache for T&T retailers
Trinidad & Tobago – Episys, the global information technology services company, has partnered with Calibra Solutions, a technology consulting and software services company based in T&T, to simplify new signage for retailers following the removal of VAT on most food stuff… more
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Cable’s $89m Deals Win Us National Security Approval
Bahamas – The US government has taken its foot off Cable Bahamas’ $89 million worth of US transactions, its national security and law enforcement agencies saying they have “no objection” to the Summit Broadband and US Metropolitan Telecom deals… more
Columbus International makes its 3rd telecom acquisition within a year
Barbados – Columbus International Inc is continuing its march across the eastern Caribbean with its latest move to acquire Kelcom International Ltd, which operates under the name Karib Cable… more
Elections Website Unharmed After Hacker’s Visit
Cayman Islands – Officials from the Elections Office have confirmed that their website is functioning again following the unwanted breach by a hacker, which disabled the site Monday night and Tuesday morning… more
Interest groups propose harsher penalties for cyber crimes
Jamaica – As the Parliamentary Committee set up to review the Cyber Crimes Act continues its deliberations, recommendations have been made for harsher penalties for perpetrators and a wider definition for the damages suffered… more
Friday, 8 March 2013
New Karib Cable owner allays fears of job cuts
Antigua & Barbuda – A spokesperson of Columbus International – the new owner of Karib Cable – has said the company would not only bring jobs to Antigua & Barbuda, but provide free services to the nation’s schools… more
FCC Approves $24m Cable Acquisition
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas yesterday received approval from the leading US communications regulator for its $24 million acquisition of US Metropolitan Telecom, one of its three Florida-based acquisitions… more
#Tag, you’re it: The measure of privacy on the Internet
Jamaica – The results of the Caribbean Broadband and ICT Indicators Survey on 2,200 households and individuals, conducted by Professor Hopeton Dunn through the Mona School of Business between November 2010 and January 2011, showed that 38 per cent of Jamaicans used the Internet daily and 71.7 per cent of overall Internet users were visitors of social media websites… more
Telephone tax levy rakes in J$10 billion
Jamaica – The Universal Service Fund (USF) is reporting that it has raked in close to J$10 billion from the levy on telephone calls. Collections as at February 5 totalled J$9.7 billion dollars… more
Universal Service Fund Reports $9.7bn in Revenue
Jamaica – The Universal Service Fund (USF) is reporting collections of more than $9.7 billion as at February 5, 2013… more
Latin America Broadband Market Face Weak Competition and Insufficient Bandwidth
Regional – ReportsnReports.com adds “Latin America – Fixed-line, Internet and Broadband Statistics (tables only) ” new market research report to its store… more
Banks Breached
Trinidad & Tobago – Commercial banks across T&T have been put on alert after a security breach which has put large numbers of Visa and MasterCard debit and credit cards across the Caribbean at risk. The breach came to light after a nationwide credit-card recall across banks in the Bahamas in late February… more
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Does GT&T not care about giving Guyanese an explanation?
Guyana – Dear Editor, On Wednesday, March 6, I noticed that the GT&T mobile service was down when I attempted to use my phone that morning… more
Sunday, 10 March 2013
US and Antigua go back to negotiating table
Antigua & Barbuda – Antigua’s Minister of Finance Harold Lovell has revealed that Ambassador Collin Murdoch is engaging officials and technicians at the office of the United States Trade Representative in Washington, DC, to try to once again bring their long-running Internet gambling dispute to an end… more
Professor: Bad for business
Barbados – A visiting professor believes it is difficult for effective competition to exist in mobile phone markets where consumers are not allowed the ability to take their existing numbers with them when they switch providers… more
More Florida seniors fall victim to lottery scam
Jamaica – There is new information which suggests that far more senior citizens in the U.S. State of Florida are falling victim to the Jamaica-based lottery scam that is spreading across the United States… more
C@Ribnet Seen As Game-Changer In Education Access – New Telecoms Network Links Schools Across The Region
Regional – Ken Sylvester, CEO of the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKNET), a new high-capacity fibre optics research and education network, will now connect colleges and universities in 21 regional countries… more
LIME Wins Regional Advertising Awards
Regional – Telecommunications giant LIME has copped gold in the advertising industry’s regional award for its popular ‘Value Every Moment’ commercial… more
Image credits: Brands of the World; The Eleutheran; Flow Curacao; CKLN
