A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 25 February to Sunday 3 March 2013.
Monday, 25 February 2012
BTC pursues 20% corporate boost
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is reaffirming its commitment to the business market and projecting a rise in the corporate segment of 20 percent… more
Business Bahamas Targeted by BTC
Bahamas – The BTC Enterprise Solutions Team is looking to secure a greater share of the local business market with a new and improved suite of products and services tailored just for businesses in the Bahamas… more
PM pressed on BTC sale details
Bahamas – Prime Minister Perry Christie said he has seen the same revelations regarding the 2011 sale of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) as the members of the government’s negotiating team… more
Fibre cut affects Cayman phone service
Cayman Islands – Telephone service in the Cayman Islands is being affected by a problem in Jamaica. The end result is that LIME customers can’t call Digicel customers, and vice versa… more
Collywood protests outside Marpin
Dominica – Members of Collwood’s team, led by owner Junior Hart, protested outside Marpin on Monday. Holding placards they say they have been ‘unfairly treated’ by the cable company… more
LIME’s Andrew Mullings Gets Avaya Top Performance Prize
Jamaica – Andrew Mullings of LIME Jamaica was selected as the ‘Best 2012 Pre-Sales Channel Executive… more
Government reviews I.T. Structures to boost efficiency
St. Kitts & Nevis – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has taken another step forward in its bid to change its operational model so as to reduce inefficiencies, cut costs, and improve service to the public… more
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
The GATE Debate
Antigua & Barbuda – The use of machines to assist in communication and learning is not a novel idea. For more than 50 years, people with disabilities have been using technology to communicate… more
BOB reissues 2,000 cards amid data theft
Bahamas – Bank of The Bahamas (BOB) will replace at least 2,000 credit cards as a defensive measure after a data tape was stolen from an office in Barbados… more
Some issues with OLPF
Guyana – Two years ago Guyana launched what it called its One Laptop Per Family programme. The aim was to provide 90,000 laptops across Guyana in three years. This programme was seen as a step to help Guyana move into the technological age in keeping with the rest of the world… more
Development Bank of Jamaica, Alaric and Transcel team on mobile money project
Jamaica – Alaric, a global supplier of fraud prevention and payments solutions, announced today that it is working with Transcel on a Development Bank of Jamaica project to create the infrastructure to deliver mobile financial services to the financially under-served segment of the population in Jamaica… more
Digicel Brings State-Of-The-Art To Downtown
Jamaica –There is a new attraction in downtown Kingston that residents there are trying to keep secret. It’s the Digicel store and customer care centre, which opened just about a month ago on the ground floor of the telecommunications firm new headquarters near the waterfront… more
GCF taps Ciena to boost Antilles Crossing submarine network
Regional – Global Caribbean Fiber (GCF), which owns a number of submarine cable links across the Eastern Caribbean region, has reportedly selected Ciena to upgrade its Antilles Crossing network, which links St Croix (Virgin Islands US), Saint Lucia and Barbados… more
CTEX Meets With Senior Business & Technology Executives In Port of Spain Trinidad
Trinidad & Tobago – Curaçao Technology Exchange N.V. (CTEX) Monday met with senior business and technology leaders in Port of Spain, Trinidad… more
Public broadband network ready to start laying fiber
US Virgin Islands – The V.I. Next Generation Network is starting the next phase in the construction of the territory’s first open-access broadband network this week – installing the fiber-optic cable… more
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
PM: Govt can not afford BTC shares
Bahamas – Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday admitted the government can not afford to purchase shares in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to become the majority owner again… more
Digicel To Restructure Debt Again
Jamaica – Denis O’Brien’s Digicel Limited will use the US$1 billion it plans to raise via private placement to buy up its 12 per cent bonds and finance other projects… more
Interim director-general appointed at OUR
Jamaica – Maurice Chavis, a Deputy Director General of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has been appointed interim Director-General of the agency… more
Cable & Wireless wants to buy to stay in business
Regional – Telco sees acquisition opportunities in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, CEO says… more
Thursday, 28 February 2013
BTC To Spend $10m More On 4G Network
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunication Company (BTC) plans to invest at least $10 million more into its 4G network, according to the company’s CEO, Geoff Houston, who revealed that the company had already begun testing its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network… more
Cable Bahamas opens GB Data Center
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas opened a data center in Grand Bahama to service all businesses needing a back up system for their computer servers in Grand Bahama, as well as those from Nassau and neighbouring islands and countries… more
Minnis: PM’s admission on BTC shares ‘a cop out’
Bahamas – Free National Movement Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis yesterday accused Prime Minister Perry Christie of using the country’s financial woes as a “cop out” to explain why the government can not afford to buy back shares in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC)… more
LIME shows love with upgraded services
Barbados – Over 25,000 LIME Internet customers are experiencing what a “month of love” really means, after being upgraded to higher speeds on their residential Internet service at no additional cost from LIME! … more
Sickout at LIME
Dominica – Staff of the Sales and Customer services of LIME DOMINICA have staged protest action as the company moves ahead with plans to outsource and privatize that area of operations… more
Haiti now Digicel’s biggest market
Regional – Haiti has reportedly overtaken Jamaica as the biggest market for Digicel, the mobile phone provider… more
LIME-powered Caribbean learning network launched
Regional – The Caribbean Research and Education Network (CaribNET), a broadband fibre-optic network constructed by regional telecoms LIME, was officially launched in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad on February 26… more
Friday, 1 March 2013
US and Antigua to begin negotiations again
Antigua & Barbuda – Antigua & Barbuda is off to the United States “in a matter of days” in an attempt to, once again, bring the years long WTO dispute to an end… more
BTC seeking to expand its customer base on GB
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is looking to expand its customer base in Grand Bahama, calling the market “significant”… more
FNM leader asks PM to sell BTC shares to public
Bahamas – Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis wants Prime Minister Perry Christie to release nine percent of the government’s 49 percent stake in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) through a public offering instead of negotiating to take back majority control of the company… more
Moving Past The BTC Issue
Bahamas – The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) said in its manifesto that it would seek to return the majority stake in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to the Bahamian people. The party, however, did not give a detailed and plausible plan to achieve that aim… more
BVI telecoms representatives at Mobile World Congress in Spain
British Virgin Islands – Representatives from the Ministry of Communications and Works are attending the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona, Spain, the largest annual event in the mobile industry… more
Online poll: Many still talking on cell phones despite new driving regulations
Cayman Islands – Although a majority of respondents to last week’s cayCompass.com online poll said they either never talk on a cellular telephone while driving or that they do so in a legal way with a hands-free device, a large segment of people are still doing so illegally… more
Dominica launches the Caribbean’s newest Internet Exchange Point (IXP)
Dominica – Dominica became the latest Caribbean country to establish an Internet exchange point (IXP) when its three local Internet service providers (ISPs) teamed up with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) and US-based Packet Clearing House to launch DANIX Wednesday… more
Why no explanation from GT&T?
Guyana – Dear Editor, Is GT&T the best value in Guyana? It certainly doesn’t appear that way for Berbicians… more
New telephone calls tax cuts talk time
Jamaica – Jamaicans are to lose some of their calling time as a result ofthe new telephone tax structure despite assurances from the Government the measure should have no effect on customers… more
No Let Up on Lotto Scammers
Jamaica – The task force that has been set up to go after lottery scammers has made major dents in their operations, working under the newly formed Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption (MOCA) unit… more
Notice of Change to Select LIME Landline International Call Rates
Jamaica – Effective April 1, 2013 we will be introducing new overseas call rates to select countries to bring them in line with charges from overseas operators… more
Feds boost funding for V.I. broadband
US Virgin Islands – The V.I. Next Generation Network board met Thursday to approve two contracts and get an update on the territory’s broadband expansion project… more
Saturday, 2 March 2013
St Vincent educators study A&B’s tablet distribution programme
Antigua & Barbuda – A team from St Vincent’s Ministry of Education was this week on island gathering information on Antigua & Barbuda’s e-Education component of the Government Assisted Technology Endeavour (GATE) programme… more
BTC disappointed by franchise numbers
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) CEO Geoff Houston said yesterday that he was “very confident” that the telecommunications provider would get at least 50 franchise stores throughout the Bahamas… more
Govt. firm in position not to sell BTC shares to public
Bahamas – Prime Minister Perry Christie has reiterated his government’s position that it will not sell some of the shares it holds in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to the public… more
Sunday, 3 March 2013
New rates per minute to call the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic – BellVoz, a leading provider of telecommunications services that offers domestic and international long distance calls that help connect residents and corporate clients around the world, is dedicated to finding affordable ways for the Dominican community in the United Sates to stay connected to their loved ones in the Dominican Republic… more
Natcom Mobile Recharge Promotion on MobileRecharge.com
Haiti – MobileRecharge.com announces a Double or Triple Bonus credit on mobile recharges to Natcom mobiles in Haiti… more
Image credits: Wikipedia; Bahamas Local; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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