A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 17 February to Sunday 23 February 2014.
Monday, 17 February 2014
Open Wi-Fi Hotspots Available In Designated Areas At MSJMC
Antigua and Barbuda – In a move to further expand the information technology platform at the Mount St John’s Medical Centre (MSJMC) a donation of computer hardware and high speed internet was made to the institution on Friday. Additionally open wi-fi signals were placed in all waiting areas at the 185- bed facility… more
Cable’s $100m Issue To Slash Debt Costs
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas is aiming to slash interest costs by up to two percentage points via its $100 million preference share restructuring, revealing to Tribune Business yesterday that its Florida and local growth initiatives are “on plan”… more
Cable Bahamas executive appointed to leadership of Caribbean Cable Telecommunication Association
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas Head of Marketing David Burrows was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Cable Telecommunications Association (CCTA) at their annual meeting held in San Juan, Puerto Rico in January… more
Minister Nottage remarks at launch of BTC LTE Network
Bahamas – Address By The Hon. Bernard J. Nottage, M.P. Minister Of National Security & Minister Responsible For Relations With The Bahamas Telecommunications Co Ltd On The Occasion Of Launch BTC’s LTC Network… more
Cable Bahamas set for May capital raising
Bahamas – New investors may be given the chance to buy into Cable Bahamas when it issues $80 million in new shares this May… more
LIME: Greater data demand
Barbados – Telecommunications company LIME is seeing an increase in the number of customers shifting from prepaid to postpaid services as the demand for increased data continues to trend upward… more
Business Monday: LIME overhaul in the works; includes major network upgrade
Cayman Islands – AN overhaul is coming to LIME, a leading telecommunications provider in Barbados. Plans for the overhaul were outlined by the new CEO of the _company, Oliver Chatten… more
LIME slashes workforce
Cayman Islands – Telecommunications company LIME is cutting its service support and delivery team. In what they say is a move to enhance customer experience 39 members of staff will be told they are leaving the company… more
CTEX Lights Up Region’s Most Advanced Cloud Platform
Curaçao – Curaçao Technology Exchange (CTEX) completed migration and expansion of its advanced HyperCloud platform to its new Uptime Institute certified Tier-IV datacenter… more
SAT sold to Digicel
Dominica – Dominica News Online can confirm that local company, SAT Telecoms and Broadcasting, has been sold to telecommunication giant, Digicel… more
Dominican Republic joins Comtelca
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic has joined the Central American telecoms commission Comtelca… more
Cassava Piece Gets Help With New Computer Lab
Jamaica – The vision of two Germans to enhance educational opportunities in underserved communities, was realised recently with the launch of an Information Technology (IT) unit at the Help Establish Library Projects (HELP) in Jamaica Education Centre, Cassava Piece, St Andrew… more
Digicel Addresses Data-Charge Query
Jamaica – I write in response to the letter from Mr Niaro Gelbara that appeared in The Gleaner on Saturday, February 15, 2014, regarding data charges… more
Digicel offers ‘more’ with mobile ads
Regional – Digicel is preparing to intensify its focus on mobile phone advertising… more
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
BAHAMAS-TELECOM – Bahamas worried at pace of telecom development in the Caribbean
Bahamas – The Bahamas government says the island’s main economic pillars were coming under “fierce competition” from fellow Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries as it welcomed the latest technology to improve telecommunication services… more
Ericsson insists jobs will be available
Cayman Islands – Global communications company Ericsson insists any of the LIME employees who lost their jobs will have a chance to start work with them… more
LIME shake-up impacts 39 workers
Cayman Islands – Telecommunications company LIME has laid off 39 staff after striking a deal to outsource some of its installation, repair and maintenance work to multinational firm Ericsson… more
CWC Wins Jamaica Hospital Contract
Jamaica – Cable & Wireless Communications’ Jamaica business, LIME, has won a contract to supply a new fixed line telecommunications system for one of the country’s largest hospitals… more
Prouty: ‘Puerto Rico Must Become Caribbean Tech Hub’
Puerto Rico – As part of last week’s celebration of the IT Cluster & CIO Summit, businessman Nicholas Prouty, managing partner of investment firm Putnam Bridge, urged members of the island’s technology sector to join forces to convert Puerto Rico into a powerful technological center for the Caribbean region… more
St Lucia attorney takes on Facebook
Saint Lucia – Global social network giant Facebook may be facing another credibility gap when it comes to its verified accounts claim… more
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
EDITORIAL — Proposed law a threat to press freedom
British Virgin Islands – If passed in its current form, the proposed Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act would pose a serious threat to press freedom in the Virgin Islands… more
Bad call on LIME deal?
Cayman Islands – On Monday, news broke that telecom provider LIME is outsourcing its installation, maintenance and repair operations to global firm Ericsson, which has set up a local company… more
Ericsson ‘must hire’ Caymanians
Cayman Islands – Global communications giant Ericsson “must hire Caymanians” or face having its license to operate in the Cayman Islands pulled, government has insisted… more
E-Lancing brings world of opportunities to locals
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Entrepreneurs, self-motivated individuals and persons in between jobs in St. Kitts and Nevis will, be introduced to a new way of making money online under a project dubbed Digital Jam 3.0 “Caribbean edition.” … more
T&T switches to IPv6
Trinidad and Tobago – The Internet will run out of address space sooner than you think… more
Thursday, 20 February 2014
Bahamas WiMax to offer the Bahamas first ever “Pay as You Go” residential internet
Bahamas – Bahamas WiMax, the Bahamas’ premier Wireless Internet Service Provider is set to offer the Bahamas first ever “Pay as You Go” residential internet… more
BTC: Number portability projections ‘not met’
Bahamas – There has been “very little take up” by BTC customers of the opportunity to switch phone service providers without having to change numbers since it was introduced, the company claims, suggesting that its own figures belie the claims being made by its competitor, Cable Bahamas… more
Dominican Republic hits over 3 million internet subscribers
Dominican Republic – The number of internet subscribers in the Dominican Republic rose to 3.103 million in November 2013, compared to 1.945 million a year earlier, according to data from the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel)… more
More optic fiber networks needed now, Telecom chief says
Dominican Republic – Dominican Telecom Institute (Indotel) president Gedeón Santos on Wednesday said the country needs new optic fiber networks, and stated his regret that only 22 percent of Dominican households have a computer… more
Computer programmer charged for scamming US$700
Jamaica – A computer software programmer who was arrested for fraud by the Major Organised Crime Anti-Corruption Task Force (MOCA) on Wednesday, February 12, is scheduled to appear in the Half Way Tree Resident Magistrate’s Court on Friday, February 21… more
St Lucia to launch internet exchange point
Saint Lucia – Saint Lucia is planning to become the next Caribbean country to establish an Internet exchange point (IXP)… more
Digicel’s cloud services improved
Trinidad and Tobago – Digicel’s business division has improved its information technology (IT) cloud services. The telecommunications firm first launched its cloud computing solutions in T&T last October… more
Friday, 21 February 2014
Int’l outcry widens over cybercrime bill
British Virgin Islands – Regional and international press freedom groups are continuing to raise concern about a bill pending before the House of Assembly that would impose strict penalties on anyone who unlawfully accesses and publishes confidential computer data… more
CEO: LIME outsourcing necessary to ‘stay competitive’
Cayman Islands – Telecommunications company LIME’s deal to contract out some of its work to global firm Ericsson is crucial to helping the firm “stay competitive” and improve services to customers, CEO Bill McCabe said Thursday… more
Digicel acquires SAT Telecoms and Broadcasting
Dominica – Digicel has acquired SAT Telecoms and Broadcasting, Dominica News Online reports, citing Digicel manager Richard Stanton… more
Basic school students to get tablet computers too
Jamaica – MINISTER of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell has announced that the tablet computer project, originally earmarked for primary and high schools, will now be extended to basic schools… more
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Digicel wins top prizes at Caribbean advertising awards
Regional – DIGICEL was the big winner at this year’s Caribbean Advertising Federation American Advertising Awards, taking home the top prizes of the Best of Show Overall Award and Best of TV Award for its ‘Be Extraordinary’ television ad… more
Nurturing Caribbean ingenuity: St Vincent to hold innovation workshop
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Eastern Caribbean small-island developing states face the threats of rising crime, porous borders, climate change, the flight of intellectual capital and the dismantling of preferential trade arrangements for agricultural products, spurred by the contagion of the global financial crisis… more
Digicel’s F1RST out the blocks
Trinidad and Tobago – The following is the verbatim release from Digicel. Zen nightclub was transformed into an exciting and interactive Experience Zone on Tuesday, February 18 on the occasion of the launch of F1RST’s mobile app… more
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Caribbean prepares for Soft Landing
Regional – Soft Landing. That’s the harmless-sounding code name being used in Latin America and the Caribbean for an operation set to take effect as soon as the number of unallocated Internet Protocol (IP) addresses falls beneath two million… more
Image credit: NS Newsflash (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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