A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 25 August to Sunday 31 August 2014.

Monday, 25 August 2014

MIIC state minister urges youth to choose careers in ICT

Jamaica – Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams says there must be a stronger effort to foster a culture of entrepreneurship among the youth, with particular emphasis on Information Communication Technology (ICT)… more

Digicel Offers GATE Students Internships

Saint Kitts and Nevis – Digicel has agreed to offer an internship to at least two graduates from the recent Government Assisted Technology Endeavour (GATE) programme… more

Cyber Crime Unit called in

Trinidad and Tobago – Cyber Crime Unit (CCU) police officers have visited the Office of the President of Trinidad and Tobago as part of an on-going investigation into the recently hacked email account of a senior staff member there… more

Tuesday, 26 August 2014

DotDM champions Internet Governance for Dominica

Dominica – The DotDM Corporation recently announced the deployment of a Domain Name Server Node in Dominica to improve internet security, speed and resilience for DotDM domain names through strategic partnership with Community DNS (CDNS) Limited (a world renowned leader in the area of cyber security)… more

NTRC donates to ICT knowledge expansion

Dominica – The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, (NTRC) has contributed to information technology in two communities by tapping into a special fund designed to enhance Information Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge… more

Office of Utilities Regulation OUR Jamaica logo‘Jamaican Girls Coding’ summer programme narrows gender gap in male-dominated ICT Sector

Jamaica – In an effort to close the significant gender gap present in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, the Jamaica Coalition of Services Industries (JCSI) hosted a four week ‘Jamaican Girls Coding’ summer camp for twenty teenaged girls… more

Jamaican regulator still analysing VoIP blockades

Jamaica – Jamaica’s Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) said it is still in process to analyse whether VoIP services can be considered as illegal bypass before deciding whether local mobile operator Lime and Digicel can continue to block VoIP applications from its networks… more

OECS e-business and e-commerce workshops continue

Regional – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Export Development Unit will resume its e-business workshops for firms in the region during the week of August 26, 2014… more

CWC to spend USD10m on enhancing Saint Kitts & Nevis networks

Saint Kitts and Nevis – UK-based Cable and Wireless Communication (CWC) is said to have outlined plans to invest around USD10 million in upgrading the networks belonging to its Saint Kitts & Nevis subsidiary, which offers services under the LIME banner… more

T&T opposition leader knocks AG on Emailgate

Trinidad and Tobago – Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley has descried as “laughable” claims made by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan that the Emailgate scandal is now invalidated… more

TSTT $506M loss affects NEL profits

Trinidad and Tobago – THE National Enterprises Limited (NEL) has reported a decline in its profits from $511.1 million in 2013 to $200.9 million this year… more

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2d/LIME_Logo.gif

LIME BVI commits USD7m for network upgrades

British Virgin Islands – Speaking at a press conference in Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI) Phil Bentley, CEO of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), has confirmed that its local unit LIME BVI is set to benefit from investment of around USD7 million… more

LIME scam alert

Dominica – Local telecommunication giant, LIME, is alerting customers of a scam message being sent on its network… more

LIME to invest US$6-million in Dominica

Dominica – Telecommunication giant LIME is to invest US$1-billion in the Caribbean and parts of Latin America with Dominica getting a US$6-million slice of the pie… more

GT&T billing system not functioning efficiently in Essequibo

Guyana – Dear Editor, For the past three months Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has been disconnecting my telephone even although I am paying my bills promptly… more

Phone service in parts of city disrupted by excavation

Guyana – Wireline telephone and data services in several parts of Georgetown have been severely disrupted as a result of damage to GT&T’s buried facilities by Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI)… more

South G/town telephone services down after GWI excavation

Guyana – Wireline telephone and data services in Meadowbrook, Durban Backlands, Lodge Housing Scheme, Tucville, Stevedore and Postal Housing Scheme, and Guyhoc have been severely disrupted as a result of damage to infrastructure in the area… more

Tablets issued to 1200 Secondary school teachers – Paulwell

Jamaica – A total of 1,200 teachers across the public secondary school system have been issued with tablet computers as Government rolls out the pilot for its Tablets in Schools project, in time for the start of the 2014 academic year, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining, Phillip Paulwell, says… more

Women Innovators For Venture Capital Conference

Jamaica – The Development Bank of Jamaica Limited will host Venture Capital Conference 2014 at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on Tuesday, September 9. One of the highlights of the day is a panel discussion titled, ‘Backing Women Entrepreneurs’… more

Commentary: Towards a single Caribbean ICT space: Political will not technology needed for success

Regional – In the face of the mounting economic and social challenges, the Caribbean urgently needs to tap into new sources of growth… more

LIME to invest millions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – LIME’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Martin Roos visited St Vincent earlier this week to outline plans that head company Cable and Wireless has in store for St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the other territories where LIME operates… more

Thursday, 28 August 2014

Belize Police Department website directs to a porn site

Belize – In June 2012, twelve year old Jasmine Lowe was found dead on a lonely street in the Cayo District. Her death sparked unprecedented awareness and action, and in her name the Jasmine Alert was born a month later… more

Big Story: Telemedicine in Cayman

Cayman Islands – Telemedicine in the Cayman Islands is represented with a cutting edge robot, the RP-Sally, which allows doctors to interact remotely with patients from thousands of miles away… more

Cayman launches weather app

Cayman Islands – A new mobile app designed to provide residents with up-to-date weather forecasts and information while on the go has been launched by the Cayman Islands National Weather Service… more

Girls exposed to fun side of coding

Jamaica – TWENTY girls from schools across the Corporate Area have been exposed to the exciting world of computer programming at the inaugural Jamaican Girls Coding 2014 summer camp… more

CaribNOG (CaribNOG website)Curacao To Host CaribNOG 8/LACNIC Caribbean 6

Regional – One of the largest gatherings of the Caribbean Internet community will take place in Curacao in a few weeks… more

Integrity body, DPP get Google info

Trinidad and Tobago – A lawyer for Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has written to the Integrity Commission (IC) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions urging the two bodies to act decisively on new information from internet e-mail service provider Google Inc which could help them arrive at a “firm and correct” position in the now infamous E-mailgate probe… more

Telephone problems at primary schools

Trinidad and Tobago – Principals and teachers were expected to return to school yesterday in preparation for the opening of the new school term next week… more

Friday, 29 August 2014

BTC majority shareholding transfer final announces PM Christie

Bahamas – Just over two years ago my Party was overwhelmingly returned to government, in the general elections, to lead the course of our national destiny for the five years hence… more

Franklyn Wilson on the disbandment of the BTC Negotiating Committee

Bahamas – Remarks by Franklyn R. Wilson, CMG Occasion: Disbanding of the Committee Appointed by The Government of The Bahamas to Negotiate with Cable and Wireless relative to BTC… more

App developers must seize opportunities

Barbados – With over 307,700 mobile subscribers and more than 191,823 internet subscribers in Barbados as of December 31 last year, there are numerous opportunities for app developers here… more

Good news

Barbados – Minister of Industry, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss has promised that the much talked about e-commerce platform will be getting some attention over the coming weeks… more

See future with ICTs

Barbados – SEE the future of this country as being prosperous in the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs)… more

Disruption to 911 calls linked to network issue

Cayman Islands – A connection failure disabling emergency calls could happen again, warns the Department of Public Safety Communications… more

LIME to fix fibre broadband

Cayman Islands – LIME has announced plans to upgrade its fibre broadband Internet service after customers complained about service outages… more

Dominica flagDominica will soon become the largest and highest-density bitcoin community in the world

Dominica – The group of Bitcoin enthusiasts who earlier this month announced their plan to create the largest and highest-density Bitcoin community in the world said Wednesday that the event will be taking place on the Caribbean nation of Dominica… more

Bitcoin News: 70,000 Residents of Caribbean Island to Have Bitcoins in 2015

Dominica – All 70,000 residents living on the Caribbean nation of Dominica will be eligible to receive bitcoin as part of The Bit Drop project, an upcoming collaboration between bitcoin businesses, interest groups and local government officials… more

Cable And Wireless Enters Three New Markets With Panama Acquisition

Regional – Cable and Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is entering three new markets and deepening its business in Panama via its acquisition of Grupo Sonitel, an IT and telecoms business… more

Typewriter nostalgia, thanks to the Hanx Writer app

Regional – The younger generation may not know this, but back in the day, just after the dinosaurs, there were things called “typewriters” that roamed the earth… more

St Kitts and Nevis to host Caribbean ICT Week

Regional – When a high-level group of Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) members meet in St Kitts and Nevis from September 22 to 26 September, the challenge of regulating over-the-top (OTT) Internet-based services will no doubt be a main point of focus… more

Phone card vendor: Telecome providers reduced commission

Trinidad and Tobago – One phone card vendor is expressing outrage over the suggestion of prepaid customers seeking out vendors who are selling, for instance, $20 bmobile at the suggested price of $23 and Digicel at $20… more

Saturday, 30 August 2014

BTC deal finalized

Bahamas – Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) CEO Phil Bentley yesterday encouraged the government to be flexible with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) needs for certain duty reductions and foreign work permits… more

OPINION: Telecoms Bogeymen

British Virgin Islands – Poor internet and questionable cell phone services are simply part of a wider culture of poor customer service, and low service expectations, in the Virgin Islands… more

http://www.thewestindiannews.com/GT&T proposes hike in landline service charges

Guyana – In a bid to justify an application for a rate hike, representatives of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) yesterday appeared before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC)… more

LIME-Digicel Duopoly Dangerous

Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: Thanks for covering the silent war that both Digicel and LIME are waging against our choices as consumers… more

Scotiabank named World’s Best Consumer Internet Bank in Barbados

Regional – Scotiabank has been recognized by Global Finance Magazine as the Best Consumer Internet Bank in Barbados for 2014. In total, Scotiabank received recognition in 22 countries across the Caribbean and Central America… more

Technology demystified

Regional – Perhaps one way to start the discussion on IoT is to explain the first internet appliance, a soda machine at Carnegie Mellon University in the early 1980s, where programmers could connect through the web and determine if there was a soda of their choice available before leaving the comfort of their dormitory room… more

LIME’s EC $2.7b. Fight Back

Saint Lucia – TELECOMMUNICATION giant, LIME, is currently rolling out a US$ 1.05 billion (EC $2.7 billion) plan to upgrade its operations within the Caribbean region… more

Sunday, 31 August 2014

BIR woes delay TSTT VSP payout

Trinidad and Tobago – Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago’s (TSTT) Voluntary Separation and Voluntary Early Employment Retirement Plans (VSP/VEERP) have hit another snag—several former employees have received no payout since leaving their jobs in June… more

CTO head: We need more local ICT products

Trinidad and Tobago – More ICT (information and communication technology) entrepreneurs are needed in the Caribbean, according to Professor Tim Unwin, secretary general of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO)… more

Digicel applies for pay-TV licence

Trinidad and Tobago – Mobile operator Digicel is applying for a subscription broadcasting service via a telecommunications network, which is believed to be a cable licence, according to a Telecommunications Authority of T&T (TATT) notice dated August 18 posted to its Web site during the week ending August 29… more

Number portability coming to T&T

Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunications Authority also announced last week that mobile to mobile number portability would start in T&T on February 26, 2015 and that fixed to mobile number portability would start on May 1, 2015… more

 

Image credits:  NS Newsflash (flickr);  Wikipedia;  Facebook;  CaribNOG;  Wikipedia;  The West Indian News

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