A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 24 November to 30 November 2014.
Monday, 24 November 2014
Telecoms company to add charge for printed bills as eBilling comes on stream
Antigua and Barbuda – Thousands of LIME customers will soon have to pay more for paper billing services as the company ramps up its eBilling programme in Antigua & Barbuda and the rest of the Caribbean… more
Four Web Shops Closed Before Bill Hit House
Bahamas – At least four web shop operators exited the industry before the new Gaming Bill ever went to Parliament, a prominent attorney has revealed, while confirming that Percy’s Island Game was “definitely going ahead” to obtain a license… more
Business Monday: Digicel remains dominant
Barbados – A planned merger of the regional operations of Cable & Wireless Caribbean and Columbus Communications will not change the fact that Digicel is the dominant communications carrier in the Caribbean… more
BUSINESS BYTE: Digicel launches Christmas promotion
Dominica – One of Dominica’s telecommunication giants, Digicel, has launched its “Together we make Christmas better” promotion with much enthusiasm and Christmas cheer last Friday, despite gloomy weather… more
LIME’s New Fee Dampens Festivity
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: If you are a LIME customer, you would have seen an accompanying letter with your November bill from the CEO of LIME Caribbean, Martin Roos, informing you of an additional monthly fee of $262, inclusive of taxes as of January 1, 2015… more
OUR invites public response on service standards for telecoms industry
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has invited customers of telecommunications companies to give feedback on a proposed rulemaking for quality of service standards and consumer protection guidelines for the sector… more
Cable And Wireless Worked With UK Spy Agency
Regional – Cable and Wireless worked with a British government spy agency to hand over the Internet data of millions of people around the world, according to international media reports… more
Digicel in breach of Internet neutrality principles – Eastern Caribbean telecoms authority
Regional – Telecommunications company Digicel has been found to be in breach of the principle of Internet Neutrality in the Eastern Caribbean… more
ECTEL to ‘carefully monitor’ CWC’s proposed acquisition of Columbus International
Regional – Following the announcement earlier this month that Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) had agreed to pay USD1.85 billion for 100% of the equity of privately-owned, Barbados-based telecoms provider Columbus International, regional telecoms regulator the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ECTEL) has said it will ‘carefully monitor the situation and advise the Ministers accordingly to ensure that consumers continue to benefit from a choice of service providers and services’… more
Merger a plus for Caribbean, says C&W
Regional – The planned merger of Cable & Wireless and Columbus Communications in the Caribbean could well be a boon for accelerating the roll-out of broadband in Barbados and the wider region… more
St Lucia Minister criticises LIME over billing charges
Saint Lucia – Telecommunications Minister Dr James Fletcher has criticised the decision by the British telecommunications company, LIME, to introduce a charge for printed copies of the bills to customers… more
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
New Strategies
Barbados – Government is currently developing legislation to ensure that this island’s telecommunications sector remains competitive… more
GT&T will not give Business Directory to those with residential numbers
Guyana – Dear Editor, The yellow pages in any telephone directory have always been of great interest to me due to the fact that they showcase talent in terms of concepts, creativity, etc.… more
Limited US airwaves fetch US$34B and counting
Guyana – A multi-billion US dollar auction for six blocks of airwaves has attracted huge interest in that North American country. It has also starkly highlighted how Guyana deliberately set about giving away what is one of its most valuable assets… more
LIME Columbus Merger Better For Consumers
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: I am of the opinion that the impending merger between telecommunication providers Columbus Communication with LIME will result in better customer service on all fronts… more
Quality of Service Standards coming for telecoms sector
Jamaica – Jamaica’s Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it is one step closer to formalising Quality of Service Standards for the telecommunications sector… more
Young girls being taught coding
Jamaica – TWENTY-FIVE female students, aged 11 to 15 years, are being trained to become coders as part of the Government’s thrust to increase skills in information technology for national development, and boost the number of women in the male-dominated field… more
C&W, Columbus Assure ECTEL
Regional – CABLE& Wireless Communications plc and Columbus say they welcome the commitment by Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ECTEL) to understand fully the impact of their recently announced takeover. transaction… more
Hoping for best from LIME, Flow
Regional – The announcement a few weeks ago about the acquisition of Flow by LIME was quite shocking for most Bajans. I have to admit that I, too, am quite concerned about this latest development… more
ICT: Measuring the Information Society Report 2014
Regional – Over three billion people are now online and information and communication technology (ICT) growth remains buoyant in just about every country worldwide, according to ITU’s flagship annual Measuring the Information Society Report… more
On Microsoft’s M4 Roadshow
Trinidad and Tobago – On Thursday, Microsoft T&T hosted a major local conference at the Hyatt Regency, with a strong slate of speakers ready to explain the company’s offerings (http://ow.ly/EKxcl) to a profile of visitors who ranged from IT professionals to public-sector infrastructure planners… more
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Tek back de airwaves or lose you voice
Guyana – “You can fool some of de people some of de time, all de people, some of de time, but never all de people all de time.” … more
Bill and Melinda Gates give J$226m to Jamaica’s ICT development
Jamaica – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided US$2 million (approximately J$226 million) to finance a project to provide Jamaicans with increased access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services, as well as training to promote personal, organizational and national development… more
Cable & Wireless Business Solutions launches MyBusiness in Jamaica
Jamaica – Cable & Wireless Business Solutions announced today the launch of its Hosted PBX solution – One Voice available for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) business customers… more
Consumer The Casualty Of No Competition
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: Following a plethora of commentary across Jamaican media over the past number of weeks in regard to Cable & Wireless’ acquisition of Flow, I would like to add my two cents, for I can no longer stay quiet… more
Customer Satisfaction Surges With Global Outsourcing Solutions – Leading BPO increases customer satisfaction by 100% via Digicel Business
Jamaica – Founded in 2012, Global Outsourcing Solutions (GOS) was started in 2012 and is a digital contact centre specialising in delivering high-quality and cost-effective solutions for the business-to-business, financial, healthcare, hospitality, insurance and telecommunications industries… more
Digicel Business digs deeper into BYOD market
Jamaica – DIGICEL Business says it has partnered with a second mobile device management (MDM) provider as part of its thrust into the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) market… more
Ja Short On Brainpower To Mine Data – Gordon
Jamaica – DR PETER-John Gordon, a lecturer in economics at the University of the West Indies, Mona, has said Jamaica does not have the capacity to do major data mining… more
Con artist targets Flow customers
Trinidad and Tobago – As the Christmas spending season draws nearer, a cyber con artist is targeting Flow’s cable TV customers… more
Thursday, 27 November 2014
BTC is Upgrading One Lucky Customer to a New House This Christmas
Bahamas – This Christmas, BTC will be upgrading one lucky customer to a brand new home as well as giving away thousands in cash, and other prizes… more
Freundel Stuart meets with Cable & Wireless and Columbus Bosses over acquisition
Barbados – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart urged of Cable and Wireless Communications management and officials of Columbus International Inc. to explain the proposed merger to its customers, and to do what is in the best interest of the public… more
Hope predicts green light for C&W takeover
Barbados – A communications consultant is predicting that Cable & Wireless Communications’ (CWC) proposed takeover of Columbus International will get the green light from regulators, arguing that the Barbados market is too small for three telecoms service providers… more
Students Must Be Proficient In Math, Science And Technology – High Commissioner
Jamaica – High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Her Excellency Aloun Ndombet Assamba, says students should ensure proficiency in Mathematics, Science and Technology, in order to fit into the jobs to come, and to be able to create work… more
Digicel welcomes CTU’s involvement in Cable and Wireless acquisition
Regional – Digicel said yesterday it welcomed confirmation by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) that it intends to involve itself fully with immediate effect in the proposed acquisition of Columbus International Inc by UK-based Cable and Wireless Communications earlier this month… more
TelEm Internet service interrupted Wednesday
Sint Maarten – TelEm Group business and residential customers experienced an interruption in Internet service between 4:00 and 8:00pm Wednesday… more
Blink bmobile promotes technology to improve regional education
Trinidad and Tobago – ON the surface, cricket and video conferencing may seem to have nothing in common… more
Friday, 28 November 2014
How secure is Barbados’ new centralized healthcare information system?
Barbados – Think about the following scenario for a minute: A Caribbean government deploys a health information system (HIS) with the goal of improving the quality and coordination of patient care in the public health system… more
LIME decides against bill fee
Barbados – LIME’s paper bills will remain free… more
LIME decides against fee for posted bills
Barbados – In response to customer feedback, LIME has decided not to implement the paper bill fees on January 1, 2015, as previously announced… more
BTL and BEL Acquisitions to be Heard in CCJ
Belize – BTL Employees’ Trust, British Caribbean Bank and Fortis Energy International continue to campaign for Belize Telemedia Limited and Belize Electricity Limited to be returned to them, but money in the form of compensation for the acquired companies from the Government wouldn’t be a bad second choice… more
Upgrade Christmas with LIME
Cayman Islands – This Christmas make an upgrade. LIME has a slew of great deals and offers for the holiday… more
BUSINESS BYTE: LIME responds to customers’ concerns about eBilling
Dominica – In response to customer feedback, LIME has decided not to implement the paper bill fees, as previously advised… more
LIME Responds to Customers’ Concerns About eBilling
Grenada – In response to customer feedback, LIME has decided not to implement the paper bill fees, as previously advised… more
Cloud benefits far outweigh the risks
Jamaica – As many as 80 per cent of businesses can cut costs by up to 20 per cent using cloud computing, according to the European Commission… more
Mobile Termination Rates Versus Value Products
Jamaica – Jamaicans talked for more than 11 billion minutes on their mobile phones in less than two years after the initial reduction of mobile termination rates, according to analysis by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC)… more
Did Something Hit The Fan?
Saint Lucia – MY laptop is sick. Something has gone wrong with its fan. This forces me back to picking out one letter at a time… more
Saturday, 29 November 2014
LIME pulls fees for pr
inted bills
Antigua and Barbuda – Telecommunications company, LIME, has yielded to pressure from customers who are outraged at the company’s proposed tariff on paper-billing, by withdrawing the proposed fee… more
Issuing of radio licences to date not legal
Guyana – Dear Editor, Since I see some confusion regarding the allocation of frequencies and the way they should be obtained, I would like to offer some observations to the public which hopefully will bring the situation more clearly into focus… more
Interference and fraud, towards a bilateral solution…
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: In a letter to the editor written by a Mr Bernard Francis and published in The Gleaner on Saturday, November 22, 2014, the writer asserted that “Cable and Wireless has helped Britain to spy on unsuspecting Internet users across the world”… more
Level Playing Field For Telecom Consumers
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: After reading the article by Gail Moss-Solomon (‘Digicel states position on proposed merger’, November 27, 2014), as a consumer of all three – Cable & Wireless, Digicel and Flow – I must say I would have to agree with some of her points… more
Patrick Hoyos: ECTEL – the “mouse” that roared
Regional – I’m going to have to start today’s column by being perfectly honest with you: Up to last week, I had never heard of ECTEL… more
Confidential Conversation Caught
Saint Lucia – AS we celebrate Police Week 2014 in Saint Lucia, it is worth remembering the role of Information and Communication Technologies in the administration of policing, law and order… more
A LIME Blunder
Saint Lucia – WE are pleased to see that LIME has demonstrated some good sense and withdrawn its letter to subscribers announcing its intention to institute a charge for billing them, come January… more
Increased ICT connection and productivity to foster better jobs and economic growth in St Lucia
Saint Lucia – Saint Lucia’s government reported on Friday concrete advances in investment climate, connectivity, and productivity at the second accountability workshop of the Caribbean Growth Forum (CGF)… more
Sunday, 30 November 2014
BTC Mobiles in Bahamas Ready to Receive Credit from Bahamians Worldwide through MobileRecharge.com
Bahamas – Bahamians living outside their homeland have now the chance to send instant mobile credit to the Caribbeans in less than 1 minute. In other words, no matter the residence country (USA, Canada, Australia, etc), anyone can now top up a BTC mobile in Bahamas on MobileRecharge.com… more
Cable Bahamas invests $400,000 with new 42-foot mega satellite antenna
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas has invested more than $400,000 in a new satellite antenna that enables the company to reduce costs and enhance its REVTV signal quality on all digital and HD signals… more
CAC launches SMS service for bad-product notification
Jamaica – The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) today (Sunday, November 30) launched its free Short Messaging Service (SMS) Notification and Alert service to provide information via cell phones to the public on issues relating to food and product recalls… more
NCB backs UWI cyber security research and policy development
Jamaica – Cybercrime is a major source of concern for the financial sector, and National Commercial Bank (NCB) says it is committed to supporting research aimed at developing cyber security policy in Jamaica… more
Image credits: (Mick Baker)rooster (flickr); The West Indian News; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Belize Web; Wikipedia; The Eleutheran
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