A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 10 August to Sunday 16 August 2015.
Monday, 10 August 2015
Digicel «TchoTcho» becomes «Mon Cash»
Haiti – Digicel TchoTcho in partnership with Scotiabank, revamped and becomes “Mon Cash”… more
Tech Times: Huawei Y360: A Hidden Gem
Jamaica – The Huawei Y360 is a hidden gem for persons looking for a decent smartphone that won’t kill your bank account… more
C&W Communications Begins Countdown to Rio 2016
Regional – Rio 2016 Olympic Games is just around the corner, and C&W Communications (C&W), operators of Flow and LIME brands in the Caribbean, has pledged to bring more Caribbean Olympic content to regional fans… more
Digicel explains intended use of funds to be raised through IPO
Regional – Digicel has updated its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, making it clear what the proceeds of funds raised in an initial public offering (IPO) will be used for… more
OECS statisticians to discuss strengthening of data systems for education decision-making
Regional – Education statisticians across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will attend an annual meeting in St Kitts and Nevis from August 11-14, 2015 to provide OECS statisticians with a forum to identify and adopt best practices for improved education data for regional and international comparability… more
TEPA to host Digital Marketing Symposium as part of ICT Week 2015
Saint Lucia – The Saint Lucia Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) in collaboration with Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (CARCIP) will be hosting a Digital Marketing Symposium on August 11 from 8:30am to 3:30pm at the Public Service Training Institute (formerly Spinners)… more
‘UN of cable layers’ brings VI up to speed
United States Virgin Islands – The IT Intrepid and its crew earned its day of rest on Sunday after a busy week laying over 100 miles of fiber optic cable to finish linking the islands with high-speed connectivity… more
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
Cable Bahamas expands fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) product
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas announced Monday, the expansion of its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service offering, to over one hundred homes in Victoria Gardens… more
Cable Bahamas to expand shareholder numbers with a 3:1 stock split
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas (CBL) proudly announced the immediate issue of a three-for-one share split. This gives individual Bahamian investors the opportunity to take part in the company’s past and future success… more
Majority of .ky users not yet re-registered
Cayman Islands – The websites of approximately 7,000 ‘.ky’ domain users have expired after failing to renew their registration for their domain name, the Information and Communication Technology Authority (ICTA) revealed… more
Mobile customer surprised by $6,000 bill
Cayman Islands – A LIME customer received a shock on returning from his vacation – a bill for over $6,800… more
BUSINESS BYTE: Ten more winners in Digicel’s “Red Hot Summer” campaign
Dominica – Ten more Digicel customers walked away thrilled, after being rewarded on Friday as part of the “Digicel Red Hot Summer” promotion… more
BUSINESS & LIFE: The role of LIME in tourism development in Dominica
Dominica – This week, I present the winning essay by Rene Williams from the 8th VF Inc.’s Summer Youth Series held from July 27 – August 1, 2015, sponsored by LIME (Dominica) Ltd… more
102 Registered for First OECS Hackathon: Why no Barbadians? Wake Up!
Regional – Excitement is high for the first OECS Business Solutions Think Tank and Hackathon, which is mere days away… more
Glo gives customers Wi-Fi roaming in 42 countries
Regional – Globacom has unveiled Wi-Fi roaming to give its teeming subscribers seamless internet connectivity when they travel to 42 countries… more
ICT Fair Underway At Old ‘Spinners’
Saint Lucia – THE Ministry of the Public Service, Information and Broadcasting through the Caribbean Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme (CARCIP), is hosting an Information Communication Technology (ICT) fair until Saturday… more
Citizens getting more ‘Kamla’ e-mails seeking support
Trinidad and Tobago – E-mails in the name of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar are now going out to citizens—in some cases at their work e-mail addresses… more
Digital security begins with data management
Trinidad and Tobago – The remarkable story of a confidential memorandum regarding a potential terrorist threat being circulated on social media within hours of it being issues from police headquarters in T&T caused citizens no small disquiet… more
TATT head: Phone, e-mail info easy to get
Trinidad and Tobago – Chairman of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) Selby Wilson has said people should not jump to conclusions about how their personal information got into the hands of electioneers… more
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
ON THE LEFT: ‘Business as usual’ under the new Flow
Barbados – OVER THE TOP (OTT), might be easily construed to reflect a description of a person considered to make outlandish comments. Michael is really over the top on this one? … more
THE ISSUE: The time to act is now
Barbados – THOUSANDS OF BARBADIANS use them daily, probably without considering the “cost”. In other words, who is paying for ability to utilise these services for “free”? … more
C&W Communications to bring more Caribbean Olympic content
Cayman Islands – C&W Communications, operators of Flow and LIME brands in the Caribbean, has pledged to bring more Caribbean Olympic content to regional fans… more
Gleaner and RJR combined market cap soars by $1.2b
Jamaica – THE market capitalisation (cap) of the Gleaner Company Ltd and Radio Jamaica Ltd (RJR) collectively rose by $1.2 billion, sending both stocks to 52-week highs following last week’s acquisition announcement… more
Ten DOs and DONTs for your website
Regional – Very often the avalanche of information that comes at us when we research things on the net is somewhat overwhelming, and the basic essentials get lost in an effort to process it all… more
Secretary General of CANTO Bids Farewell at CANTO 2015
Regional – Over 500 ICT delegates convened at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Miami – a multi-cultural city that speaks ultra-cool fluently… more
TelEm to carry out emergency repairs Friday morning
Sint Maarten – Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that TelEm will carry out emergency repairs on Friday, August 14th… more
Thursday, 13 August 2015
LIME says it is seeking to reduce roaming charges
Antigua and Barbuda – LIME’s Acting General Manager, Joshua Stewart said the telecommunication company is currently looking at ways to reduce the excessive cost of voice and data services while roaming… more
BTL not off hook for advertising, Senior Counsel says
Belize – We reported last week on the battle between Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and concerned citizens led by Senior Counsel Lisa Shoman, who complained about negative images of women depicted in various billboards and on Facebook that appeared to be endorsed by the company… more
Guyana moves to tackle Cyber Crime
Guyana – Survey shows “While investigations have been carried out with some success, prosecutors in the judiciary are inadequately trained to handle electronic evidence….legislative gaps are an additional roadblock…Guyana has some procedural law to deal with computer evidence but lacks substantive cyber crime laws.” … more
Radio Jamaica reports 44 per cent jump in profit
Jamaica – Radio Jamaica has reported a 44 per cent jump in its profit in the three months to the end of June… more
Digicel Group Joins Mitel Global Network of Partners
Regional – Digicel Group today announced that it has become an authorised partner of Mitel, a leading provider of cloud and premise-based unified communications and collaboration software solutions… more
New CANTO Chairman Focuses On Securing Future Spectrum For Caribbean Mobile Operators
Regional – The new Chairman of CANTO Julian Wilkins from Digicel Group welcomed over 500 delegates to the Annual CANTO Conference and Exhibition recently held in Miami, USA. The Chairman stated that by far this conference is the biggest Telecoms ICT event in the Caribbean… more
New York Tech Company Launches New Carnival Info Mobile App Connecting Consumers Globally
Regional – CEO Rudo Morrison of Carnival Info (CINFO) recently launched, Carnival Info Mobile, a new app that interfaces with top social media platforms and creates a social network centered on the complete Caribbean style Carnival experience! … more
OECS Think Tank and Hackathon Underway
Regional – The first regional OECS Business Solutions Think Tank and Hackathon got underway on Thursday with a video conference- style opening at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)… more
International Youth Day Radio Programme
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The local observance of International Youth Day saw a panel of young persons engaging the public on several issues that challenge the youth of today and possible solutions to those issues… more
Friday, 14 August 2015
Young Innovators Programme in Belmopan
Belize – We reported last week on the battle between Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and concerned citizens led by Senior Counsel Lisa Shoman, who complained about negative images of women depicted in various billboards and on Facebook that appeared to be endorsed by the company… more
Credit bureau scam takes root
Cayman Islands – A fake website posing as the homepage for the Cayman Islands National Credit Bureau (CINCB) has surfaced online, prompting police and the organisation to warn its customers of the dangers of online information ‘phishing.’ … more
Govt scraps “sweetheart” fibre-optic cable deal; to proceed with E-Government Project
Guyana – The Guyana government has scrapped a contract with a local firm for the rehabilitation of the controversial fibre optic cable from Brazil, even as it explores the possibility of continuing the project that it had criticized harshly while in opposition… more
BPO sector can transform employment landscape – Phillips
Jamaica – Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Peter Philips said the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) represents a fundamental opportunity to transform the country’s employment landscape over a relatively short time period… more
Sagicor Bank Rolls Out New Online Banking Platform NETteller
Jamaica – Sagicor Bank Jamaica has thrown out its old online banking platform and went live on Wednesday with a brand new system that allows cross-banking…. more
It’s time for the Caribbean to get serious about cyber-security
Regional – Cyber-security incidents are on the rise: According to Pricewaterhouse Cooper’s Global State of Information Security Survey 2015, attacks rose internationally by 48 per cent in 2014 resulting in huge remedial and reputational costs to the companies and governments affected… more
Rowley: Laptop initiative failed
Trinidad and Tobago – Leader of the Opposition Dr Keith Rowley says a report prepared by the UWI Faculty of Social Sciences on the role of the Government’s multi-million dollar laptop initiative failed to significantly assist the students in their overall performance… more
Saturday, 15 August 2015
DAX axed on Brazil fibre optic cable contract
Guyana – The new administration has ordered Dax Construction Company to halt works on the Brazil fibre optic cable, amidst an investigation to determine how much money was spent, as well as the way forward… more
ECTEL Launches New Publications
Regional – Grenada and St. Kitts/Nevis are the only ECTEL Member States that have reach international standard for broadband affordability to date… more
TV6 in Flow partnership
Trinidad and Tobago – CABLE TV provider Flow has partnered with local free-to-air television station TV6 to provide the channel’s local and other content to all Flow customers via Video On Demand… more
Sunday, 16 August 2015
REVTV delivers free pre-season preview of NFL RedZone to subscribers
Bahamas – REVTV is offering its subscribers free pre-season access to NFL Network’s NFL RedZone. Football fans will get a jump start on the season with five free pre-season installments of NFL RedZone, now through September 3rd… more
Digicel gives two lucky customers $5 000 each
Barbados – TWO lucky dads, who won $5 000 each as the second and third weekly winners of the Stay Up with Digicel Summer Promotion, will use their winnings to purchase back-to-school supplies for their children, among other items… more
Belize Internet Marketing and Website Design Launches a Site for Xanadu Island Resort
Belize – he new website assures that online visitors will now experience a more vibrant and seamless view of Xanadu Island Resort… more
Digicel customer gets an upgrade
Jamaica – Dear Claudienne, On June 3, 2015, I purchased a DL800 phone from an authorised Digicel distributor… more
Junior Stock Exchange is the way to go — Sinclair
Jamaica – Managing director of Columbus Communications Garfield Sinclair is encouraging the recently named Jamaica Observer Moguls in the Making to look to the Junior Stock Exchange as a way of raising funds for their businesses… more
LIME, Flow Ranked More Socially Devoted Than Digicel
Jamaica – LIME Jamaica and Flow Jamaica have been ranked as more socially devoted telecoms brands for the second quarter of 2015 by social media monitoring firm Socialbakers… more
Kay Osborne: Why Media Ownership Matters
Jamaica – The announcement that Radio Jamaica Ltd (RJR) is set to acquire The Gleaner Company’s media assets, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval, is stunning news to many stakeholders and non-vested Jamaicans alike… more
Marcia Forbes: That Mega Media Merger (Part 1)
Jamaica – Here we were on the day before Jamaica’s Independence celebration learning about the proposed merger of two of Jamaica’s oldest and most highly respected media entities – the 180-year-old Gleaner newspaper and the 65-year-old RJR… more
Samsung’s New Little ‘Photo Jounalist’
Jamaica – Samsung Experience Store in Tropical Plaza came alive when a group of journalists received tips and advice from the well-known photographer Jeremy Francis on how to capture the uniqueness of Jamaica, this summer and beyond, with a Samsung Galaxy S6 at a workshop with Francis… more
Social Media Company Buys Hardware Business
Jamaica – In a deal meant to grow the company as it positions to eventually go public, social media marketer BSocial has acquired a small hardware business in Kingston that is to be the fulcrum of plans to expand into online shopping… more
Image credits: Mars Hill Church (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Facebook; Wikipedia;
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