A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 26 October to Sunday 1 November 2015.
Monday, 26 October 2015
Mobile HoldingCo: Rush To Minimise Gov’t Involvement
Bahamas – Financial advisers are racing to minimise any Government involvement in the ‘HoldingCo’ that will own the Bahamian people’s 51 per cent interest in the second mobile operator by ensuring its formation coincides with the licence’s issue… more
Union Feared Btc ‘Prop Up’ Of Cwc
Bahamas – Union representatives for the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) line staff say the potential takeover of its controlling shareholder was “always our fear” from the moment the 2011 privatisation was completed… more
CCT alleges ‘abuse of power’ by TRC
British Virgin Islands – When the High Court granted leave two weeks ago for CCT Global Communications to challenge the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in civil court, few details of the case were known, as company executives were tight-lipped and regulatory officials didn’t return calls seeking comment… more
Digicel opens new outlet in Giftland Mall
Guyana – As part of their commitment to stay close to their customers and keep them connected in every way possible, Digicel opened a new outlet on Friday in the recently opened Giftland Mall at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara… more
Liberty Global-CWC deal cited as threat to Digicel’s dominance
Regional – A report in the Irish Times newspaper says the Liberty Global-CWC deal could be a nightmare scenario for Digicel… more
Microsoft teaches businesses to innovate for success
Trinidad and Tobago – Microsoft’s second annual local conference, M4: An Event by Microsoft—Empowering Your Enterprise and Future-Proofing Your Business, brought together the tech giant’s partners, business leaders and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry experts to discuss how technology can serve as a key driver and enabler of innovation and success in a digital world… more
Trinidad to host regional animation and digital media festival
Trinidad and Tobago – The region’s largest animation and digital media festival, Animae Caribe, is staging its 14th edition of the festival from 27 – 31 October 2015 in Trinidad and Tobago… more
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
DSC Students Last To Receive Tablets
Dominica – Close to 2,000 at the Dominica State College received their tablets on Thursday October 22nd under Government’s One Tablet per Child Initiative… more
Electronics store heist…Six detained, stolen cell phones, handgun recovered
Guyana – Police have recovered several stolen cell phones and an unlicensed firearm after arresting six suspects in connection with last Friday’s heist at A. N. Electronics Store in Croal Street… more
Mobile Mania: Disrespecting The People’s Business
Jamaica – With three critical Caribbean Court of Justice bills on the agenda for debate, as well as the Office of Utilities Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2015, and the Bank of Jamaica (Amendment) Act, 2015, senators apparently found more important issues to attend to on their mobile phones than what their colleagues had to say during last Friday’s sitting of the Upper House of Parliament… more
There is a New FLOW to How People Shop in the Caribbean
Jamaica – There is a new retail design standard in the Caribbean, thanks to the introduction of the new telecom superstore, FLOW, in Montego Bay, Jamaica… more
ECTEL Believes LIME/Flow Merger Could Affect Region’s Economy
Regional – The recent merger between two of the region’s biggest telecommunications providers- Flow and LIME- can pose a serious risk to the region’s economy, so says the former Chairman of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunication Authority, Gregory Bowe… more
FLOW opens Super Store on Fort Street
Saint Kitts and Nevis – BILL-PAYING customers and others seeking to do business with FLOW, formally LIME, will now have to access the company’s new location on Fort and Central Streets within the building that once house the Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago… more
‘Cyber crime law a priority’
Trinidad and Tobago – Acting Attorney General Stuart Young said yesterday Government had taken note of the judge’s decision and comments in the matter of cricketer Lendl Simmons and Terese Ho… more
IDC warns of shadow IT at M4
Trinidad and Tobago – Courtney Munroe, the featured keynote speaker at last Thursday’s Microsoft M4 conference at the Hyatt has a lot to say about global ICT trends, but one of his stand out cautions to information technology professionals that morning was the anticipated growth in what he described as “shadow IT.” .. more
Wednesday, 28 October 2015
Mobile Service Fully Restored in Rum Cay, Bahamas
Bahamas – BTC is pleased to announce that mobile services have been fully restored in Rum Cay. Residents on Rum Cay, one of the Southern Bahama Islands ravaged by Hurricane Joaquin, welcomed The Honourable Phillip Davis, Deputy Prime Minister, Leon Williams BTC CEO and members of the BTC restoration team last week… more
Jones answers cell phone call
Barbados – Minister of Education Ronald Jones says he is sticking to his plans of lifting the current cellular phone ban in schools… more
Gov’t hopes to improve labour data
British Virgin Islands – The Virgin Islands will soon receive a Labour Market Information System, a software package designed to help leaders use data to assess the local and regional labour market and workforce, government announced Monday… more
Altice Q3 sales up 20% to EUR 175 mln in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic – Altice reported third-quarter revenues of EUR 174.6 million in the Dominican Republic, a year-on-year rise of 20 percent due above all to the strengthening of the Dominican Peso against the Euro… more
GPL restores prepaid service internet connection
Guyana – The Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) restored the internet connection service to its prepaid system on Monday, October 26, after a disruption was experienced on Saturday October 24… more
UTech, Jamaica receives Universal Service Fund $20M Grant Funding
Jamaica – Faster Internet connectivity; an increase in the number of simultaneous connections and expansion to the wireless networks, are just some of the welcomed benefits to be enjoyed by students, staff and other stakeholders at all University of Technology, Jamaica’s (UTech, Ja.) campuses in Kingston and in Montego Bay… more
Liberty/CWC talks in progress for months
Regional – Liberty Global, which is in talks with Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) about a possible US$5.7 billion takeover, had been buying up television, cable and telecommunications companies across Europe over the past few years before turning its attention to the rapidly growing markets in Latin America and the Caribbean… more
THE HOYOS FILE: Mere pawns in a global game
Regional – found myself suddenly very grateful to John C. Malone late on Thursday afternoon. In case you’ve never heard of Malone, he now owns 13 per cent of the telecoms company through which people in Barbados have a roughly 50 per cent chance of making mobile calls, plus 100 per cent of landline calls, and a presumably growing percentage of those watching cable television… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Opening Hours on Thursday 29th October 2015
Saint Kitts and Nevis – FLOW wishes to notify its customers and the general public that its Retail Stores on St. Kitts and Nevis will be opened from 10:00 am on Thursday 29th October to facilitate our Mission Day Activities… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Opens New Customer Experience Centre
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Full-service telecoms provider FLOW has committed to delivering “a world-class customer experience retail environment” at its new state-ofthe-art customer experience centre in Basseterre St. Kitts… more
Temporary disruption of LIME CATV Service
Saint Lucia – LIME wishes to advise customers that there will be a temporary disruption of Cable TV services from Barre de L’isle, along the East Coast, through to Choiseul on Thursday October 30th, 2015 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm… more
Internet shopping: blessing or curse
Trinidad and Tobago – During the just concluded budget debate the issue of Internet shopping as a potential source of taxes was raised by the Minister of Finance with related comments made in the Senate… more
Thursday, 29 October 2015
C&W offers secure service for businesses
Barbados – SECURITY IS THE top priority for C&W Business… more
Dominicans urged to recognize benefits of internet
Dominica – Executive Director of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), Craig Nesty called on Dominicans to recognize the benefits of the internet since, he said, it has great potential… more
Free Wi-Fi Now Available At Botanic Gardens
Dominica – Visitors to the Botanic Gardens, especially students can make use of the free Wi-Fi now available there… more
Free Wi-Fi service a ‘tangible manifestation’ of development
Dominica – Dominica is set on a path of socio-economic prosperity driven by science and modern technology, the Acting Prime Minister Rayburn Blackmoore has said… more
Digicel Business powers new student residence at UWI
Jamaica – WITH technology being a big must-have for students, the directors of 138 Student Living at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, have partnered with ICT solutions provider Digicel Business to outfit the new halls of residence with the latest technological solutions… more
Man accused of defrauding Digicel
Jamaica – A technology manager at a private hospital in Kingston, accused of defrauding telecoms operator Digicel of US$200,000, had his bail extended when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday… more
FLOW Service Or Lack Thereof
Jamaica – The EDITOR Sir, I have been a FLOW subscriber for approximately six years… more
Local IT company tTech prepares for IPO
Jamaica – Jamaican IT company tTech is preparing to join the Junior Stock Exchange with an IPO expected before the end of the year. It will be the first IT company to join the stock exchange, according to Christopher Reckord, a principle shareholder, in an interview with the Caribbean Business Review… more
Science and Technology the Main Focus in November
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says November will be more active in terms of getting Jamaicans to appreciate the role of science and technology in the country’s development… more
Digicel AppSeeker available on Google Play
Regional – From today, Digicel customers across the globe can discover and enjoy the latest and greatest apps with the launch of Digicel AppSeeker… more
ECTEL explores the elimination of roaming charges in OECS
Regional – Minister for Information, Science, Telecommunications and Technology, Kelver Darroux has announced that the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) Council of Ministers is looking closely at the possibility of eliminating roaming charges within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)… more
GSMA Welcomes Multi-Country Support for Sub-700MHz Spectrum for Mobile Broadband at WRC-15
Regional – John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, commented on the submission of multi-country proposals in support of spectrum for mobile to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in advance of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) in Geneva next month… more
Liberty Global pounces on venerable Cable & Wireless
Regional – The problem of buying a company in which John Malone is an investor, especially when some of the payments are made in shares, is that he may turn around with his large shareholding and inside knowledge of operations, and buy the enlarged entity… more
NOTICE: Early closure of LIME stores today October 29th, 2015
Saint Lucia – LIME wishes to advise customers that its retail stores will close early today Thursday, October 29th, 2015 to facilitate a staff activity at the following hours… more
Going with the FLOW
Trinidad and Tobago – Almost one year after the announcement of the acquisition of cable television provider, Flow, by Cable and Wireless Communications, John Reid, president, Consumer Group, Cable and Wireless Communications says Flow has been completely reorganised… more
Friday, 30 October 2015
Antigua Vacation Guide Launches New Website
Antigua and Barbuda – Antigua Vacation Guide (www.antiguavacationguide.com), a comprehensive Antigua travel and tourism directory, has launched a new website that provides everything you need to know about the island of Antigua… more
Better service should Flow, says Boyce
Barbados – In the wake of recent customer complaints, telecommunications giant Flow has been called upon to raise its level of service… more
C&W Business in spine position
Barbados – A GOVERNMENT MINISTER has high expectations for C&W Business and he is hoping it can provide Barbados with the telecommunications “backbone” it needs… more
Gov’t urged to regulate fee increases
British Virgin Islands – Ending a month in which FirstBank and telecoms company LIME announced individual fee increases, two social commentators have urged the government to undertake legislative amendments that would prevent certain private entities from increasing service fees when they so desire… more
Seven held for involvement in lottery scam
Jamaica – Seven persons from western Jamaica were this week taken into custody by detectives from the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) for their suspected involvement in the lottery scam… more
Students To Benefit From FLOW, One On One Education Partnership
Jamaica – Cable & Wireless (C&W), operator of the FLOW and LIME brands, has signed a landmark five-year exclusive partnership with One on One Educational Services aimed at offering Caribbean students greater access to a wide variety of study materials for Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE)… more
Cable and Wireless changing hands?
Regional – Since the announcement of the acquisition by Cable and Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) of the holding of Columbus Communications International on November 6, 2014, the consumers in the Caribbean market have been struggling to come to grips with what the merger means for them… more
Saturday, 31 October 2015
Digicel May Talk – Telecommunications Company To Consider Disclosing Political Donations
Jamaica – Telecommunications firm Digicel could shortly join the small list of local private-sector entities voluntarily declaring their donations to local political parties… more
OUR Head Elected Chairman Of Regional Regulatory Body
Jamaica – Director General of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) Albert Gordon has been elected chairman of the Organisation Of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR), the association of regional regulatory organisations… more
A role for state media
Trinidad and Tobago – Last week’s column focused on government interference in state media. The temptation has proved irresistible in the past, and under its present configuration, history is likely to repeat itself. Perhaps the overriding challenge though is the amorphous identity of CNMG… more
Sunday, 1 November 2015
GTT now offering Mobile Money service to Digicel customers
Guyana – More than two and half years after GTT launched its Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) service, the telephone company yesterday announced that Digicel customers can now join up… more
Is IT a commodity?
Jamaica – “THE most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competitors, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd, is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage and use information will determine whether you win or lose.” — Bill Gates … more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Interruption
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Flow is upgrading the fixed line network in the West Basseterre area… more
Caribbean Internet TV platform launched
Regional – The Caribbean equivalent to Netflix is here! Newly launched Over-the-Top (OTT) Platform, MAS2TV, delivers unique Caribbean content to consumers on demand, with the tagline “Love Your Culture.” MAS2TV stands for Multiculturalism, Art, Society, and Sports Television, and was developed in order to highlight Caribbean filmmakers and the creative industry… more
Image credits: (Mick Baker)rooster (flickr); ECTEL; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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