A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 23 May to Sunday 29 May 2016.
Monday, 23 May 2016
Cable Seeks Protection On Mobile Pay Regime
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas has urged regulators to protect consumers and a “competitive level playing field” by preventing BTC from choosing the payment regime for calls terminating on its network… more
Mobile boarding pass introduced at LPIA
Bahamas – he Nassau Airport Development Company Ltd. (NAD) in partnership with the international airlines at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP), Airport Authority and the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) has launched a new Electronic Boarding Pass (EBP) system at LPIA… more
FLOW’s Customer Feedback Ratings Improve
Barbados – In its continuing effort to give customers more ways to access its services and transform its customer experience, Flow has introduced an upgraded state-of-the-art Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system which facilitates self-serve options twenty four hours per day, seven days per week… more
More fines coming for telecoms firms
Cayman Islands – The Information and Communication Authority has said that it cannot yet reveal the names of telecommunication firms that have been fined for breaches of the law and regulations surrounding the sector, but said more fines are expected as investigations continue… more
Forensic auditors recommend…Over US$5M must be repaid for One Laptop per Family, E-Governance projects
Guyana – Given that the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) illegitimately funded two PPP-inspired projects, One Laptop per Family and the E-Governance Projects, forensic auditors from Ram and McRae are recommending that over $1B in repayment be sought from the relevant agencies… more
Haiti – Telecoms Mobile Broadband and Digital Media – Statistics and Analyses
Haiti– New Haiti telecom law expected by 2017 to re-invigorate the sector… more
Digicel and Huawei Technologies Successfully Test 10 Gbps Broadband in Jamaica
Jamaica – Digicel Group and Huawei Technologies have successfully showcased the real power of Jamaica’s only true fibre to the home network by deploying a technology known as XG-PON on the new fibre network which delivers speeds of up to 10,000Mbps… more
Digicel tests Huawei’s XG-PON in Jamaica
Jamaica – Huawei says it has collaborated with Digicel Group on a trial of the communications technology vendor’s XG-PON equipment in Jamaica. The demonstration took place in Digicel’s lab in downtown Kingston and used the operator’s new fiber to the home (FTTH) network… more
Jamaica – Telecoms Mobile Broadband and Digital Media – Statistics and Analyses
Jamaica – Liberty Global expands in Jamaica with acquisition of Cable & Wireless… more
Jamaica Takes Lead in Regional Telecoms Talks
Regional – A multi billion-dollar telecommunications deal, touted as a significant growth opportunity for the Caribbean information and communication technology sector, has come under the scrutiny of the Jamaican government… more
Tuesday, 24 May 2016
BTC Union Files Trade Dispute
Bahamas – The trade union representing the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) line staff is still seeking to resolve employee pay and recognition-related issues dating back to 2011… more
Power And Phone Service Out As Storm Hits Island
Bahamas – A HEAVY thunderstorm which passed over New Providence yesterday afternoon caused temporary loss of power and cellular phone service, with lightning also bringing down trees… more
Barbados Reveals New Destination Website
Barbados – Destination Barbados has a new online presence at VisitBarbados.org… more
BTL Hustles to Repair Broken Fiber Optic Cable
Belize – A fiber cable break in Belmopan, this morning caused the interruption of 4G internet network around the vicinities of the US Embassy and the British High Commission… more
US Court of Appeals Affirms Judgement Against Government of Belize
Belize – Belize’s debt is at the highest it has ever been and with the final ruling imminent regarding the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited, it will go even higher… more
Winners of the 1st Edition of «Haiti HackFest
Haiti – The first edition of the competition “Haiti HackFest”, organized by the group Echo Haiti, took place in Port-au-Prince on Friday 20 to Sunday, May 22, 2016 at the Marriott Hotel… more
Jamaica awards third mobile licence to Caricel
Jamaica – Jamaican-owned telecoms company Symbiote will launch a 4G LTE service under the Caricel brand in a few weeks, according to a report in local daily the Jamaica Gleaner… more
Give me Liberty
Regional – On Monday last week, another seismic shift in the local telecommunications industry happened. In a quiet room at Flow’s Port-of-Spain office, yet another name was added to the list of owners of the once local cable company… more
Eve Anderson acquires IT recruitment agency
Trinidad and Tobago – Eve Anderson Recruitment Limited has successfully completed acquisition of Caribbean Resourcing Solutions Limited (CRS), an IT recruitment agency focused in the manufacturing, construction, energy and petrochemical industries… more
Govt moves for stricter control of digital sector
Trinidad and Tobago – In an attempt to introduce stricter control mechanisms within the telecommunications sector, the Government has decided to join with regional counterparts to harness the growth of the sector which continues to grow exponentially in which not all the players are always on the same page… more
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
LIME staff wins court battle
Antigua and Barbuda – Six months after 13 LIME retail staff received letters of redundancy, the Industrial Court ruled yesterday that they were unfairly dismissed… more
Licences ‘Soon’ For Nation’s Second Cellular Provider, Says PM
Bahamas – THE Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) will award licences to the country’s second cellular mobile services provider soon, Prime Minister Perry Christie said during his budget communication yesterday… more
STEM – NEW WAY FORWARD
Barbados – Based on the premise that today’s visionaries will be tomorrow’s leaders, Sagicor meted out its Visionaries Challenge to secondary school students to create projects based in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to hone their skills in the respective subject areas… more
Jamaican Start-Up Book Fusion Selected For Idb Programme
Jamaica – A Jamaican company is the sole Caribbean entity selected from Latin America and the Caribbean to participate in an innovation and entrepreneurship event sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)… more
Telecoms eye rocketing internet revenues
Jamaica – When new telecoms market entrant Symbiote Investments Ltd, trading as Caricel, becomes operational, it will target the market for internet services — choosing what is currently the most robust segment of the market… more
Regional telecommunications body appoints Secretary General
Regional – The Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisation (CANTO) has announced the appointment of a general secretary… more
…RBC launches banking app
Trinidad and Tobago – FOR the first time in Trinidad and Tobago, RBC business and personal banking clients can use their Android tablets and mobile devices to conduct transactions online, including paying bills and moving money between their accounts, RBC Royal Bank said yesterday… more
Thursday, 26 May 2016
Cable Bahamas awarded second mobile licence
Bahamas – The Government of The Bahamas has formally announced the award of the second mobile license to Cable Bahamas (CBL)… more
PM confirms CBL as second mobile licensee
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas Ltd. (CBL) has been confirmed as the winner of the second mobile license, which will be awarded for a 15-year period. Within the next three months, CBL must provide 99 percent mobile coverage in New Providence and 80 percent coverage in Grand Bahama… more
Second Mobile Operator Begins Launch Process
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas yesterday said the clock had started running on the aggressive roll-out timetable for the second mobile operator to launch services to 99 per cent of New Providence within three months, after the Government approved its licensing… more
Barrow Eats Crow after Hostile Nationalization of Telephone Company
Belize – The Prime Minister of Belize is today eating crow as he grasped to put a positive spin on what his hostile piracy of Belize Telemedia in 2009 will now cost the tax payers of Belize… more
Flow battles latest IT problems in Miami
Cayman Islands – Local telecommunications provider Flow was re-routing internet traffic Thursday morning after a physical fibre cut in Miami in the early hours of Wednesday morning caused an internet outage… more
Animated Video Challenge Unearths New Talent In Jamaica
Jamaica – Twenty-four-year-old Ikem Smith, a freelance visual artist from Kingston, has emerged as the first-place winner in the Caribbean Development Bank’s 2016 Vybzing Animated Music Video Challenge… more
Jay Z’s Tidal Launched In Region
Regional – Two months after the Jamaica Music Society and Minister of Culture, Gender Affairs, Entertainment and Sports Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange encouraged the music industry to capitalise on the benefits of living in a digital era, the local entertainment fraternity has been granted the opportunity to do just that with the introduction of Jay Z’s global streaming service, Tidal… more
blink | bmobile says yes to youth ICT entrepreneurship
Trinidad and Tobago – blink | bmobile has partnered with the We Say “Y.E.S!!!” (WSY) organization to promote technology and entrepreneurship among enterprising youth as part of the company’s vision to become a standard bearer in TT for leading edge communications solutions that enrich the lives of citizens and other stakeholders… more
Port-of-Spain youth get inspiration for careers in ICT
Trinidad and Tobago – Blink | bmobile and the We Say “YES!!!” (WSY) organisation joined the rest of the world in observing World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), recognised annually on May 17… more
Friday, 27 May 2016
Cellular Competition Enters Final Stages
Bahamas – The road to cellular liberalisation has entered its final stages as the licencing of a new company will occur in the coming weeks, Prime Minister Perry Christie revealed during his 2016/2017 Budget Communication in the House of Assembly Wednesday… more
Govt to expand CCTV program to over 1,000 cameras
Bahamas – Prime Minister Perry Christie said as part of his administration’s fight against crime, the government is engaged in discussions to expand its closed-circuit television (CCTV) program to over 1,000 cameras… more
Online shopping deliveries increase
Barbados – AT LEAST ONE COMPANY that handles online shopping purchases is reporting growth in consumers’ habits despite the state of the economy… more
More Jamaicans conducting tax related transactions online
Jamaica – New data show more Jamaicans are conducting tax-related transactions online… more
SVL Vows To Deliver Mobile Betting Service This Year
Jamaica – Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) says it will roll out its mobile betting platform as soon as its selected banking partner, National Commercial Bank Jamaica (NCB), obtains approvals from the central bank… more
CANTO Launches Code of Practice on Safeguarding the Open Internet
Regional – Open Internet is an important enabler of economic and societal growth… more
Digicel clinches exclusive partnership
Regional – Digicel Play today, announced a major partnership with Fight Sports network to give its customers exactly what they want – more live and exclusive content on the most attractive entertainment system in the region… more
ECLAC partners with ITU and TATT to convene workshop exploring opportunities of the digital economy
Regional – Regional stakeholders will this week engage in interactive sessions on “Exploring Innovation in Transactions & Financing in the Caribbean,” organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in partnership with the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) sub regional headquarters for the Caribbean… more
Internet content providers focus on the Caribbean
Regional – Much ink has been spilt and many hands wrung over how slow and expensive the Internet is in the Caribbean… more
Jamaica company chosen for IDB entrepreneurship event
Regional – A company from Jamaica is among 12 startups from Latin America and the Caribbean chosen to participate in an innovation and entrepreneurship event, sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), that brings together some of the most creative minds in the world to share ideas on how to tackle and solve development challenges by leveraging the power of art, culture and technology… more
UWI Students More Equipped in Building Apps
Regional – Heading towards the end of an app workshop that has been going on for this week, a number of UWI students will be more equipped when it comes to building Apps… more
With new technology Digicel can quadruple internet speeds
Regional – Digicel Group and Huawei Technologies have successfully tested a new technology on its fibre to the home network which could quadruple the internet speed customers now experience… more
Computer lab for Beach Allen
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Beach Allen Primary School has received a new computer lab, donated by the Rotary Club of Liamuiga… more
Selection of CEO for TELEM could not take place — No Advice from Corporate Governance Council submitted to Government.
Sint Maarten – The meeting held on Friday morning with the Supervisory Board of Directors of TELEM Group of Companies namely Constance Steven, Kendall Dupersoy and Paul Marshal and the Shareholder (Council of Ministers) for the shareholder to announce which of the two candidates they selected for the vacant CEO position… more
Free Microsoft Software for non-profit organisations
Trinidad and Tobago – Non-profit organisations across Trinidad and Tobago will receive free access to Microsoft Office 365, and this is being done in an effort to propel social development in the country… more
‘Social media being used for mischief’
Trinidad and Tobago – Acting Minister of National Security Stuart Young yesterday lamented that social media was being used for mischief… more
Saturday, 28 May 2016
Science, maths and technology are it!
Barbados – People who study science, mathematics and technology thoroughly will have a better quality of life than those who do not… more
Gov’t tables telecoms, PUC bills
Guyana – The government on Tuesday tabled two bills signalling renewed efforts to liberalise the telecommunications sector… more
Digicel Play launches new channels
Trinidad and Tobago – Digicel Play customers in Tobago were the first to experience two new channels—Catch and Catch 2—on the company’s Fibre TV service. CEO Garvin Medera made the announcement at a media event at the company’s office on Shirvan Plaza… more
Sunday, 29 May 2016
Cuba to expand Internet access in public areas, private businesses
Cuba – Cuba seeks to expand Internet access throughout the island, particularly with public Wi-Fi spots and selected private businesses… more
Only half of the 90,000 laptops project…MP’s children held key positions
Guyana – An ambitious project initiated in early 2011 by the Bharrat Jagdeo administration to distribute 90,000 laptops to poor families was fraught with management problems and questionable costs… more
There should be a frequency audit
Guyana – Dear Editor, There are a lot of people in this country parading as experts in numerous areas, when in fact it is clear that they are not… more
Jamaican tech entrepreneurs line up for regional pitch competition
Jamaica – Nine local entrepreneurs are set to compete for a share of US$75,000 ($9.3 million) in cash and prizes in the PitchIT Caribbean Challenge mobile application business competition… more
NCB Granted Approval For Mobile Money
Jamaica – National Commercial Bank Jamaica (NCB) has obtained approval from the central bank to launch its suite of mobile money services… more
Local currencies a drag on Digicel revenue growth
Regional – Growth at Digicel, the mobile phone operator owned by Denis O’Brien, has been dented by foreign exchange volatility, which may weaken the company’s ability to pay its debts, according to the international debt rating agency Fitch… more
Image credits: Wikipedia; Yon Garin (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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