A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 7 August 2017 to Sunday 13 August 2017.
Monday, 7 August 2017
Antigua-Barbuda welcomes resolution of criminal case as part of failure by US to comply with WTO ruling on internet gaming
Antigua-Barbuda – The government of Antigua and Barbuda has congratulated Calvin Ayre on the resolution of a criminal case brought against him in the United States… more
Liberty Global Reports Q2 and H1 2017 Results
Regional – Liberty Global plc (“Liberty Global”) (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB, LBTYK, LILA and LILAK), today announces financial and operating results for the three months (“Q2”) and six months (“YTD” or “H1”) ended June 30, 2017 for the Liberty Global Group1and the LiLAC Group1… more
Tuesday, 8 August 2017
Global pressure mounts on Guyana President not to sign broadcast bill into law
Guyana – Global pressure on Tuesday intensified on President David Granger not to sign amendments to Guyana’s Broadcasting Act into law, citing violation of media freedom and viability of privately-owned media… more
GTT’s “blaze” failed to blaze for continuous days
Jamaica – Dear Editor, It is with disappointment and dissatisfaction that I write this letter and ask that it be published in your newspaper… more
Cable & Wireless Reports Preliminary Q2 2017 Results
Regional – Cable & Wireless Communications Limited (“CWC”) is the leading telecommunications operator in substantially all of its consumer markets, which are predominantly located in the Caribbean and Latin America, providing entertainment, information and communication services to 3.5 million mobile, 0.4 million television, 0.6 million internet and 0.6 million fixed-line telephony subscribers… more
CWC sales up 1% to USD 584 mln in Q2, net loss narrows
Regional – Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), part of Liberty Global’s Latin American and Caribbean group (LiLAC), reported rebased revenues of USD 584.3 million in the second quarter of 2017, up 1.0 percent year on year due to an increased contribution from the company’s managed services business and an improved mix of services offsetting a decline in mobile sales… more
Duke urges Govt to act on cyber laws
Trinidad and Tobago – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is being urged to introduce legislation to protect citizens from the backlash of personal information and compromising photos being leaked on social media platforms… more
Government defends amending Cyber Crime Bill*
Trinidad and Tobago – The Government yesterday defended its decision to amend the Cyber Crime Bill and the operationalisation of the Data Protection Act, noting it was working with stakeholders to ensure they got “an appreciation of where we are trying to go”… more
Wednesday, 9 August 2017
Press Release: Calvin Ayre appointed as Economic Envoy for technology development
Antigua and Barbuda – The Government of Antigua and Barbuda announces the appointment of Mr Calvin Ayre as a Special Economic Envoy with responsibility for advising on economic cooperation and commerce between Antigua and Barbuda and other sovereign States where blockchain technology is being utilised… more
DIGITAL GROWTH UNDER WAY
Barbados – More organisations are investing in digital technology… more
Flow equipment damaged, replacement coming
British Virgin Islands – Telecom company Flow has acknowledged that a number of its customers are having a tough time making calls because pieces of the company’s equipment were damaged during several hours of heavy rainfall on Monday, August 7… more
Int’l media bodies call for delay in assent of Broadcasting Bill
Guyana – Days after the country’s lawmakers in the National Assembly successfully pushed through legislation that was supposed to correct deficiencies in the manner that radio and television stations operate, the administration is under pressure to hold off before signing it into law… more
GOV.JM to make doing business easier
Jamaica – Conducting business with the Government of Jamaica has now become easier with the official launch of the GOV.JM online portal… more
COJ slashes wait time for business services
Jamaica – An upgrade in the Companies Office of Jamaica software system used to process amendments in business names has improved the turnaround time to same-day delivery, as well as removed express fees associated with the service… more
JSE looks to introduce blockchain technology
Jamaica – The Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) has entered into a non-binding agreement with Veritaseum Limited Liability Corporation to facilitate the exploration process for the use of blockchain technology… more
TAJ’s online payment portal reopened
Jamaica – Tax Administration of Jamaica (TAJ) reopened its online payment portal yesterday, following its suspension to facilitate maintenance last week… more
Technology Will Boost Learning Outcomes
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: In 2016, the Ministry of Education introduced the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) to grades one and four… more
Liberty Global on track for spin off of Latin American arm
Regional – FLOW’s parent Liberty Global says it remains on track for a spin-off of its Latin American arm by the end of the year, as it readies the division for an expected industry shake-up in the region… more
PRESS RELEASE: British Virgin Islands to host CTU’s Caribbean Internet Governance Forum
Regional – The island of powdery white-sand beaches, lush green mountains, and sheltered, yacht-filled harbours, Tortola, the British Virgin Island’s largest and capital island, will host the world’s oldest Internet forum – the 13th Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF)… more
Scotiabank named best digital bank In The Caribbean
Regional – Scotiabank has been recognized by Global Finance magazine as the 2017 World’s Best Consumer Digital Bank in Latin America and the Caribbean. Scotiabank has been consistently recognized as the Best Consumer Internet Bank or Best Consumer Digital Bank by Global Finance since 2009, demonstrating its strength in digital banking… more
Social media to be focus of Police Force Summer Camp
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force is embarking on an initiative geared towards the positively impacting youths here in St. Kitts and Nevis… more
Thursday, 10 August 2017
Bahamas signs tax collection MOU with Airbnb
Bahamas – The Bahamas signed a memorandum of understanding with vacation home rental giant Airbnb yesterday, that will see Bahamians who rent their homes and rooms on the site, paying some sort of tax on their accommodations… more
Belize’s Smart goes live with FTS’ convergent billing
Belize – Smart based in Belize has implemented FTS’ real-time billing and charging solution to support its expansion into 4G LTE as it offers innovative services to its customers… more
Problem worse than thought – Flow offers more help
British Virgin Islands – While stating that its team is still working diligently to restore service to customers, telecom company Flow today indicated that the damage to its infrastructure as a result of heavy rainfall on Monday is worse than initially thought… more
Digital ‘sabbatical’ for a week—Can you do it?
Cayman Islands – Statistics show that your typical smartphone owner spends 1.7 hours per day social networking. They check their phones about 46 times per day to Facebook, Tweet, email, text, ignore people and play games… more
Guyana taps into GRIF to finance hinterland ICT connectivity
Guyana – Guyana has asked the Guyana REDD‐plus Investment Fund (GRIF) for US$17 million to fund a project to increase internet connectivity in hinterland communities, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes has said… more
Cable & Wireless video wavers across the Caribbean
Regional – The Liberty Global company Cable & Wireless has reported pay-TV subscriber gains in Panama and the Bahamas but losses across the rest of the Caribbean markets… more
New CXC app improves services
Regional – The development of applications such as the recently launched CXC Connect, is critical to the CARICOM Single ICT Space… more
Friday, 11 August 2017
BTC’s mobile subscriber base down by 24,000
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has suffered a loss of 24,000 mobile subscribers since mobile competitor BeAliv Ltd. entered The Bahamas’ telecoms market last year in November, according to second quarter financial results released by Cable Wireless Communications (CWC), part owner of BTC, earlier this week… more
Community access points to be powered by solar energy
Jamaica – Science, Energy and Technology Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley has announced plans for the utilisation of solar energy to power the more than 250 community access points (CAPs) providing public Internet and technology services islandwide… more
Information Technology Could Cut Rates In Micro Finance Sector
Jamaica – Mobile and online technology can improve the operational efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs), and result in lower interest rates, Paul Chin, general manager of Microfinance Services at the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), stated, as he addressed a session at the Small Business Association of Jamaica MSME Conference, held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, in St James, on July 20… more
New Sub-Sea Cable Network To Dock In Jamaica En Route To Miami
Jamaica – Deep Blue Cable, a North American-led company formed in St Lucia, plans to develop and operate a fibre-optic cable network which will initially land in 12 countries, including Jamaica… more
Universal Service Fund assists disabled community
Jamaica – The Universal Service Fund (USF) continues to give assistance to the disabled community by including a deaf mute in their summer employee cohort… more
Digicel Gives Lucky Customer All Inclusive Trip to CPL Finals
Regional – Digicel today launched its latest promotion which sees customers across its markets in the Caribbean vying for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip for them and their ‘crew’ to the Finals of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in Trinidad and Tobago… more
ECLAC reports jump in region’s Internet use
Regional – The Latin America and the Caribbean region has made sustained progress in terms of access to the Internet with more than half of the population using the technology, according to data released by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Regional Broadband Observatory… more
Landline and Internet Network upgrade
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Dear valued customers, We have commenced the second phase of our Superfast upgrade to the remaining sections of the island in St. Kitts from Old Road westbound to Conaree Village… more
St Lucia ranks 122 worldwide in broadband speeds
Saint Lucia – A new ranking of world broadband internet speeds has placed St Lucia in the 122nd position… more
Trinidad & Tobago’s TSTT closes Massy buy for USD 31 mln
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad & Tobago’s state-run operator TSTT has finalised its acquisition of 100 percent of the shares of rival Massy Communications for TTD 215 million (around USD 31 million), reports local daily Newsday… more
What to do if your phone is lost or stolen
Trinidad and Tobago – Wondering what to do if your mobile phone is lost or stolen? … more
Saturday, 12 August 2017
Fisherman gets 3 years jail for theft of GTT fibre optic cables
Guyana – A fisherman was on Tuesday jailed for three years by Magistrate Sunil Scarce after admitting to stealing a quantity of fibre optic cable valued $1,394,444 from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT)… more
Community Access Point Opens in Annotto Bay
Jamaica – Residents of Annotto Bay, St. Mary, now have the benefit of a community access point (CAP), which provides access to the Internet as well as a variety of computer–related services… more
DigicelPlay customers ‘compensated’ on next bill
Saint Kitts and Nevis – DigicelPlay customers will be compensated on their next month bill for service lost due to outages caused through the company… more
Trinidad tops world in emoji use
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinis love their emojis and a new survey has found that we love them more than other countries in the world… more
Sunday, 13 August 2017
PM seeks to alleviate concerns about Broadcast Amendment Bill
Guyana – Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has penned a missive that aims to educate the public about the content of the Broadcast Amendment Bill 2017… more
Destined to Flow
Jamaica – If anyone was ever destined to fulfil a particular role in their professional life, that person, without any hint of contradiction, would be Stephen Price… more
Online banking error via NCB
Jamaica – Dear Claudienne, I have an issue with National Commercial Bank (NCB)… more
Image credits: Dennis Skley (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia;
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