A roundup of the ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 3 September to Sunday 9 September 2012.
Monday, 3 September 2012
D’Aguilar calls for $1M BTC ‘penalty’
Bahamas – A top businessman is calling on industry regulators to impose a million-dollar penalty on Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) for every month of disrupted service… more
New email, text message scams hit V.I.
US Virgin Islands – The V.I. Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs is warning residents that new text message and email scams that are circulating throughout the territory… more
V.I. Next Generation Network selects computer center sites
US Virgin Islands – The V.I. Next Generation Network has finalized the locations of 30 Public Computer Centers that will be available for Virgin Islanders to have access to computers, digital equipment and the Internet… more
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Anonymous vows to unmask Dominican government officials
Dominican Republic – Anonymous Dominicana on Tuesday warned that starting the 24th this month it will unleash “Operation Anti-Deceptions,” to hack Web sites of several government agencies’ which in its view have deceived the people… more
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Caribbean Cable Communications Announces Major Internet Upgrades
Anguilla – Caribbean Cable Communications on 4 September, 2012, announced significant upgrades to its Internet service, providing customers in Anguilla and Nevis with increased speed and reliability, for no additional cost… more
Cable Bahamas seeking 27 percent increase in basic service
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas Limited (CBL) has applied to the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) for a 27 percent price increase in monthly charges for its SuperBasic cable TV service, and URCA has announced a public consultation process before making a decision on the request… more
URCA: Cable Price Increase ‘Not Totally Out Of Sync’
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) announced yesterday that it has commenced public consultation on the communications regulator’s review of Cable Bahamas’ proposed 27 per cent increase in its monthly charge for basic cable TV service… more
URCA concerned about Cable Bahamas price increase proposal
Bahamas – In response to a request by Cable Bahamas Limited (CBL) to increase the cost of basic cable TV services, the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) yesterday said it is concerned that Cable Bahamas does not provide a less expensive alternative package to many customers on New Providence… more
URCA extends BTC deadline
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has less than three weeks to present 24 additional documents to the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) in order for the regulatory board to complete its investigation into BTC’s major network failure in June… more
Regulator orders French telecom to halt ads for 4-G services
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Telecom Institute (Indotel) on Wednesday temporarily suspended the marketing and advertising of the “4G-LTE” plan offered by the service provider Orange Dominicana… more
Bibi Shadick to chair Broadcast Authority
Guyana – Former Human Services Minister and attorney Bibi Shadick has been identified as the chairperson of the governing board of the newly created Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA)… more
Porn site mastermind faces court today
Jamaica – The man who allegedly operated a website which published unauthorized nude photographs of hundreds of Jamaican women will appear in court today… more
TEXT-Fitch rates Digicel’s proposed notes ‘B-/RR5(exp)’
United Kingdom – Fitch Ratings has assigned a ‘B-/RR5(exp)’ rating to Digicel Group Limited’s (DGL) proposed US$700 million senior notes due 2020… more
Thursday, 6 September 2012
BTC network outage affects Digicel mobile customers
Bahamas – Digicel Bermuda reports that a service outage affected some of its mobile customers on 5 September. Digicel said calls to the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) landlines were affected by a service interruption at BTC… more
Cable Bahamas Price Hike Plan Sparks Anger
Bahamas – Bahamians are already speaking out over the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority’s revelation that Cable Bahamas seeks a near 30 per cent price increase to their basic cable package… more
Cable Still Facing ‘Shortfall’ Despite 27% Rate Increase
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas believes its proposed 27% basic cable TV rate increase is the only way to “safeguard the product’s financial viability”, having predicted that the shortfall below its 10.86 per cent capital return target would “double” for 2011… more
Tying Cable Rise To USO ‘Breach Of Natural Justice’
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas has urged regulators not to link its proposed 27 per cent basic cable TV fee increase to the company’s universal service obligations (USO), warning that to do so would “be a breach of natural justice” and open URCA to “scrutiny of its integrity”… more
BVI moves to strengthen local Internet
British Virgin Islands – Internet users in the British Virgin Islands will soon benefit from a faster, more resilient service when the territory gets its own Internet DNS server… more
French telecom halts 4-G offer on regulator’s order
Dominican Republic – The French telecom Orange Dominicana said Wednesday it suspended the marketing and advertising of the 4G-LTE plan in compliance with Dominican Republic’s regulator Indotel Resolution 113-12, which orders the temporary halt of its fourth generation technology platform offer… more
Caribbean sees growth in cybersecurity
Jamaica – The Caribbean region is preparing for an upsurge in cybersecurity expansion as Internet safety concerns in Latin America push regional leaders toward urgent reviews of online business and government operations… more
Digicel offers another US $700 million debt issue
Jamaica – Telecommunications major the Digicel Group Limited has announced that it has set a goal of raising another US$700 million of debt financing through a private bond placement that becomes due in 2020… more
Saint Lucia says ‘I Can’ on technology
St. Lucia – The Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development and Labour in St Lucia is undertaking a strategic and wide-ranging programme called the education enhancement through information and communication technology programme (EEICTP)… more
Friday, 7 September 2012
BTC suffers major outage after accident
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) suffered a “major outage” in landline, Internet and cellular service yesterday, company officials reported… more
ICT is the engine for economic growth in Barbados
Barbados – The importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) as one of the integral drivers of the socio-economic development of Barbados will come into sharp focus, when Government’s Telecommunications Unit, in collaboration with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) hosts the Caribbean ICTs Roadshow… more
Importance of ICT
Barbados – Information and communications technologies have an extremely important role to play in the future of Barbados’ national development… more
Digicel weathers US$25-m hit
Jamaica – DIGICEL Group’s pre-tax profits could take a hit of approximately US$25 million ($2.2 billion) due to difficult market conditions, says Fitch Ratings… more
Technology Ministry to Embark on Tablet Computer Project
Jamaica – Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says the Ministry will be embarking on a project to introduce tablet computers in schools across the island… more
Commonwealth e-Accessibility Summit lays the foundation for an inclusive ICT policy
United Kingdom – The Commonwealth e-Accessibility Summit concluded on the 31st August 2012 with Ministers and senior officials from ICT Ministries, regulatory bodies and disability councils participating, including delegations from Malawi, Kenya, Trinidad & Tobago, Ghana, Gibraltar, Jersey, Zambia, South Africa and Mauritius… more
Saturday, 8 September 2012
BTC Requests More Time On Outage Investigation
Bahamas – Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) executives said yesterday that the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) had requested more time to respond to its request for preventative maintenance records, adding that it was pursuing the investigation into the company’s network outage as “assiduously as we can”… more
Sunday, 9 September 2012
National ICT Strategic Plan set in motion
Barbados – In order to develop Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Barbados, the Government of Barbados has rolled out the Barbados National ICT Strategic Plan 2010-2015, under the title of “An Efficient Networked Island” … more
Fiscal Services Remade As ICT Overlord
Jamaica – The Public Sector Transformation Unit (PSTU) has initiated the transformation of Fiscal Services Limited (FSL) into the Government’s top tech team… more
Image credits: Gary Thomson (flickr); Bahamas Weekly; Bahamas Local; Corey Graham 2.0
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Thank you. “Round Up for the Week …” slot is increasingly equiping itself as a one-stop shop for all ICT news around The Caribbean.