A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 7 June to Sunday 13 June 2019.
Monday, 10 June 2019
Social media alert
Barbados – PARENTS ARE BEING cautioned to monitor their children’s social media activities… more
Landline services resolved
Trinidad and Tobago – Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd wishes to advise that all matters in Mr Lennox Sirjuesingh’s letter (Express, June 1) have been resolved. We are happy to report Mr Sirjuesingh’s landline services were fully restored on June 4… more
SAGHS tops Hackathon 2019
Trinidad and Tobago – PUPILS of St Augustine Girls’ High School (SAGHS) emerged winners of the Trinidad and Tobago segment of the Caribbean.Girls.Hack competition held on May 24 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba… more
Tuesday, 11 June 2019
BCPOU president seeks answers to reports of possible layoffs at BTC
Bahamas – Just days before the Labour Day holiday, Dino Rolle, president of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU), led a protest outside of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) headquarters, expressing fears that contracted workers will soon be made redundant… more
Suriname Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Statistics and Analyses 2019 – ResearchAndMarkets.com
Suriname – The “Suriname – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband – Statistics and Analyses” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering… more
Digicel strengthens senior leadership team
Jamaica – Digicel has announced four key executive promotions to bolster its team, as the company continues its rapid deployment of the next wave of innovation that fits the changing needs of its customers… more
Digicel invites St. Lucia’s mobile users to switch and love the experience
Saint Lucia – With June 3 marking the effective date that mobile users across five countries in the eastern Caribbean can switch networks without losing their numbers, Digicel is offering customers who move to its network a FREE LTE smartphone loaded and three months of FREE data with the activation of a plan, so that they can share, stream and like to their heart’s content… more
MNP INVITES A THIRD TELECOM PROVIDER
Saint Lucia– Choosing between Digicel and Flow for your telecommunication needs is uncomfortably similar to waiting to cast your vote at a local polling station… more
College pupil runs online businesses
Trinidad and Tobago – AT JUST 14-years-old, Stefan Lander was already making business decisions and developing brands for organisations through his family’s two businesses… more
Wednesday, 12 June 2019
BITT winds down its exchange service
Barbados – Bitcoin’s brief life as a digital currency here is headed for an abrupt end as financial technology firm Bitt informs customers it is shutting down its Exchange and Wallet in two months… more
Cayman teams take on international robotics challenge
Cayman Islands – Two school teams, the John Gray Aqua Lasers and Layman E. Scott Brac Bots, represented the Cayman Islands at the 2019 International SeaPerch Challenge in College Park, Maryland, earlier this month…more
Technology In Focus | Journalists Warned: Beware Of Gizmo Gifts When Covering Technology
Jamaica– Alan Deutschman, journalism professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, United States of America (USA), has urged local journalists to maintain their integrity and independence in covering technology as a beat, because of the enormous sums of money, power and influence that companies in the industry exert… more
CarPIF Internet Meeting Kicks Off in Grenada
Regional – Don’t look now but your video is buffering…again… more
Thursday, 13 June 2019
BTC’s CEO: Claims of imminent layoffs are categorically false
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) on Wednesday quelled the fears of many employees who felt as if layoffs at the telecom’s provider were imminent, based on recent claims made by Dino Rolle, president of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU)… more
BTC enhances parental leave under a progressive policy
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) on Wednesday announced changes to its current parental leave policy, providing enhanced benefits for new parents… more
Nassau adding facial recognition and LPR capabilities to CCTV program
Bahamas – Bahamian ICT solution provider Proficient Business Services has been selected to deploy a $5.9M expansion of the CCTV surveillance program in Nassau, Bahamas… more
Promising students rewarded with laptops
Bahamas – Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames and Director of Education Marcellus Taylor applauded President and CEO of Electro Telecom Limited Paul Smith, and his company, for encouraging Bahamian students by awarding laptops to promising scholars for more than 15 years… more
The Pros and Cons of New Media and Media Freedom
Guyana – In Asian countries media freedom is a controversial issue, on one side, right to information and freedom of expression is provided for, on the other side media regulations and press laws are ready to curb the media freedom…more
App For Motor Vehicle Registration, Fitness Payments Coming
Jamaica – Jamaican motorists may soon have the ability to pay their motor vehicle registration and fitness fees online using a software application… more
Jamaica: House passes ICT Authority Bill
Jamaica – The Information and Communications Technology Authority Act, which seeks to improve the use of technology across Government, was passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 11)… more
OUR invites comments on telecoms issues
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) is inviting public comments on proposals to improve transparency in the information provided on service offerings and packages in the telecommunications sector… more
Curacao to host CarPIF Internet Meeting in June 2020
Regional – The southern Caribbean island of Curaçao has been selected as the venue for the sixth regional conference of the Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum, CarPIF, set for June 9 to 11, 2020… more
Digital debate
Regional – A concept-focused showdown between the baby boomers and the millennials was the highlight of A Digital Caribbean – the final session of the 49th annual meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, last week… more
Flow, Digicel And NTRC Collaborate To Launch Mobile Number Portability In St. Kitts And Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Flow, Digicel and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) have joined forces to collaborate on a new initiative known as the launch of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in St. Kitts and Nevis… more
Huawei continues planting seeds
Trinidad and Tobago – If anyone was minded to wonder why Huawei would invest millions in its Seeds of the Future programme, Valene Rampersad’s presentation at the celebration of the fourth local instance of the event should settle all questions… more
Friday, 14 June 2019
Government blames former telecoms official as Digicel and APUA fight over spectrum
Antigua and Barbuda – Blame is being cast on a former telecommunications officer whose actions the government said have allegedly resulted in the current fight over spectrum between state-owned Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) and Irish-owned Digicel… more
SCOTIABANK INTRODUCES NEXT GENERATION ATMS
Barbados – Scotiabank continues to adopt leading edge technology to improve its customer experience, with the introduction of next generation ATMs
at the Warrens and Haggatt Hall branches… more
GK General Introduces Cyber Insurance Product As Threats Grow
Jamaica – GK GENERAL Insurance, GKI, has partnered with London-based company Tokio Marine Kiln and global reinsurance advisers Willis Tower Watson to bring a cyber insurance product to market… more
Kingston needs more than Technology to Become a Smart City — ICT Executive
Jamaica – Delroy McLean, Senior Director of C&W Business Jamaica says technology cannot be the primary focus for Kingston to be a smart city, it requires stakeholder engagement, public-private partnerships and the successful navigation of social issues as critical milestones… more
Outdated CCTV cameras to be replaced in JamaicaEye
Jamaica – The Ministry of National Security says there will be a replacement of outdated cameras that were installed years ago, as part of the full islandwide roll-out of the surveillance project, JamaicaEye, which is slated for September this year… more
State banking on apps to improve services
Jamaica – MINISTER of Science, Energy and Technology Fayval Williams says a number of software applications (apps) will be developed this financial year as the Government continues to leverage information and communications technology (ICT) to improve services to citizens… more
Invest SVG Launches New Site
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Foreign and local investors now have an online guide in the form of a website, to help (them) make informed decisions about investing in St Vincent and the Grenadines… more
AMCHAM T&T seeks to build tech industry
Trinidad and Tobago – Companies who delay in harnessing technology to enhance their businesses may suffer in the long term… more
WIFI devices, 35 phones among seized prison contraband
Trinidad and Tobago – Close to three dozen cellphones along with narcotics and paraphernalia were seized during a search of the Top Security area at the Remand Prison in Golden Grove Thursday morning… more
Saturday, 15 June 2019
Social Media Detail now a request for US Visa Application
Belize – Belizeans applying for a visa to travel to the United States of America must now provide social media details… more
New GPL submarine cable boosts supply in East Demerara; West Demerara residents may experience interruptions
Guyana – The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) says it successfully energized a new 13.8 kV submarine cable across the Demerara River linking the Vreed-en-Hoop and Kingston power plants on Tuesday… more
New schools and IT Lab commissioned in Regions Five and Six – Over $128M expended
Guyana – Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry, and the Departments of Education for Regions five and six, yesterday commissioned four new schools and one Information Technology laboratory… more
Flow employees welcome new Parental Leave Policy
Regional – Flow has enhanced its parental leave policy to include benefits for both mothers and fathers… more
Sunday, 16 June 2019
1st National Bank New MoBanking App Coming Soon
Saint Lucia – 1st National Bank is the leader in Mobile Banking technology; having been the first financial institution to introduce this phenomenon to the local industry… more
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