A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 9 November to Sunday 15 November 2020.
Monday, 9 November 2020
Random video check-ins part of GPS technology to be used on visitors
British Virgin Islands – The GPS tracking technology that all visitors to the territory must use come December 1 will have the capability to conduct random video check-ins… more
Tuesday, 10 November 2020
Tackling education’s digital divide
Jamaica – “I wanted to get my education,” says 11-year-old Joel Young as he scribbles in his notebook… more
4 best tablets for homeschooling your children
Regional – Tablets may not be the first thing you think of in terms of helping with school work but with the growing popularity of virtual classes and parents having to homeschool their kids, the demand for tablets has skyrocketed… more
TelEm’s financial status discussed in closed-door parliament meeting
Sint Maarten – The financial status of TelEm Group of Companies is deemed confidential and not for public consumption… more
Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Cable Pledges ‘Remedy’ Over Aliv $60m Bond
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas’ top executive yesterday said itself and the Government will “remedy any challenges” caused by non-compliance with covenants related to $60m in bonds issued on Aliv’s behalf… more
Central Bank of Bahama issued Milestone Digital Currency
Bahamas – Bahamas is the first country to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The milestone digital currency is the sand dollar. It is a breakthrough after a long period of research and tests… more
Technology Will Be Used To Monitor Persons In Quarantine
British Virgin Islands – Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie has said that a mobile application and a monitoring bracelet will be used to complement the science to assist in the reopening of the Territory in a safe manner… more
Dominica government shifting its services to online platforms
Dominica – Government of Commonwealth of Dominica have announced to shift its operations to online platforms. Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit stated that COVID-19 has accelerated and expanded the global digital economy, and Dominica is also opting a similar path… more
FLOW Jamaica Grows Subscribers But Not Revenue
Jamaica – Telecoms provider Cable & Wireless Jamaica, which trades as Flow, earned US$94 million ($14 billion) in revenue over three months ending September, reflecting a 1.5 per cent dip when compared with a year ago… more
A Roadmap to Digital Transformation — Part 1 of 4
Regional – The coronavirus pandemic has caught many organisations by surprise. It has shone a spotlight on their weak digital readiness, inability to smoothly execute an operational pivot to work from home and, more importantly, it has highlighted the shortcomings in how businesses digitally engage with customers and other stakeholders… more
Jeff Hoffman, tech heavyweight
Regional – Jeff Hoffman, a tech industry pioneer, is set to headline Tech Beach’s upcoming virtual launch event on November 12… more
MASTERCARD LAUNCHES AI-POWERED SOLUTION TO PROTECT THE DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM
Regional – Mastercard just revealed their Cyber Secure, a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered suite of tools that allows banks to assess cyber risk across their ecosystem and prevent potential breaches… more
Digital transformation must emphasise both data security and data protection
Trinidad and Tobago – The world is currently making steps forward on the digital transformation journey. And organizations across industries are rapidly transforming and adopting new-age technologies to fuel their business operations demand… more
Southex CEO planning virtual platform
Trinidad and Tobago – COVID-19 has increased the demand for online conferencing and virtual trade shows, and one active player in organising actual trade shows is taking note… more
Thursday, 12 November 2020
Aliv Targets Up To 10% Revenue Rise
Bahamas – Aliv’s top executive yesterday said it aims to shrug off COVID-19 by growing revenues up to 10 percent after launching a product to “revolutionise” mobile post-paid services… more
My Cayman 2.0: Cayman could be a virtual college town
Cayman Islands – You have heard about digital nomads moving to Cayman to work remotely in the COVID era; how about student nomads? In a guest column, Nick Joseph, an attorney with HSM Chambers, argues that the new visa regulations create the opportunity for Cayman to become a ‘college town’… more
Dominican Republic’s biggest telecom announces new investments
Dominican Republic – Claro Dominicana telecom yesterday announced that it will carry out new investments in the Dominican Republic over the next three years, according to Daniel Hajj Aboumrad, CEO of América Móvil, during the ceremony celebrating the 90 years of operations of the company in the country… more
Tablets in Schools Programme Empowering Students
Jamaica – Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, says the Government’s ‘Tablets in Schools Programme’, totalling more than 40,000, is geared at digitally empowering students… more
Puerto Rico firm seeks royalties on bitcoin ATM transactions
Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico-based blockchain and robotics company Bots Inc is exploring options with “a major law firm” to initiate litigation against companies that operate bitcoin ATMs in the US… more
Flow’s new business line helps SMEs evolve
Trinidad and Tobago – AS FAR as public health is concerned, TT has dealt with covid19 with relative success, but economically, it has been an apocalypse… more
POS City Cop cyber-attacked; late payment for some staff
Trinidad and Tobago – The Port of Spain City Corporation (POSCC) has fallen prey to a cyber-attack suspected to be similar to the one which affected regional corporate giant, ANSA McAl last month… more
Workers finally paid after cyber attack
Trinidad and Tobago – OVER 1,300 daily-paid workers of the Port of Spain Regional Corporation are breathing a sigh of relief, as they have finally received their salaries after a ransomware attack last month made it impossible for staff to access data or recover several of its servers… more
Friday, 13 November 2020
Gov’t Pivots To Cisco MoU On Technology Hub
Bahamas – The Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cisco Systems to lay the education foundation for its technology hub ambitions, a Cabinet minister said yesterday… more
PM Mottley: Island making headway in technology
Barbados – Prime Minister Mia Mottley believes that there is room for growth in the island’s technological advancement… more
PM shares vision for Barbados’ strides in technology
Barbados – Prime Minister Mia Mottley is giving the assurance that Government will continue to do all it can to ensure Barbados becomes a leader in the area of digital content creation and a hub for wider technological innovation… more
TECHNOLOGY PUSH
Barbados – Selwyn Holder, a former student of St. Philip Primary School has recognised the importance of incorporating technology into student education from an early age… more
GTT to implement new 3G software
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) said it would be implementing a new 3G software and would be turning down 17 of its 2G cell sites across Guyana on November 15, 2020… more
Digicel, SafeToNet join forces to make internet safer for children
Regional – With the COVID-9 pandemic driving more people online, Digicel recognises the need to place additional emphasis on digital security… more
Flow service interruptions following island-wide outage
Saint Kitts and Nevis – On Thursday 12th November the residents of St. Kitts experienced an electricity outage around 7:15am, which was later confirmed by the St. Kitts Electricity Company (SKELEC) as affecting the entire island. The power outage was a result of a fire at the Needsmust power plant… more
bmobile Opens Its Doors to Young Entrepreneurs
Trinidad and Tobago – It’s not always about the money when you think ‘how can I encourage entrepreneurship?’ … more
TATT hands over ICT devices to Education Ministry
Trinidad and Tobago – TATT chairman Gilbert Peterson SC formally presented the devices to Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Education at a ceremony at TATT’s Barataria office. Within the next few weeks, 9,200 more devices will be handed over to the ministry bringing the total to 10,000… more
Saturday, 14 November 2020
GTT to phase out 17 2G cell sites as it implements new 3G software
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) recently announced that it is set to phase out 17 of their 2G cell sites, which will see them being upgraded as it implements the new 3G software… more
Tablet for 8-yr-old
Guyana – Eight-year-old Tashmini Sewah was yesterday presented with a tablet by President Irfaan Ali, which will be used by her to attend virtual classes… more
Digicel’s new CEO promises digital engagement
Trinidad and Tobago – CONNECTION, competition, consumers and complaints. These days, that’s how Abraham Smith, Digicel Trinidad and Tobago’s latest chief executive, is dividing his time… more
Sunday, 15 November 2020
Using Technology To Improve Vaccine Coverage
Jamaica – The announcement that a vaccine for COVID-19 is ready is one that has brought much relief to many persons around the world. Vaccines have, for decades, been one of the best tools to prevent certain diseases… more
Image credits: journalismthatmatters (flickr); Wikipedia; Facebook; Aliv; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Guyana Chronicle
