A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 8 February to Sunday 14 February 2021.

 

Monday, 8 February 2021

US$17.4M to improve internet in 200 communities

Guyana – Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips on Monday told members of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO) that the government would be investing US$17.4M to improve the ICT capabilities of more than 200 communities in Guyana… more

100 tablets donated to MOE under KFC Add Hope programme

Jamaica – Quick-service food company Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ) has donated 100 tablets to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s (MoEYI) ‘One Laptop or Tablet per Child’ initiative… more

 

Tuesday, 9 February 2021

Mobile Commerce Provider At 100,000 Download Mark

Bahamas – A Bahamian mobile commerce provider says its app has hit the 100,000 download mark through local businesses increasingly using the platform to drive digital sales… more

Liberty Latin America highlights the need for safe Internet access for all

Jamaica – Liberty Latin America (LLA) is observing Safer Internet Day today, February 9, as its subsidiaries across Latin America and the Caribbean promote the need for safe access for all. The day is being observed internationally under the theme, “Together for a better Internet”… more

CANTO CONNECT 2- 37th AGM & Mini Exhibition Day 1 Recap

Regional – CANTO CONNECT 2- 37th AGM & Mini Exhibition delivered all that was promised and more, from virtual start to finish on day 1, Monday 8th February 2021… more  

Cybercrime: How to protect yourself

Regional – You may think that hackers stealing your financial information is the only form of cybercrime you have to worry about but sadly this isn’t the case… more

 

Wednesday, 10 February 2021

FTC warns that Jamaica’s mobile telecoms market is susceptible to coordinated conduct

Jamaica – The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is warning that Jamaica’s mobile telecommunications market is susceptible to coordinated conduct by the dominant mobile players… more

CHE-ANDRE GORDON, Brainboxx’s brain

Jamaica – CHE-ANDRE Gordon is a 28-year-old computer scientist and chief executive officer of Brainboxx Solutions Limited, a Jamaica-based technology company specialising in delivering high-quality software solutions… more

Enterprise: Digital mastery

Jamaica – WE have now reached the last component in our series on the road map to digital transformation – digital mastery. It must be the goal of any organisation that embarks on the journey to ultimately become a digital master… more

PBS Tech Group bond gets investment grade credit rating

Jamaica – A bond issue by PBS Technology Group Limited (PBSTGL) has been assigned ratings of CariA (local currency) and CariA- (foreign currency) by the Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited (CariCRIS) on its regional scale… more

Telegram rules in Jamaica

Jamaica – TELEGRAM Messenger jumped to number one in Jamaica as the app became the most downloaded on mobiles around the world for January 2021… more

Social media for business

Regional – WELCOME to Digital Life and a whole new service for businesses that want to use social media… more

The 6G fight is not for us

Regional – WHILE we are waiting for full deployment of 5G in our markets there is a fight going on over 6G, the next roll-out of the industrial revolution… more

Digital transformation and COVID-19

Regional – Inevitably, in any discussion about technological trends, the term digital transformation pops up, as companies discuss efforts to take advantage of new paradigms within business, technology, and culture… more

Probe into contraband electronic devices continue at BCF

Saint Lucia – Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Senator the Honourable Hermangild Francis has confirmed that going forward the smuggling of contraband including cellphones… more

Digital device addiction

Trinidad and Tobago –  Imagine that you’re a typical middle school student having dinner with your family. Your mother takes your smartphone away and puts it in a lock-box that won’t open for an hour… more

 

Thursday, 11 February 2021

$400,000 Cybersecurity Project To Include Response Team

Bahamas – THE government launched the National Cybersecurity Project yesterday that will establish a national computer incident response team… more

National Cybersecurity Project launched

Bahamas – The government launched the National Cybersecurity Project yesterday, pledging to have a national cybersecurity strategy and Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) established by the third quarter of the year… more

URCA Plans To Study Third Mobile Operator Feasibility

Bahamas – The Bahamian electronic communications sector faces a comprehensive market review that could possibly pave the way for the introduction of a third mobile phone operator… more

Dominican Republic officially launches 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz tenders

Dominican Republic – The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) has officially launched the country’s tender of 5G-compatible frequencies in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands at an event attended by president Luis Abinader… more

Dominican Republic’s digital banking arena receives boost

Dominican Republic – With a wealth of experience from 80 years in the banking industry Banreservas knew that a digital revolution was taking place so they were already prepared and well positioned to serve its clients when the world closed down in 2020… more

Dominican Republic starts 5G network services

Dominican Republic – The Government started today the 5G network as part of the present administration’s broadband plan… more

46% of Caribbean business behind on training workers for digital era

Regional – Over a quarter of businesses in the Caribbean have not been able to meet their digitisation goals… more

Liberty Latin America Highlights the Need for Safe Internet Access for All

Regional – : Connectivity is at the heart of Liberty Latin America’s business with a focus on ensuring as many people as possible can access the digital world… more

TELEM main office closes at noon on Thursday due to positive COVID-19.

Sint Maarten – Dear Valued Customers, Please be informed that due to one of our staff members testing positive for COVID-19 and out an abundance of caution, our Main Branch will be closing at 12:00 PM today… more

Digicel’s identity crisis

Trinidad and Tobago – Digicel wanted to talk about BiP, their absurdly named communications tool, but what I kept hearing was a company that knew what it was, knew it needed to become something else, and wasn’t sure how it would get there… more

 

Friday, 12 February 2021

Cable’s $70m Loan Remedies ‘Breaches’ With Aliv Bond Terms

Bahamas – Cable Bahamas’ $70m long-term loan to its Aliv affiliate was yesterday said to have remedied the mobile operator’s non-compliance with conditions attached to $60m in previously-issued bonds… more

Flow joins BUT to give online safety tips

Barbados – Barbados’ leading telecommunication provider is encouraging teachers, parents and students to think about internet safety as it relates to online classes… more

E-Networks thanks GCCI for Business of the Year award

Guyana – E-Networks Inc, Guyana’s only local internet and TV services provider, today expressed its appreciation to the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for naming the company as its 2020 “Large Business of the Year… more

E-Networks welcomes removal of VAT on residential and individual data

Guyana – E-Networks, a 100% Guyanese owned and managed telecoms provider, today lauded the Government of Guyana on removing Value Added Tax (VAT) from residential and individual data services… more

 

Saturday, 13 February 2021

Be responsible online, say social media influencers

Jamaica – Social media influencers encouraged internet users to be responsible online, during the ‘Influencers’ Roundtable’ segment of Flow Foundation’s Safer Internet Day (SID) Virtual Teen Summit earlier this week… more

Coding programme offers hope for youth

Jamaica – Janeil Weir is one of the few females in the coding programme being offered through the HEART/NSTA Trust by the Amber Group Limited, and the 21-year-old is determined to do her best given the prospects of securing a full-time job in the industry and her own desire to make her mother proud… more

TTMA ready to go digital for 2021 trade and investment conference

Trinidad and Tobago – As much as it hopes to host a hybrid physical and virtual event for this year’s Trade and Investment Convention (TIC), the TT Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) is prepared to go completely digital if necessary… more

 

Sunday, 14 February 2021

Digicel Jamaica CEO inspired by company owner O’Brien

Jamaica – IT did not take long to know the main inspiration behind the success of Digicel Jamaica’s new man in charge: He is Denis O’Brien, the billionaire Irishman who decided to invest in the local economy 20 years ago… more

itelbpo builds COVID-19-designed contact centres in Jamaica, St Lucia

Jamaica – One of the Caribbean’s largest business process outsourcing firm (BPO), itelbpo, has designed a COVID-19-ready facility in Jamaica, and will further upgrade its St Lucia location… more

Stepping up Jamaica’s telecoms pace with Digicel

Jamaica – HE was born in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, specifically that mountainous section called Tajikstan, Central Asia, which became an independent nation in September 1991, a mere three months after the USSR was dissolved… more

160 tablets donated to help children access education

Trinidad and Tobago – A total of 160 electronic tablets were distributed to primary schools and other organisations recently as part of the programme to provide vulnerable children with equipment to access to remote education… more

 

 

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (Pixabay); Logo UK; Wikipedia; Brands of the World; e-Neworks; itelbpo smart solutions;