A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 5 April to Sunday 11 April 2021.
Monday, 5 April 2021
The sunny Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao has extended an invitation to remote workers to work and live there for up to a year
Curaçao – Work from home would take on a whole new dimension if our ‘office’ had mountains, or beach and ocean views… more
Bonnick urges entrepreneurs to look online
Jamaica – AS the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to hinder traditional face-to-face shopping, co-founder of the Flight To Freedom (FTF) clothing line, Kejon Bonnick is imploring other entrepreneurs to explore online options… more
Tuesday, 6 April 2021
Aliv: Govt must choose between third mobile network or 5G
Bahamas – The government will have to choose between whether it wants to approve a third mobile operator or invest in 5G technology, Aliv said in its recent response to the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority’s (URCA) draft annual plan for 2021… more
BTC and Cable Bahamas urge URCA to complete mobile market review
Bahamas – Both the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Cable Bahamas (CBL) have urged their regulator to complete the long-promised mobile market review as a matter of urgency, with the latter noting that uncertainty over whether there will be a third mobile operator will delay investment in 5G… more
LYTHCOTT OUTLINES POSITIVE IMPACT OF DIGITAL IDS
Barbados – Director of Northpoint Consulting, Antonio Lythcott, recently shared what he believed Digital IDs meant for the Caribbean and how the implementation of the cards would impact those who decided to use them… more
DOMINICA LAUNCHES ‘WORK IN NATURE’ DIGITAL NOMAD VISA
Dominica – Dominica is the latest island nation to launch an extended-stay visa programme in the hope of attracting digital nomads to paradise. Olivia Palamountain reports… more
The JCSD Virtual E-AGMs Platform Launch
Jamaica – “The Jamaica Central Securities Depository Limited (JCSD) recognized the challenges listed companies and other companies face in hosting their Annual General Meetings (AGMs), Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM) and other events during this Pandemic, as the Government’s and the Ministry of Health & Wellness, to protect the population, have mandated no gathering and/or restrictions on the number of persons attending an event face-to-face… more
Eastern Caribbean becomes the first currency union to issue blockchain-based digital currency
Regional – The Eastern Caribbean has created its own form of digital currency meant to help speed transactions and serve people without bank accounts… more
UWI receives US$25m grant from US tech giant
Regional – The University of the West Indies (UWI) announced today that it has secured a grant of US$25 million from virtual and augmented reality software developer EON Reality… more
St Kitts and Nevis Keeps its Digital Transformation Promise by Launching Digital Currency
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has officially launched its digital currency, also known as DCash, this week… more
Wednesday, 7 April 2021
Central Bank of Bahamas shares updates on Sand dollar CBDC progress
Bahamas – John Rolle, the Governor of the Central Bank of Bahamas, has shared some updates on the rollout of the Bahamas’ central bank digital currency (CBDC) which went live in October… more
Govt’s CIRT Launch In Cyber Security ‘Best Practice’
Bahamas – A local technology provider said the launch of the Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) would allow the country to follow “global best practice” on cyber security… more
Top IT professionals participate in Government’s First-ever National Cybersecurity Assessment Session
Bahamas – A milestone component of the Government’s digital transformation strategy, Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) Assessment sessions were held on March 30-31, 2021… more
CBDC, good for you & business
Jamaica – In our last column, we outlined what central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are, how they work, and the critical role they will play in realising a digital society… more
IT professionals are front-line workers too
Jamaica – While we set out on the path of technological transformation, a set of professionals are now just as important as doctors and lawyers… more
Puerto Rico’s internet speeds zip past 121 countries, including US
Puerto Rico – In a recent study by FairInternet Report about the global industry, Puerto Rico ranked 21 among 142 jurisdictions with the highest average internet speeds in 2020… more
Social $ense: Choose social media carefully
Regional – When you first enter the world of social media, you may be tempted to join most of the platforms in the hopes of reaching everyone… more
Digicel cuts staff in shift to digital
Trinidad and Tobago – Digicel Group has confirmed that the company has reduced staff as a result of digital transformation… more
Praise for iGovTT
Trinidad and Tobago – THE National Information and Communication Technology Company Ltd (iGovTT) has been praised for the role it has played in boosting T&T’s IT environment amid the Covid-19 pandemic… more
Thursday, 8 April 2021
Teachers at Parham Primary School receive free Google Classroom Training
Antigua and Barbuda – Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the systemic problems in our systems have been exposed… more
Lloyd ‘Very Satisfied’ With Education Access
Bahamas – EDUCATION Minister Jeffrey Lloyd said he is “very satisfied” his ministry has provided students access to quality education during the coronavirus pandemic… more
Samsung Galaxy S21 series now available in The Bahamas
Bahamas – Samsung Electronics Central America and the Caribbean has announced the availability of the Galaxy S21 series at carrier partners in The Bahamas… more
Top IT professionals participate in govt’s first-ever national cybersecurity assessment session
Bahamas – A milestone component of the government’s digital transformation strategy, Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) Assessment sessions were held on March 30 and 31, 2021… more
EASTERN CARIBBEAN DOLLAR GOES DIGITAL, A HELP FOR UNBANKED
Regional – The Eastern Caribbean has created its own form of digital currency meant to help speed transactions and serve people without bank accounts… more
Friday, 9 April 2021
BOJ gives digital currency security assurance
Jamaica – Recognising that one of the greatest risks to the planned roll-out of the central bank digital currency, CBDC, is lack of interest and therefore, slow or no take-up by the public, the Bank of Jamaica, BOJ… more
Bitt develops world’s first Central Bank Digital Currency in a currency union
Regional – ‘DCash’, designed and developed by international fintech company Bitt in partnership with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), became the world’s first retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) to be publicly issued within a formal currency union… more
Saturday, 10 April 2021
Taiwan to help Belize fully digitize
Belize – To strengthen the close and cordial relations between Belize and Taiwan, the ambassadors of both nations met with ministers of each other’s government to discuss bond-strengthening measures and intentions for further cooperation… more
Guyana – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Market Key Players Change the View of the Global Face of Global Industry by 2028 : Guyana – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband – Statistics and AnalysesGuyana’s oil
Guyana – The detailed analysis of the global Guyana – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband market and all the dynamics related to it is offered in research report… more
Jamaica, Ireland firm partner to test CBDC project in 2021
Jamaica – The Bank of Jamaica has partnered with an Ireland-based company—eCurrency Mint—to pilot its central bank digital currency (CBDC) project. The project will commence between May and December of this year… more
bmobile opens phone lines to St Vincent this weekend
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – bmobile is ofering free calls to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) over the weekend… more
Sunday, 11 April 2021
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Image credits: (Mick Baker)rooster (flickr); Aliv; Wikipedia; Wikimedia Commons; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
