Welcome to ICT Pulse’s Roundup of the previous week’s ICT and technology news! These news below have been drawn from a variety of sources, but primarily from newspapers and press releases published within the Caribbean region. Currently, we plan is post every Monday, a recap of all of the major ICT/technology happenings that made the news during the previous week. However, if the volume of material is consistently substantial, we may opt to publish the Roundup more frequently. In the meantime, enjoy …
Monday, 25 July 2011
CTV loses rights to broadcast several stations
Antigua – An agreement between Turner Broadcasting System Latin America, Inc (TBSLA) and Karib Cable has left CTV without the right to broadcast networks owned by TBSLA. It means only Karib Cable has exclusive rights to broadcast programming from CNN, TNT, CNN Headline News, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and truTV to its subscribers in Antigua… more
Guyanese Gov’t To Get Tough On Media
Guyana – Guyanese television and radio stations previously suspended could find it harder to renew their licences under a draft broadcasting law, which will also set a raft of restrictions on programming and conduct. But the decades-old government monopoly on radio broadcasting would almost certainly end if the bill is approved by the government’s simple majority and receives the presidential assent… more
European Union support network in Caribbean
Grenada – Using technology, Caribbean member states will be better able to enhance their global competitiveness. The Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network, CKLN, an inter-governmental Agency of CARICOM, secured a grant of Euro 10 million from the European Union to develop a broadband fiber optic network, called C@ribNET… more
Stamping Out Payola – Radio, TV still important In Digital Age
Jamaica – There is a school of thought that believes that with increased Internet access, radio and television are less important to music consumers and, therefore, payola concerns are overstated. But Cordel Green, executive director of the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, quickly shoots down that opinion… more
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Telecoms companies lock horns; customers without service
Antigua – Digicel and APUA are trading verbal blows over which company is responsible for a technical fault that has disenfranchised Digicel customers since Monday… more
BTC introduces mobile top-up system for pre-paid customers
Bahamas – One week after a privatized BTC announced it was dropping long-distance connection charges for inter-island calls originating from mobile phones, there is more good news for cell phone users. Pre-paid consumers will soon be able to top up the minutes on their phones at dozens of new and modernized locations, including at cash registers in grocery stores and fuel stations, and will be able to add as little as a dollar to their prepaid accounts with a new product — EZTop-Up… more
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Phone card vendors concerned about impact of new BTC top-up system
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is set to align its cost base with industry standards worldwide, it confirmed in a statement yesterday, leaving street vendors who make a living selling the company’s prepaid phone cards fearing that alignment will thin their profit margins to the point of destroying their livelihood… more
Thursday, 28 July 2011
Injunction Forces Restoration Of Digicel Service
Antigua – Digicel services that had been unavailable since Monday evening began returning yesterday afternoon after the company got a court injunction forcing government-owned APUA to reconnect its network to the national system… more
Friday, 29 July 2011
BTC’s $1m EZTop marketing spend
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday said it plans to spend $1 million in marketing suport over the next 12 months to support distribution of its prepaid EZTop-Up cell phone minutes, describing the reduction in wholesaler commission rates as “necessary” to bring them in line with industry norms… more
Some phone card vendors overcharging customers
Bahamas – Some phone card vendors are overcharging customers to compensate for reductions in their profit margins as the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) rolls out its EZTop-Up system, which is expected to lead to a reduction in the phone card business… more
Cable Bahamas chooses Nokia Siemens Networks for voice services
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas will soon be the first in the islands to offer high-quality attractively priced IP telephony service over cable networks, as the company has selected the Nokia Siemens Networks’ voice over cable (VoC) softswitch platform to roll out the services… more
Government launches $10.2 mil e-gov’t portal
Bahamas – The government officially launched its $10.2 million e-government portal yesterday, which will allow members of the public to do a wide variety of business transactions with the government from their personal computers… more
SMART says 3G! But P.U.C. and Telemedia still no deal
Belize – Standard interconnectivity between Smart and Telemedia remains in limbo tonight despite a Supreme Court order at the end of March for both companies to establish new terms and conditions for the use of shared infrastructure… more
Local TV goes HD
Cayman – High-definition local broadcasts are coming to Cayman, possibly as soon as October, when CITN plans to launch Cayman 27 in the HD format… more
LIME takes measures to improve revenue
Jamaica –INTEGRATED telecommunications giant LIME Jamaica intends to cut benefits to employees as it attempts to redirect focus to its major earners, the landline and broadband/data services market, in an effort to attain profitability. These changes come just four months after the company’s annual report showed losses of J$2.5 billion… more
LIME by no means retreating from mobile market
Jamaica – GARRY Sinclair, managing director of LIME Jamaica & Cayman did not say that the telecommunications company was retreating from the mobile market, as reported in today’s Caribbean Business Report… more
ICT Experts to attend Regional Convention on Critical Internet Governance Issues for the Caribbean and Latin America
Trinidad and Tobago – Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy and regulatory specialists, Government Ministers and Internet gurus will be attending an important Latin America and Caribbean Convention on Internet Governance aimed at strengthening the Region’s involvement in the governance and use of the Internet and its resources… more
Saturday, 30 July 2011
First group of employees leave BTC
Bahamas – One hundred and sixty-two employees who received voluntary separation packages (VSEP) spent their last day at the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday… more
$100,000 packages for BTC employees
Bahamas – The first wave of BTC employees who accepted voluntary separation packages left the company yesterday with an average financial package of at least $100,000 each… more
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