A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 4 June to Sunday 10 June 2012.
Monday, 4 June 2012
iMobile-Bill
Antigua & Barbuda – APUA says it will be recording telecoms service consumption on a single bill for each customer from the month-end… more
BCCEC: Benefits of BTC renationalization ‘not clear’
Bahamas – As union officials praise the government for its push to “restore” majority ownership of Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to the people, the chairman of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) has issued a warning on the “unintended impact” on foreign investment… more
LIME turn-off
Barbados – Barbadian customers are angry about telephone service provider LIME’s proposal to charge for data streaming of video, audio and games via mobile devices from July 1… more
What’s Trending: LIME’s new charges
Barbados – LIME’s decision to charge for data streaming of video, audio and games via mobile devices from July 1 has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some of our online readers… more
More enabling policies needed for Caribbean to go digital
Regional – Broadband is less accessible, more expensive and less used in most Latin American and Caribbean countries than the average for countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)… more
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
Caribbean Cable Communications Unveils Plans to Introduce Digital Technology
Anguilla – Caribbean Cable Communications, Anguilla’s premier provider of cable TV, high-speed Internet and fixed-line telephone service, on Tuesday June 5th, 2012 announced a system-wide upgrade to digital technology to better serve its customers… more
APUA telecoms billings to be streamlined
Antigua & Barbuda – Starting at the end of this month, Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) customers will begin to notice changes in the billing process as the company begins implementing a new system geared at improved customer service… more
Electronic financial scams increasing
Antigua & Barbuda – An alert has been issued by the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) amid a reported upsurge in electronic financial scams that has resulted in financial losses to some residents… more
RIM: Bahamas remains ‘stronghold’ for BlackBerry
Bahamas – Research In Motion (RIM) is poised to launch a series of new products in the Caribbean, calling The Bahamas a key “stronghold” in an otherwise shaky marketplace… more
Digicel package deal
Barbados – After cutting about ten per cent of its staff in Jamaica through a voluntary separation package in 2009, Digicel is expanding its offer to workers in Barbados and other parts of the region…more
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
BTC Introduces New Prepaid Mobile Features
Bahamas – BTC announced it is launching a new mobile feature, Star 200 (*200#), allowing pre-paid customers to top up minutes, transfer minutes to another number or view account balance and other information on their screens… more
IDB: Bahamas lowest in mobile broadband
Bahamas – The Bahamas is reportedly the lowest ranking country in mobile broadband penetration rates, according to a report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)… more
URCA issues pre-approval on number portability
Bahamas – By next year, Bahamians will be able to switch phone companies without having to change their coveted number… more
Avaya announces US$230.0M buyout of video, wireless provider
Dominican Republic – Avaya announced Tuesday the completion of the acquisition of Radvision a leading provider of IP video technologies and wireless networks… more
Tricom to invest more than US$125M to expand optic fiber coverage
Dominican Republic – The telecom Tricom will invest more than US$125 million to install the market’s widest optic fiber coverage, as part of a three-year expansion it affirms will require an additional US$40 million investment next year… more
OUR sets $5 per minute mobile termination rate
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has set a $5 per minute mobile termination rate (MTR) across all networks to be implemented on July 15… more
Digicel Operating Profit Hits Record Us$1B
Regional – Mobile company Digicel Group Limited said Tuesday that it grew operating profit by 13 per cent to US$1.08 billion, supported by its growth in subscribers, at financial yearend March 2012… more
Digicel subscribers rise 27%
Regional – Digicel Group increased its subscriber base by 27 per cent to 12.8 million over the financial year ending March 31, 2012, reporting US$1.1 billion ($96.3 billion) EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) for the period… more
Thursday, 7 June 2012
BlackBerry calls BTC network ‘one of the fastest’ in Caribbean
Bahamas – The director of Research In Motion (RIM) for the Caribbean says The Bahamas has the one of the fastest mobile networks in the region… more
Sunshine suffers ‘attack’ of cyber crime
Bahamas – Sunshine Holdings Limited has filed legal action against a former employee over an alleged Internet theft that could incur “substantial damages” on the top holding company… more
Caribbean entrepreneurs still have chance at US$100,000
Regional – Entrepreneurs and businesses in the Caribbean and the diaspora now have until July 31 to submit their grant applications for up to US$ 100,000 in funding to develop their innovative business projects… more
Friday, 8 June 2012
Bethel: Risk of online crime ‘enormous’
Bahamas – “Woefully outdated” trademark laws and insufficient safeguards in the online world could place major players in the corporate world at risk, according to a top information technology (IT) lawyer… more
Glitch causes ankle bracelet system shutdown
Bahamas – A glitch caused the electronic monitoring system to shut down on Tuesday, according to a Nassau Guardian source, who is closely involved in national security issues… more
Barbados business owners advised to step up cyber security
Barbados – Members of the business community in Barbados have been warned that they can no longer rely solely on physical structures to secure and protect their properties, but must also seek to implement measures to secure their assets from sophisticated and technologically savvy cybercriminals… more
Digicel, LIME face sanctions in BVI
British Virgin Islands – Digicel and LIME have been accused of anti-competitive behaviour in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) by its regulator, which has decided to impose sanctions against both firms… more
LIME yields monopoly
Jamaica – Telecoms giant LIME has voluntarily given up the last three years of its monopoly at the Montego Bay Free Zone saying it has nothing to fear from competition… more
Mobay Free Zone To Be Expanded; Lime To Give Up Monopoly
Jamaica – The Montego Bay Free Zone is set for a 50,000 sq ft expansion and a break in the telecommunications services monopoly that was held by LIME… more
V.I. broadband network board approves contracts
US Virgin Islands – The V.I. Next Generation Network board approved a number of contracts Thursday, including a lease for office space on St. Croix… more
Saturday, 9 June 2012
CaribNOG Attracts International Tech Heavyweights
Trinidad & Tobago – Leading technology experts from the region and across the world will be converging on St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) for an intensive week of high-tech training… more
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Mixed signals coming from Digicel
Jamaica – The Digicel group raised US$2.54 billion in revenue for the financial year ending March 31, according to a release issued by it this week… more
Suzanne Saunders plays lead role in Digicel’s business solutions
Jamaica – Digicel Jamaica has tapped Suzanne Saunders to provide strategic leadership for its portfolio of business solutions, one of the fastest growing areas of the company’s operation… more
Image credit: Gary Thomson, flickr
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