A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 14 January to Sunday 20 January 2013.
Monday, 14 January 2012
25 000 strong
Barbados – Before the week is out, close to 25 000 Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) members will be involved in a general strike, in protest against giant telecommunications company, LIME (Cable & Wireless)… more
GT&T appoints new CEO, CFO
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) on Monday announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer and a new Chief Financial Officer… more
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Dr Mansoor wants funding for emergency radio system
Antigua & Barbuda – Senator Dr Edmond Mansoor, who has responsibility for government telecommunications, has hit out at Finance Minister Harold Lovell for failing to provide adequate funding for the Public Safety Communications Network (PCSN)… more
Media Watchdog and the Government Role
Antigua & Barbuda – There is no doubt that media freedom has increased since the ALP lost in the 2004 General Elections. The oppression of the Observer Radio by the former ALP Government is a well-known story that has not been repeated since… more
Freundel Stuart to meet with Barbados union leader
Barbados – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart will meet with officials of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) later on Tuesday as he seeks to ward off a nationwide strike that the union has announced after it failed to get the telecommunications company, Cable and Wireless (Barbados) Limited, to retract dismissal letters sent to nearly 100 workers last week… more
BTC Owner Reinforces Bahamas Commitment
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) majority shareholder effectively hit back yesterday at Prime Minister Perry Christie’s concerns over its asset sales, adding that $749.7 million it would receive for exiting Macau will be ploughed back into its Bahamian – and Caribbean – interests… more
One Laptop staffers to know fate soon
Guyana – Staffers implicated in the theft of 150 laptops from the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project will know their fate by weekend based on the results of lie detector tests, Office of the President spokesman, Kwame Mc Coy said Tuesday… more
STATIN moving to digital collection of data
Jamaica – THE Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is moving toward a paperless system as it begins to roll out at least three of its current surveys electronically… more
Cable and Wireless to increase investment in Caribbean operations
Regional – Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) says it has agreed the sale of its Macau business, (CTM), for US$750 million, strengthening its ability to invest in the Central American and Caribbean region… more
LIME Tackles Bill Shock With Tangoe’s Real-Time Tem Solution
Regional – LIME, the Caribbean division of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), has adopted Orange, Conn.-based Tangoe’s Real-Time Telecom Expense Management (rTEM) solution as a value-added offering to its customers… more
Minerva Powers Pan-Caribbean Broadband TV Service
Regional – Minerva Networks, a leading provider of software solutions for the delivery of television services to connected devices, today announced that LIME, the largest telecommunication service provider in the Caribbean, has deployed Minerva iTVFusion to offer Broadband TV services within the region… more
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Barbados Workers Union puts nationwide strike on hold
Barbados – The Barbados Workers Union (BWU) has decided to put on hold, plans for a national strike pending the outcome of talks with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart on Friday… more
Columbus Communications connects Ja students with peers in Canada
Jamaica – Students of the Excelsior High School in Kingston yesterday engaged their peers from the Samuel W Shaw School in Calgary, Canada, in a friendly debate on ethical food… more
STATIN Launches Electronic Data Collection System
Jamaica – The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) on Tuesday (January 15) launched its groundbreaking Electronic Data Collection System (eDACS), which promises to revolutionize the way the agency collects and processes data… more
Cellphone plot to steal election
Trinidad & Tobago – The Tobago Council of the People’s National Movement (PNM) has received reports that a State security agency acquired and shipped 10,000 cellphones to Tobago in the past week, in a bid to steal Monday’s Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election… more
LIME’s Commitment To Education & Free Internet In Schools For Years!
Turks & Caicos Islands – LIME’s commitment to the educational process in the Turks & Caicos Islands is evident and this has been present for many years… more
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Computer Tablet Initiative Beneficial to Students
Antigua & Barbuda – Acting Minister of Education Winston Williams Jr has stressed the benefits of distributing 4G LTE tablets to students. He was responding to critics who said the e-Education Computer Tablet initiative would lead to abuse of the devices instead of aiding the students.… more
Parent questions Government/Digicel tablets’ fine print
Antigua & Barbuda – Student recipients of computer tablets being made available prospect. But one mother is warning about the “fine print” in the contract for the hundreds of computer tablets being distributed… more
Tablet distribution begins in schools
Antigua & Barbuda – After much debate and its fair share of controversy, the first batch of students received their tablets devices as part of government’s e-Education Computer Tablets programme… more
BTC: First Phase Of Upgrade Almost Complete
Bahamas – THE Bahamas Telecommunications Company announced yesterday that the initial phase of its mobile network build-out is almost complete… more
Blanket Wi-Fi coverage for UG, stadium – GT&T
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has announced that it will be offering blanket Wi-Fi coverage at the University of Guyana at a subsidised cost… more
GT&T ‘bypassing’ spectrum unavailability with fibre optic; to offer mobile bill payments, money transfers
Guyana – In the face of the prolonged delay in acquiring frequency spectrum, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has embarked on a pilot fibre-optic telephone and high-speed system on the West Bank Demerara… more
OUR gives Digicel deadline to answer customer complaints
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has given Digicel until Thursday, January 24 to respond to customer complaints about the company’s inability to set up calls successfully though the telecommunications provider’s network… more
Cable & Wireless putting all its focus on Central America and Caribbean
Regional – British telecommunications firm Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) finalised the sale of its stake in its Macau business for US$750 million on Monday (January 14)… more
Friday, 18 January 2013
DIGICEL chairman lauds Antigua’s GATE project
Antigua & Barbuda – The chairman and founder of the Irish-based telecommunication company, DIGICEL, Denis O’Brien says he supports an initiative by the Antigua and Barbuda government to implement the Government Assisted Technology Endeavour (GATE) programme… more
FREE WIFI Hot Spots of The Bahamas Directory –
Bahamas – The Bahamas Weekly is pleased to announce a new FREE listing service… more
PM still seeking settlement
Barbados – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart was tonight still attempting to stave off an island-wide shut down by the Barbados Workers Union… more
GT&T to launch mobile service for bill payments, cash transfers
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) will soon be launching a “mobile money” service, which will allow its customers to use their phones for a wide range of financial services, including paying bills and transferring cash… more
Speed up telecoms legislation – PSC, GCCI
Guyana – The latest deferral of the second reading of the Telecommunications Bill has drawn comments from three senior private sector umbrella organisation officials, all of whom have told Stabroek Business that a point has been reached where the passage of the legislation ending the extant Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) monopoly had to be significantly accelerated… more
Digicel blames implementation of new voice mail system for call issues
Jamaica – Digicel, the dominant mobile phone company in Jamaica, has responded to reports that its customers have been experiencing difficulties in making calls on its network… more
Flow – Advancing Education Through Technology
Jamaica – Today, we continue to profile companies that have been nominated for the prestigious 2012 Gleaner Honour Award. Flow has been nominated in the category of education… more
OUR wants Digicel to address voicemail glitches
Jamaica – Telecommunications company Digicel has acknowledged that there are glitches in the voicemail system it recently introduced… more
Parliamentary committee to review Cyber Crimes Act
Jamaica – Parliament is in the process of appointing a select committee comprised of members from both houses to review the 2010 Cyber Crimes Act … more
LIME Takes It To The Next Level With Digital TV
St. Lucia – Saint Lucia’s and the Caribbean’s leading telecommunication service provider, LIME is moving to shut down its analog cable television network and offer subscribers the full benefits of digital TV in the weeks and months to come… more
Saturday, 19 January 2013
URCA’s latest Code Regulations published
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (“URCA”) this week published its final decision on the Code of Practice for Content Regulations, to be observed by Licencees providing audiovisual media services in The Bahamas… more
Barbados Worker’s Union reaches agreement with Cable & Wireless
Barbados – The Barbados Workers Union (BWU) has welcomed the agreement reached during the early hours of Saturday with the telecommunications company, Cable and Wireless (Barbados) Limited, and averting a nationwide strike over the dismissal of nearly 100 workers earlier this month… more
Sir Roy: Victory!
Barbados – An agreement was brokered early this morning between the Barbados Workers’ Union and the telecommunications company LIME, after close to 12 hours of deliberations between the two entities, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, and it is being classified by the Union as a victory for the labour movement… more
Digicel Must Improve Shoddy Customer Service
Jamaica –Sir, I feel the need to express my frustration and dissatisfaction with Digicel’s poor service. I had hoped that after all the complaints the company received from me through customer service, eventually the problems would have been resolved… more
Govt using ICT as a Tool for Development – Paulwell
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (STEM), Hon. Phillip Paulwell, has said that the Government is committed to providing Jamaicans with access to information communication technology (ICT) as tool for development… more
Not Happy With Digicel Upgrade
Jamaica – Dear Digicel, We do not like your new improvements… more
Sunday, 20 January 2013
BWU wants greater respect for labour relations
Barbados – The leadership of Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) will be speaking early next week to the members of the public who supported their stance in its dispute with tele-communications company, LIME… more
Digicel Critical Of New Model To Set Mobile Rates
Jamaica – Possible plans to drop mobile rates even further by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) would result in Jamaica offering the lowest global calling rates, according to Digicel in a multi-page critique of a proposed rate-setting model… more
Digi-Data, HP launch system for companies to safely store data
Trinidad & Tobago – Local technology company Digi-Data and international software giant HP partnered to launch a system where companies can safely store information relating to their operations… more
Image credits: Ramberg Media Images (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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