Roundup: for the week ending 26 May 2013

A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 20 May to Sunday 26 May 2013.

Monday, 20 May 2012

EDITORIAL: LIME’s $100m investment great news

Barbados – The announcement by telecommunications firm LIME that it intends investing $100 million in an islandwide network upgrade is good news for Barbados and all those living here… more

D-Day for 300 LIME workers

Jamaica – Telecommunications company, LIME Jamaica is to begin a transition process today that will see the posts of 305 workers being made redundant… more

Technology Moving Way Too Fast For Me

Jamaica – Okay, that’s it, I’m going back to the stone age. Forget about cellphones, smartphones and tablets. Give me the good old abeng, smoke signals and bird calls… more

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Cable Launches Its ‘Extreme’ Internet

Bahamas – Cable Bahamas has launched its REVON Extreme service, which with Internet speeds of up to 70 megabits per second is self-described as the fastest of its kind for Bahamian residential customers… more

Internet analyst: Fiber-optic cable branch from Cuba to Jamaica now carrying traffic

Cuba – A new branch of the Venezuela-to-Cuba undersea fiber-optic cable has reportedly come online, linking the island to nearby Jamaica, increasing Cuba’s potential international communications bandwidth and providing a backup for the main line… more

Accused hacker to return to court

Jamaica – The man charged with hacking into computers from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, is to return to court today… more

JAS and Digicel Sign $30 Million Sponsorship Deal

Jamaica – The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) and telecommunications giant, Digicel, on Monday, May 20, signed a $30 million contract to provide support for the Denbigh Agricultural Industrial and Food Show over the next three years… more

Single ICT Watchdog will Boost Investment – State Minister Robinson

Jamaica – Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Julian Robinson, says the creation of a single oversight agency for Information Communications Technology (ICT) is critical in attracting investment for the growth of the sector… more

Tablets In Schools, Yes, But Please … !

Jamaica – I read with a sense of regret about the recent stabbing incident at the Penwood High School, an occurrence which has become all too commonplace… more

Trini techie makes Business Insider top 30

Trinidad & Tobago – A few weeks ago, Stacy-Marie Ishmael was named one of the 30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech by Business Insider magazine… more

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

BTC brings Blackberry Z10 to Bahamas

Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has launched the Blackberry Z10 smartphone on the local market… more

Belize Bandwidth Still Slowest, Most Expensive In Region

Belize – BTL may have doubled internet speeds and cut rates in NOVEMBER of 2012 – but according to a 2013 survey of Caribbean Internet Service Providers, internet in Belize is still the most expensive and among the slowest in the entire Caribbean region… more

BUSINESS BYTE: Digicel celebrates seven years in Dominica

Dominica – In celebrations of its seventh anniversary in Dominica this month, Digicel is saying ‘Thank you’ to its loyal family of customers by giving them the chance to win one of tons of fantastic prizes… more

Are the new telecoms licences up for sale too pricey?

Jamaica – Already delayed by a week, the auction of two wireless broadband telecommunications licence has been postponed… more

Court of Appeal to rule on Digicel/FTC case in October

Jamaica – Telecoms giant Digicel will have to wait until October 25 to know if the Court of Appeal will overturn a lower court decision last year that allowed the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) to oppose its merger with telecoms provider Claro… more

GK goes after mobile money

Jamaica – Grace Kennedy is among seven applicants to have so far sought authorisation to become electronic retail payment service providers… more

Technology Ministry to Stage 2-Day Animation Competition in June

Jamaica – The Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, will host an animation festival in June, which will provide an opportunity for local animators to showcase their innovations and make international links… more

Young Innovators to Benefit from Venture Capital Programme

Jamaica – The venture capital programme, being developed by the Government, will provide the opportunity for local technology experts to access funding to develop their innovative ideas into sustainable business ventures… more

Cable & Wireless Posts Annual Profit; Plans To Save $100 Mln

Regional – Cable & Wireless Communications Plc. (CWC.L) Wednesday reported a profit for the year compared to a loss last year, amid lower exceptional items. The company added that it has set a new target to drive $100 million of savings… more

Blink backs education, micro businesses

Trinidad & Tobago – The Internet is a portal for access to a multitude of business, social, professional, educational, entertainment apps and other content. Yet for all of its pervasiveness, use of the Internet to improve business and education remains an important challenge for decision-makers in the region… more

Opposition accused of cyber crime

Trinidad & Tobago – Legislation to deal with cyber crime is coming, says Minister of Science and Technology Rupert Griffith… more

Thursday, 23 May 2013

BTC ‘Not Immune’ From CWC’S $100m Cost Push

Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) will “not be immune” to the $100 million savings drive of its majority shareholder, which yesterday said its Bahamian asset’s operating costs were still “higher than we’d like to see”… more

Strong performance by BTC in 2012/13

Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) continued to perform strongly in the 2012/13 financial year according to its parent company, Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), which reported its Annual Results on Wednesday 22 May… more

Second Segment of Fiber Optic Cable Connects to Cuba

Cuba – The fiber optic cable, which is expected to improve Cuba’s connectivity to the Internet, is of utmost importance to the country, and every piece of information continues to clarify the current state of this technological infrastructure… more

Broadcasting Commission Cautions Students on Use of New Media

Jamaica – The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) is advising students to verify the accuracy of information they receive through new media, including platforms such as Facebook… more

IXP Crucial To Building St Lucia’s Digital Economy

St. Lucia – An Internet exchange point would play a crucial role in facilitating the growth of St. Lucia’s emerging digital economy, an international technology expert has said… more

TelEm Group 3G network now free of interference from Anguilla

St. Maarten – TelEm Group technicians and engineers today reported that the company’s 3G mobile voice and data network is now free of interference from neighboring Anguilla. The network is now fully operational under a different frequency… more

How broad should broadband get?

Trinidad & Tobago – The role of technology in economic growth and quality of life is an inescapable fact of modern society… more

Friday, 24 May 2013

BTC Targets 10 New Franchises In 18 Months

Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) plans to open 10 new retail franchise locations in New Providence and Grand Bahama over the next four months, it said yesterday, with another 20 set to be launched within an 18-month period… more

LIME Jamaica Delivers On Mobile Growth

Jamaica – Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC), the parent company of LIME Jamaica, earned US$20 million from its local subsidiary at yearend March 2013, which was about one-third less in operating profit, or EBIDTA, earned from Jamaican transactions a year ago… more

Tender for 700MHz band delayed due to lack of interest

Jamaica – Jamaica’s government has delayed plans to auction spectrum in the 700MHz band intended for LTE services due to a lack of interest in the tender and suspicions that the minimum bidding price of US$40mn is too high, the Jamaica Gleaner reported… more

Saturday, 25 May 2013

BTC to open 10 franchise locations across Bahamas

Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) will open 10 new Franchise locations in New Providence and Grand Bahama over the next four months and another 20 within over the next eighteen months… more

Cable Bahamas launches new 70 megabits per second broadband Internet service

Bahamas – Less than one month after officially launching speed increases of 500 percent, Cable Bahamas has now released its much-anticipated REVON Extreme… more

Digicel launches affordable Smart phone

Guyana – The opportunity is now given to those who are ‘tight-fisted’ with their money to get rid ofDigicel Smart phone DL600 their Alcatels and purchase a Smart phone.
Digicel, on Thursday, announced that it is making the Android experience affordable and accessible to all with the launch of its DL600 Smart phone… more

Digicel starts Cash Back reward programme in Jamaica

Jamaica – Digicel has launched a Cash Back reward programme in Jamaica…  more

Sunday, 26 May 2013

Digicel widens coverage in Region 8

Guyana – Digicel on Sunday announced that the company has switched on its state-of-the-art service in Jumbie Creek in the Potaro-Siparuni region, bringing an end to the second phase of the company’s major service expansion project… more

Image credits:  Wikipedia;  The Eleutheran;  Wikipedia

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