A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 9 September to Sunday 15 September 2013.
Monday, 9 September 2013
BTC Targeting A Year-End Evolution
Bahamas – THE Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) said yesterday that its 4G network will be upgraded by year-end to facilitate its Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology platform, which will generate high-speed data on mobile phones and data terminals… more
Digicel Introduces New Low Rate Roaming Plan for Travellers to the US
Barbados – Today Digicel launched its ‘Roam Like Yuh Home’ roaming plan, making it easier and more affordable for customers to stay connected with family and friends while travelling overseas… more
Digicel teams up with Cost-U-Less for a more sound future
Barbados – Digicel Business, the region’s leading full service business solutions partner, welcomes Cost-U-Less (a division of The North West Company), to its family of valued customers, having signed a deal with the new entrant in Barbados… more
Tech Business -Finding The Right Smartphone Device
Jamaica – Smartphones are essential for keeping in touch and on top of things in the business world today, but with the wide array of devices on the market it can become a tedious task to find the one that is right for you… more
Tech Problem Of The Week: Is Your Mac Computer Running Slower Than Usual?
Jamaica – Why you need to know: Signs that your Mac computer is running slow are problems such as applications taking longer than usual to close or having to force quit such applications as well as a longer waiting period as your computer boots up… more
Tutorials on tablets
Jamaica – The Jamaican education system is about to get a technological boost this academic year through a partnership with telecoms provider Digicel and Cyber School Technology Solutions (CSTS), according to a news release from the telecoms company… more
Caribbean students to benefit from new CXC/Columbus International Cooperation
Regional – Imagine studying authentic Trinidadian steel pan from the comfort of your living room in Jamaica or learning the history of reggae via a teleclass on your mobile in Japan. This is the world that the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) wants to offer in the not too distance future to students across the region with the help of Columbus International (Columbus)… more
Digicel hands out iPad 2 in Text to Win promotion
St. Kitts & Nevis – Digicel has launched its ‘Text to Win’ promotion in St. Kitts & Nevis. As part of the September campaign, a Digicel customer will win an iPad 2… more
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Digicel Antigua & Barbuda launches LTE referral programme
Antigua & Barbuda – Digicel Antigua and Barbuda has launched a campaign dubbed ‘Refer a friend” for its 4G LTE internet service… more
BTC’s 4G-LTE Upgrades, Fast Approaching
Bahamas – By year-end, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s current high speed wireless 4G network will have undergone further upgrades to deliver Long Term Evolution, or 4G-LTE, a lightning-fast wireless communication network for high-speed data on mobile phones and data terminals… more
Five more employed at Digicel; Su Thomas prepares to leave
British Virgin Islands – Months after its two competitors announced job cuts, telecommunications provider Digicel has hired five more people including former Marketing Coordinator at CCT Global Communications Jayne Gray… more
ICT in education symposium carded for later this month
Dominica – The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Telecommunications Information and Constituency Empowerment have joined forces to secure the professional services of Dominican-born and Canadian Government e-Educational Advisor, Dr Laurelle Jno Baptiste towards the hosting of an ICT in Education Symposium later this month… more
Antigua Telecoms Minister Lauds Columbus International Inc. and CXC MOU
Regional – Antigua & Barbuda’s Minister of State for Information and Communications, Dr. Edmond Mansoor, on Thursday, September 05, 2013, lauded the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Columbus International Inc. (Columbus) and the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC)… more
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
BTC selects Huawei Marine to upgrade Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network International
Bahamas – Huawei Marine Networks Co., Ltd. (Huawei Marine) today announced that the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has selected Huawei Marine Optix BWS 1600S to upgrade the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network International (BDSNi)… more
BTC to roll out 4G-LTE in New Providence by Christmas
Bahamas – By year-end, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) current high-speed, wireless, 4G network will have undergone upgrades to deliver Long Term Evolution, or 4G-LTE, a “lightning-fast” wireless communication network for high-speed data on mobile phones and data terminals, the company said yesterday… more
BUSINESS BYTE: LIME to launch the new ‘youthful’ BlackBerry Q5 in Dominica
Dominica – Following its’ mega- launch of the Blackberry Z10 and Q10 smartphones, telecommunications company LIME has announced that the new BlackBerry Q5 smartphone will be available in stores in the coming weeks… more
Putting the Sale of Cable & Wireless Shares in Context
Grenada – We the people must put the announced sale of government’s shares in Cable & Wireless in its proper perspective. According to The Grenada Advocate (issue of Friday, March 28th, 2008) Mr. Timothy Antoine, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, stated that: … more
Digital workplace trends
Jamaica – HAVE you noticed how rapidly the look of our workplace has changed over the last few years? … more
Mystic Mountain goes with Digicel
Jamaica – Director of Mystic Mountain, Mike Drakulich, gets ready to send off Digicel’s Joy Clark, Head of Business in the West in the bobsled at the Mystic Mountain Rainforest in Ocho Rios, St Ann… more
Venture capital: winning over pension fund trustees is key
Jamaica – THE Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) aims to transform conservative pension funds that hold some $300 billion under management into the island’s key funders of venture capitalists… more
What will make venture capital work in Jamaica?
Jamaica – THE success of any venture is determined by the willingness of the participants to co-operate toward a good end… more
Digitization of Civil Registry
St. Kitts & Nevis – The idea of recording unique identification for individuals took effect in the federation around 1885. This identification is in the form of a certificate of birth, death or marriage –major events in our lives… more
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Hunte is the most outstanding ‘LIME Game Changer’
Barbados – More than 30 students have been recognised for their ability to Dream, Believe, Innovate and Lead, in the 2013 Summer Student Programme and were aptly called the LIME Game Changers… more
Six Digicel interns gain invaluable experience
Barbados – Six enthusiastic youngsters are now much more aware of what to expect when they step into the world of work, thanks to their recent summer internship experience at Digicel… more
Haiti – Education : NATCOM donated 2,000 computers
Haiti – On Wednesday, the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL) in partnership with mobile phone company NATCOM, has launched the project “Scholaritech” whose purpose is to equip nearly a hundred schools and public high schools in the capital and the province, with a computer lab with 20 to 25 computers, and broadband internet connection… more
Spectrum drops US$3-m deposit requirement for broadband licence auction
Jamaica – POTENTIAL buyers of the two broadband licences will no longer have to deposit up to US$3 million ($304 million) to participate in the auction… more
Caribbean IXP Symposia
Regional – A connected Caribbean region will play a strategic role in the facilitation of functional Caribbean integration… more
Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten Looking into Mobile Signal Interference in and around Philipsburg Area.
St. Maarten – Bureau Telecommunication and Post St. Maarten (BTP-SXM) is monitoring reports of signal interference to mobile networks on St. Maarten, possibly emanating from a mobile carrier in St. Kitts – the interference is causing dropped calls, and is also affecting quality of service on the voice and data network of at least one major mobile carrier – TelCell… more
Friday, 13 September 2013
200 LIME workers get walking papers
Barbados – More than 200 workers at telecommunications company LIME have been informed that September 30 will be their last day of work… more
What’s Trending: 200 LIME workers get walking papers
Barbados – Readers today are talking about the more than 200 Lime workers who received letters stating that their jobs would be terminated at the end of the month. Here’s what some of our online readers had to say… more
BTL’s profit declines by $5.5 million!
Belize – Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), the government-owned telecommunications company, plans to host its 7th Annual General Meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City, when it plans to also declare dividends to shareholders, according to company director Anwar Barrow… more
E-Government Coming Soon To Cayman, Says Suckoo
Cayman Islands – The very survival of the Cayman Islands’ financial services industry depends on the development of e-government, according the man now heading this branch of government… more
Digicel enters fixed line market
Jamaica – Telecommunications provider, Digicel has unveiled its fixed line product — DigiHome — following recent announcements that the company would enter that segment of the market, long dominated by its main competitor LIME… more
Digicel to unveil fixed line product
Jamaica – Digicel will this Friday unveil its fixed line product, DigiHome. This follows the recent announcement by Barry O’Brien, Digicel CEO, of the company’s decision to enter the fixed line market. According to a statement from Digicel, DigiHome is a fixed line voice service that is billed per second… more
LIME sets growth and dividend targets
Jamaica – LIME Jamaica CEO Garry Sinclair expects operating profit to grow 25 per cent to some US$25.7 million ($2.6 B) this financial year ending March 2014… more
LIME tells shareholders turnaround in fortunes expected in the medium term
Jamaica – The Board of LIME Jamaica has sought to assure shareholders that its growth strategy is poised to deliver a turnaround in fortunes over the medium term… more
Caribbean software and IT service firms eyeing Colombia — Proexport
Regional – PROEXPORT, the Colombian government agency in charge of foreign investment, trade and tourism, says Caribbean markets are seeking investment opportunities in Colombia, particularly in the areas of software, IT and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services… more
Govt to spend $12m on electronics for primary schools
Trinidad & Tobago – Multimedia projectors, 55-inch Smart TVs and radios with CD players will be distributed to schools in six weeks in a bid to make T&T’s primary school pupils as tech-savvy as their secondary school counterparts… more
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Digicel abolishes roaming charges
Cayman Islands – Customers of Digicel’s 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) service will no longer pay data roaming costs, the company announced on Friday (13 September) at a press conference and panel discussion held to introduce new products and services… more
BUSINESS BYTE: LIME provides scholarships through Broadband promotion
Dominica – LIME Dominica continues to deliver on its commitment to reward customers for choosing LIME as their preferred telecommunications provider… more
Supporting Caribbean data services
Regional – The Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (CARCIP) is holding meetings in St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines from September 16 to 20 to address Internet traffic routing inefficiencies in the eastern Caribbean… more
Sunday, 15 September 2013
JITSA names executive board
Jamaica – THE Jamaica Information Technology and Services Alliance (JITSA) has taken another step towards cementing itself as the go-to body representing Jamaica’s information technology industry, by selecting an executive board… more
Image credit: NS Newsflash (flickr); Eleutheran News; Belize Web; Wikipedia
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