A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 20 January to Sunday 26 January 2014.
Monday, 20 January 2014
BADMC Updating Telecommunication Database
Barbados – The Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) is updating its telecommunication database, which is expected to quickly and effectively broadcast pertinent information via text messaging and email to farmers… more
C@ribnet Demo Makes Impact at ICT Ministerial Meeting
Regional – Ministers and delegates to the Caribbean Community’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Information and Communications Technology (ICT), led by the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr the Rt Honourable Keith Mitchell, were given a demonstration of the cutting edge of technology in the Region… more
ICT, Human Resource – areas for Sustainable Growth in Caribbean region
Regional – BETTER integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as development of Human Resources in the Caribbean could be a turning point for the region when it comes to Sustainable Growth and Development… more
LIME Business Wins Big At Avaya Awards
Regional – LIME Business won two of three prime categories at the prestigious Avaya Partner Connection Day Awards in San Juan, Puerto Rico last Thursday night… more
CWU: TSTT planning retrenchment
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) is claiming the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TSTT) is planning to retrench workers without consulting the union… more
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
UTech forges ties with Government of Antigua to strengthen teaching and research
Antigua and Barbuda – President, University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), Prof. the Hon. Errol Morrison, OJ on the invitation of Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Hon. Dr. Baldwin Spencer, led a team from the University on an official one-week visit to the island, January 12 -17, 2014… more
BTC shares may be up for grabs
Bahamas – Prime Minister Perry Christie has indicated that he is minded to offer shares in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company to the general public and added that the government has no interest in having managerial control of BTC… more
PM Told Put Up Or Shut Up Over BTC
Bahamas – WITH Bahamians anticipating an announcement on whether the majority stake in BTC has been successfully acquired, FNM Chairman Daron Cash says Prime Minister Perry Christie should either “put up or shut up”… more
Haiti – Technology : ICTs at the service of public administration
Haiti – Monday, during a press conference, Jean Marie Altéma,, Coordinator of the unit e-governance in the Office of Prime Minister, explained that in order to ensure transparency in public administration, and improve services and living conditions of the population the government is convinced that the use of Information Technology and Communication (ICT) is essential to improve the quality of services offered to the population… more
Crowd-funding for Jamaican bobsled team surpasses $190,000
Jamaica – Oh, the Internet. You’re benevolent and quirky. You raised millions for a bullied bus monitor. You funded the Veronica Mars movie. And now, after mere days of cyber rallying, you will send the freshly qualified Jamaican bobsledders to Sochi… more
O’Brien plans ‘massive push’ to expand telecoms group Digicel
Regional – Denis O’Brien will launch a “massive push” this year to expand his global telecoms business into next-generation mobile and fixed line services… more
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) and government of The Bahamas reach agreement to create BTC Foundation for Bahamians
Bahamas – Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) announces it has reached an agreement with the Government of The Bahamas to establish a charitable foundation dedicated to investing in projects for the benefit of Bahamians… more
Trust Gets 2% Of BTC In ‘Face Saving Deal’
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) controlling shareholder will enable Perry Christie to claim he has regained majority ownership for the Bahamian people by handing 2 per cent of its equity stake to a foundation, in a deal where “everyone saves face”… more
Cybersecurity in spotlight
British Virgin Islands – For Virgin Islands financial services practitioners, Monday’s Facebook post from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists offered a jarring reminder of the vulnerability of sensitive financial services data… more
LIME Dominica makes 28 redundant
Dominica – Twenty-eight LIME Dominica employees have been made redundant, general secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union, Thomas Letang has confirmed… more
Capacity Media select Dominican Republic to host regionally acclaimed telecom event
Dominican Republic – he Dominican Republic is becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in the Caribbean and Latin America, reaping the rewards of policies facilitating more open trade and experiencing great levels of international investment… more
Columbus promotes Michele English to newly created chief customer officer role
Jamaica – Columbus International Inc. (Columbus) today announced the promotion of Michele English, current president and chief operating officer, of Columbus’ operations in Jamaica, operators of Flow and Columbus Business Solutions, to they newly created role of executive vice president and chief customer officer… more
Florida-based mobile app company mulls Jamaican-based BPO outfit
Jamaica – APPTITUDE Mobile, a Florida-based mobile application firm, is mulling over investing in Montego Bay’s business processing industry (BPO) by the end of summer… more
LIME Backs Conference
Jamaica – A leader in cutting-edge business technology, telecommunications firm LIME is expected to further assert its role in making the proposed Jamaica Logistics Hub a reality during the annual Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) Investment Conference, now taking place at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston… more
F1rst: Caribbean-owned online app aims to amalgamate social media
Regional – F1rst, a Caribbean-owned integrated mobile application which ties together business and consumer information on a single platform, goes live on February 1… more
St. Kitts goes mobile with new app
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Visitors to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts can now access expert information ‘on the go’ as the destination goes mobile with the launch of its very first App in conjunction with the Telegraph Media Group and British Airways… more
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Face-saving deal may cost Bahamas USD40m
Bahamas – A ‘face-saving deal’ has been agreed between the government and Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) on the ownership of Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), unnamed government and BTC sources told Tribune 242… more
Gov’t Urged: ‘Get Serious’ On Public Pensions Reforms
Bahamas – A top accountant yesterday urged the Government “to get serious” on making changes to civil service pensions, warning that ever-increasing unfunded liabilities threatened to create “huge deficits” regardless of fiscal reform… more
“PM Christie delivers on election promise to take back majority of BTC shares for Bahamians”
Bahamas – “PM Christie delivers on election promise to take back majority of BTC shares for Bahamians” … more
No Control Of BTC For Govt
Bahamas – ONE of the government’s lead negotiators in the BTC take-back talks yesterday publicly apologised for his earlier claim that the purchase of BTC was a “horrible deal”… more
Call centre proposed for the BVI
British Virgin islands – Declaring that the territory should no longer depend merely on overseas marketing and sales teams to sell certain tourism products, social commentator Sam Henry has proposed the establishment of a local call centre staffed with sales representatives… more
Hacking For Cuba
Cuba – Technology entrepreneurs generally paddle through a world flooded with wi-fi radio waves, smart mobile devices, video conference brainstorming sessions, whimsical texts and constant pings to social media… more
LIME Dominica makes 28 employees redundant
Dominica – General Secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union, Thomas Letang has confirmed that on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 LIME Dominica issued redundancy letters to 28 employees of that institution… more
A Burgeoning Hacker Culture in Haiti
Haiti – Haiti’s first hackathon ever took place only one year ago, in February 2013, but since then students at the Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti (ESIH) have held two more hacking events and are even now forming a coding club called Enjoy.code… more
Gov’t Taps Lime For Hospital’s Telecoms Solutions
Jamaica – After a competitive bidding process, leading telecommunications firm LIME is the Ministry of Health’s preferred provider of a new telecommunications solution at the Falmouth Regional Hospital… more
Friday, 24 January 2014
BCPOU disappointed by announcement
Bahamas – Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) President Bernard Evans said yesterday the union is “not pleased” with the government’s deal with Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) on a Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) share transfer… more
Bran: Govt Should Say Sorry For Selling A Dream
Bahamas – THE government has been called upon to apologise to the Bahamian people for trying to sell them the “far-fetched dream” that majority shares in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company have been reacquired… more
CWC, Bahamas govt create BTC Foundation for Bahamians
Bahamas – Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) has reached an agreement with the government of Bahamas to establish a charitable foundation dedicated to investing in projects for the benefit of Bahamians… more
FNM: BTC Deal Is A Betrayal
Bahamas – PRIME Minister Perry Christie’s announcement of a new BTC deal was a “shameful and cynical betrayal of his campaign promise”, the FNM said yesterday… more
Prime Minister Christie on the CWC share transfer
Bahamas – Today we meet to formalise an historic agreement under which the majority economic interest in BTC will once again rest with the Bahamian people… more
Roberts calls Minnis ‘unpatriotic’
Bahamas – Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts yesterday called Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis “unpatriotic” over his comments about the government’s announcement regarding the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC)… more
Wilson: BTC privatization probe still needed
Bahamas – Franklyn Wilson has stated that he continues to support a parliamentary committee investigation into the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) privatization deal, despite Prime Minister Perry Christie’s announcement that the government has “secured the majority economic interest” in the company… more
Barbados expects to earn millions in foreign exchange from animation industry
Barbados – Barbados says it is expects to earn BDS$10 million (One BDS dollar = US$0.50 cents) by the second year of the development of an animation industry, which is part of the multibillion-dollar multimedia and entertainment sector… more
LIME upgrade
Barbados – Telecommunications company LIME (Barbados) is expected to complete the 80 per cent expansion and development of its fibre optic network across the island about five months earlier than previously anticipated… more
Union’s BTC Board Control Hope Dashed
Bahamas – The trade union representing the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) line staff yesterday said it was “a bit disappointed” that the Government had failed to regain Board control, having hoped this would provide a bulwark against further job losses… more
Flow’s search for English’s replacement to start next week
Jamaica – A replacement for outgoing president and chief operating officer of Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited Michele English is yet to be selected. However, the recruitment process may start as early as next week… more
Jamaica’s BPO among least costly
Jamaica – ACCORDING to a recent IBM analysis only Mumbai scored better on the profitability index than Jamaica in terms of operational costs in business process outsourcing (BPO)… more
Caribbean region looking to adopt Jamaica’s telecoms model — Paulwell
Regional– Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Phillip Paulwell, says countries in CARICOM are looking to adopt Jamaica’s successful telecoms model, including the financing of the Universal Service Fund (USF)… more
Digicel Business wins Avaya Partner of the Year award
Regional – DIGICEL Business won the coveted Avaya Partner of the Year award last Thursday at the Avaya Partner Connection Day held in San Juan, Puerto Rico… more
Digicel to ‘reward’ thousands of lucky customers
Regional – Digicel on Friday said that it will “reward thousands of its lucky customers” in the Caribbean and Central America on Monday, January 27, when it gives a US$5 Amazon.com gift card to each of the first 4,000 customers who purchase a qualifying top up online at www.digicelgroup.com… more
LIME slashes USA roaming rates
Regional – LIME, has announced today plans to dramatically reduce the cost of data roaming for customers traveling to the USA, Puerto Rico, USVI, and LIME territories; with rates as low as just $US 0.15 per MB… more
120 TSTT employees stage midday protest
Trinidad and Tobago – Non-payment of their January salaries and the company’s refusal to use the correct cost of living allowance (COLA) formula are two of the main grouses affecting about 2,200 employees of Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT)… more
Saturday, 25 January 2014
One ring cell phone scam
Regional – Before you return that cell phone call, check out the number… more
‘Glitch’ leads to non-payment of TSTT salaries
Trinidad and Tobago – A TECHNICAL error was the reason why more than 2,000 employees of the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) did not receive their January salaries yesterday… more
Sunday, 26 January 2014
GT&T blames road contractor for Diamond, Grove service loss
Guyana – Scores of homes at Diamond and Grove, East Bank of Demerara are again without telephone services, and the main contractor involved in road works in the area is being blamed… more
Columbus pushing cloud services amid projections for 18% growth in the region
Jamaica – LATIN America and the Caribbean will see 18.5 per cent growth in cloud services this year, according to popular American IT research and advisory firm Gartner… more
Image credits: NS Newsflash (flickr); Marketing Magazine; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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