A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 12 May to Sunday 18 May 2014.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Bahamian Firm To Penetrate New Markets Via ‘Marriage’
Bahamas – A Bahamian software provider believes “a very interesting marriage” will enable it to penetrate Europe and larger clients, and enable it to hire four-five more local staff within the next year… more
Media Freedom For A Better Bahamas
Bahamas – NEWS media practitioners in the Bahamas have broad shoulders. Newspaper readers lament sensationalist slant while chastising journalists for not tackling more controversial topics… more
The Bahamas Tops Region On Royalty Payments
Bahamas – The Obama administration has praised the Bahamas for being the only Caribbean nation to make royalties payments to TV programming rights holders in 2013, boosting this nation’s reputation as a “responsible trading” partner… more
Belize’s Internet Still The Slowest; Among The Most Expensive
Belize – Another survey of internet bandwidth speeds and pricing in the Caribbean has been done – and again Belize has come out dead last… more
22 arrested in Westmoreland Lotto scam raids
Jamaica – Four women are among 22 people arrested for lottery scamming by the Anti Lottery Scam Task Force in an operation carried out in the parish of Westmoreland early Sunday… more
Columbus Partners With Ocean Networks
Regional – Columbus International Inc.(Columbus), and Ocean Networks Inc., announced today that the companies have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for a Landing Party Agreement for a Panama submarine cable station and related network services… more
The Government of St. Lucia Launches Digicel Business’ F6 Fleet Management Solution
Saint Lucia – The Government of St. Lucia, through the Ministry of the Public Service, has moved ahead with its “Public Sector Modernisation” initiative with the launch of Digicel Business’ F6 Fleet Management Solution… more
Sint Maarten government keen to trade UTS stake for East Caribbean assets
Sint Maarten – According to unconfirmed Caribbean media reports, the government of Sint Maarten has signalled its willingness to take control of the East Caribbean mobile assets currently controlled by Curacao-based United Telecommunication Services (UTS) – in exchange for its own minor stake in the UTS group… more
Digicel sorry for service outage
Trinidad and Tobago – Telecommunications provider Digicel has apologised to customers for a service outage yesterday… more
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Regional Report says Belize’s Internet Rates are Costly, While Speed is Sluggish
Belize – Two days ago, ICT Pulse – a telecoms analyst which has been comparing internet speeds and pricing across the Caribbean on an annual basis since 2011 – reported that Belize’s internet plan is not only one of the slowest in the Caribbean, but it is also the most expensive as compared to 18 other Caribbean countries… more
“Difficult economic times” – LIME announces debt amnesty for customers
British Virgin Islands – LIME has announced a debt amnesty which will wipe away up to 40% off each customer’s outstanding debt until the end of May. Only persons who have not paid for a year or more will benefit… more
Online fight videos investigated
Cayman Islands – Video clips showing students fighting at John Gray High School have been viewed thousands of times on YouTube. The graphic footage is part of a dedicated internet channel called JohnGrayFights345… more
Is the Caribbean Technology Sector Growing Too Slowly?
Regional – Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell says he is concerned that the Caribbean’s information and communication technology industry is growing too slowly compared to the rest of the world… more
Microsoft Office365 launches in St Kitts and Nevis; first in the OECS
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis makes Information Technology (IT) industry history Wednesday May 14 with the launch of Microsoft Office365, making it the first country in the OECS to take that all important technological leap… more
Wednesday, 14 May 2014
BTC Targeting 40 Franchise Stores
Bahamas – The 17th independently-owned Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) franchise store has opened in Coconut Grove, owned by businessman Ian Antonio… more
Bermuda streaming TV provider expands into Cayman
Cayman Islands – A Bermuda-start-up which provides UK television programming has expanded into the Cayman Islands… more
The Benefits Of Leveraging The Region’s Most Advanced Datacenter In Curaçao
Curaçao – When your business absolutely, positively cannot go down, you need a Tier IV datacenter… more
Haiti – Education : Electricity and digital education in 500 rural schools
Haiti – The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works, Transport, Energy and Communication (MTPTEC) will bring electricity and Digital Education in 500 Rural public schools… more
Barbados leads Caribbean countries in broadband penetration –IDB
Regional – The Inter American Development Bank (IDB) released a new study Wednesday that Latin America and the Caribbean lag far behind developed countries in broadband penetration… more
IT expert Bevil Wooding gets lifetime award
Regional – The Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC) has honoured Caribbean-based technology expert and philanthropist Bevil Wooding with its 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award… more
LIME Internet Service Update
Saint Kitts and Nevis – LIME wishes to advise all of its Internet customers that following our most recent upgrades (on Tuesday evening) to resolve network issues, there is no longer a need to replace the Paradyme and or Netopia (grey) modems… more
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Court of Appeal decides who owns B.T.L. and B.E.L.
Belize – A small crowd packed into the Court of Appeal this afternoon at two o’clock to hear the long anticipated judgment of the Court of Appeal in the cases involving the nationalization of Telemedia and B.E.L. and loans from British Caribbean Bank… more
Majority decision of Court of Appeal returns BTL to GOB
Belize – The Court of Appeal today handed down its long-awaited judgment in the cases of the Attorney General and Minister of Public Utilities versus British Caribbean Bank, BTL Employees’ Trust and Fortis Energy International… more
IDB Broadband Report Rates Belize Broadband 25 out of 26.
Belize – On Monday we told you about a survey of Caribbean countries, which found that high speed internet in Belize was the most costly in the region… more
CCT to seek recourse, says regulator knew it was installing LTE technology
British Virgin Islands – A day after the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) announced that it has imposed a $50,000 fine on CCT for its alleged use of the 700MHz spectrum, CCT has fired back with a claim that it has done nothing that was not authorized by the TRC… more
ECTEL Council To Strengthen Competition Rules in the Telecommunications Sector
Regional – Ministers with responsibility for telecommunications in the Eastern Caribbean have reaffirmed their commitment to improve the regulatory environment of the telecoms sector post liberalisation, with clear rules for the behaviour of service providers… more
Blink | bmobile blazing trails with electronic tendering service
Trinidad and Tobago – BLINK | bmobile e-Tender service hosted its first electronic Tender opening and submission for buyers recently as the service entered its final phase of deployment… more
Broadband technology ‘far behind’
Trinidad and Tobago – Telecommunications providers in Trinidad and Tobago might boast the latest in broadband technology, but the country scores only 4.14 on the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Broadband Development Index… more
TSTT Inquiry
Trinidad and Tobago – The Joint Select Committee’s (JSC) ‘Invitation for Written Submissions‘ was published on the TT Parliament website on Wednesday 23 April 2014, with the deadline for submissions set at 4:00 pm on Friday 2 May 2014. Only ten (10) days… more
Friday, 16 May 2014
LIME rolls out high-speed service
Antigua and Barbuda – Telecommunications company LIME is offering 4G high-speed internet service for mobile phones, a year and a half after its main competitor Digicel launched its service, though LIME is claiming a superior product… more
Cable Adviser Scolds Managers On US$ Miss
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas’s financial adviser yesterday expressed “disappointment” that institutional asset managers had failed to deliver on indications they would place between $10-$18 million US dollars into the company’s private placement, having invested a paltry $100,000 to-date… more
COSCAP on top of digital piracy
Barbados – Efforts are being made to equip the enforcers of the island’s copyright and anti-piracy laws with the necessary skills to better do their jobs in a rapidly changing environment… more
LIME and Ericsson complete LTE roll-out in Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands – Cable & Wireless Communications’ business in the Cayman Islands, which trades as LIME, has completed the roll-out of its new 4G LTE network… more
Dominica developing National Broadband Policy
Dominica – The Dominica Government, recognizing the importance of Broadband connectivity and in compliance with the International Broadband Commission, is seeking to develop a National Broadband Policy… more
Altice Q1 revenue drops 3.4% in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic – Altice reported first-quarter revenue down 3.4 percent to EUR 147.5 million in the Dominican Republic, following the acquisition of Tricom and Orange’s local unit in the Dominican Republic… more
Computerised System For St Thomas Parish Council
Jamaica – MINISTER OF Local Government and Community Development Noel Arscott has said the St Thomas Parish Council is to be equipped with a computerised system, in an effort to make the approval of development planning application more efficient and transparent… more
Digitise School Records – Holness
Jamaica – FOLLOWING THE fire at Tacky High School in St Mary earlier this month, which destroyed all the institution’s archive and transcript documents, opposition leader Andrew Holness has called for the Ministry of Education to implement a national initiative to digitise school records… more
Flow Forks Out $15m To Repair Vandalised Cables
Jamaica – It’s happened only in Jamaica – vandals running amok on the facilities of the Canadian-based Columbus Communications, the cable network popularly known as Flow… more
Flow Wants Broadband For Sustainable Development
Jamaica – OVER THE past decade, our region has benefited from a fundamental shift in its technological infrastructure… more
Smartphone app coming for anonymous crime reporting
Jamaica – WITHIN the next few months, citizens with access to android smartphones will be able to download a special application (app), allowing them to report a crime or send information to the police anonymously… more
Digicel Business announced as platinum sponsor of the Virtual EDUCA conference
Regional – Digicel Business was today announced as platinum sponsor of the Virtual Educa Conference which takes place in Port-of-Spain on Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th May… more
How To Protect Email From Hackers
Regional – The saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ applies to all aspects of life, including online security… more
Broadband development, theme for World Telecommunication Day 2014
Sint Maarten – The use of Broadband services for sustainable development is the theme of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day when it is marked on Saturday May 17, with telecommunication workers around the world focusing their attention on the part they play in their respective communities… more
Minister Richardson congratulates telecom workers on World Telecommunications Day 17 May
Sint Maarten – Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Hon. Ted Richardson congratulates all telecommunication sector workers on World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD), which is being internationally observed on 17th May… more
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Expanding broadband Internet horizons
Barbados – Changes are on the horizon to broadband Internet access in Barbados… more
Think on these things
Barbados – International organisations, especially those in the United Nations system, have used the observance of International Days to great advantage in their campaign to raise awareness about issues which have a significant impact on the global community… more
Many cable companies steal satellite signals, top official warns
Dominican Republic – National Copyright Office (Onda) director Marino Feliz Terrero on Thursday revealed a high number of copyright violations, related to satellite signals for programs across the country… more
OAS and Trinidad & Tobago Organize Second Edition of Virtual Educa Caribbean
Regional – The Organization of American States (OAS ) and the Ministry of Education of Trinidad and Tobago will hold on May 19 and 20 the Second Edition of the Virtual Educa Caribbean Symposium to take place in Port of Spain, which will assess the use and impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the educational systems of the region… more
Digicel Launches 4G Service
Saint Lucia – Telecommunications provider Digicel on Thursday launched its pre-paid and post-paid 4G service to its customers in St Lucia… more
T&T’s first innovation centre to open in August
Trinidad and Tobago – The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri) and Microsoft T&T are partnering to open a state-of-the-art training facility in Trinidad, the first of its kind within the English-speaking Caribbean… more
Trinidad & Tobago Internet speed, price compared
Trinidad and Tobago – A research paper by Antonio García Zaballos and Rubén López-Rivas of the IDB says broadband plays a key role in society, impacting GDP, productivity, and employment… more
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Columbus announces new vice-president
Jamaica – SALES veteran Grant Hume has joined Columbus Business Solutions (CBS) as vice-president, the firm has announced… more
New Broadband Service Wants All Telecoms Providers to Collaborate
Regional – “As telecommunications providers, companies like Columbus Barbados need to acknowledge and understand the importance of working alongside its competitors to fully realize the transformative impact that broadband and ICTs can have on the region.” … more
Trinidad & Tobago receives 6 bids for enhanced mobile data licences
Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunications Authority of T&T (TATT) in a release earlier this month said it had received six bids from companies interested in providing enhanced data services in T&T. TATT did not release the names of the bidders… more
Image credits: Mars Hill Church (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Facebook; Wikipedia
_____________
