A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 26 May to Sunday 1 June 2014.
Monday, 26 May 2014
URCA Shifting To BTC, Cable Plans
Bahamas – Communications regulators appear to have accepted pleas by both the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Cable Bahamas to switch to a new method of supervising consumer prices in sectors where both companies have Significant Market Power (SMP)… more
Haiti – Technology : High-speed Internet, Haiti ranked last (Latin America and Caribbean)
Haiti – In the latest study published in May 2014, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on the development of broadband internet in the 26 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Haiti is ranked last… more
Ranking the Caribbean on Internet Use
Regional – Which Caribbean countries use internet the most? … more
Bridging gap in learning through virtual education
Trinidad and Tobago – In today’s classroom, slick technologically advanced tablets are quickly replacing blackboards and chalk, as teachers and students now engage in virtual education… more
blink | bmobile Supports Women and Girls in ICT
Trinidad and Tobago – “Always believe in yourself and never give up; people believe in you, when you believe in yourself.” … more
Cybercrime in focus at ICT talks
Trinidad and Tobago – A meeting of Caribbean Commonwealth officials with responsibility for ICT will bring the region’s eGovernance and cybercrime issues squarely into focus… more
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Putting Technology In The Hands Of Educators
Antigua and Barbuda – Fifty teachers were allocated laptops on Thursday under the Human Entrepreneurship and Assistive Resource Technologies (HEART) project which is a collaborative project between government and telecoms company LIME… more
BTC, CWC ‘not complicit’ in reported spying by U.S.
Bahamas – An official of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) said yesterday that neither BTC nor its parent company Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) is “complicit” in any breach of customer information… more
Guyana President Donald Ramotar, Digicel Chairman Denis O’Brien Hold Talks
Guyana – Digicel Chairman Denis O’Brien called on Guyana President Donald Ramotar in Georgetown this week, the government sad in a statement… more
Eleventh Circuit issues long-awaited decision in Haiti Teleco case: eschews bright-line test for FCPA “instrumentalities”
Haiti – On May 16, 2014, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit became the first federal appeals court to decide a core issue under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)… more
Michele English – Breaking New Ground
Jamaica – Eight years ago, if Michele English had gone by news reports, she would have stayed away from Jamaica… more
We are at war… cyber war!
Jamaica – THE dangers posed to Internet security have been described as cyber war by some of the world’s leading technology experts… more
ICT must drive revolution
Regional – Information and communication technology (ICT) has to be the tool that powers the data revolution that will be used for the sustainable development of regional economies… more
Using intellectual property to enhance business
Regional – The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has launched its latest initiative on the subject of intellectual property (IP): a series of private sector IP clinics that will take place across the region… more
St. Kitts and Nevis has highest percentage of internet users in the Caribbean
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has the highest percentage of internet users in the Caribbean… more
St. Kitts and Nevis ranked second in cell phone users in the Caribbean
Saint Kitts and Nevis – St. Kitts and Nevis is ranked second in cell phone use among 22 Caribbean nations… more
Facebook lessons for senior citizens
Trinidad and Tobago – In an effort to introduce senior citizens to Information Communication Technology (ICT), the Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Ministry of the People and Social Development held a sensitisation workshop called ICT for Seniors Programme yesterday at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain… more
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Cable Bahamas achieves ‘major milestone’ in capital raising
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas Ltd. has confirmed that it successfully raised $114.5 million via the issuance of preferred shares in what has been termed a “major milestone” for Bahamian capital markets by its placement agent… more
Cash believes phone bugged
Bahamas – Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Darron Cash revealed yesterday that police returned his cell phone and laptops not long after seizing them three weeks ago, but said he has refused to use them because he suspects they have been bugged… more
Satellite, Internet Nocheck On Cable Prices
Bahamas – Satellite TV and Internet streaming “are not effective substitutes” for Cable Bahamas’ TV service, a survey finding less than 10 per cent would switch to then if the BISX-listed provider increased prices 5-10 per cent… more
Cable & Wireless increases investment expenditure
Cayman Islands – Cable & Wireless Communications, the parent company of LIME in the Caribbean, announced it will increase investment in its networks in the Caribbean and Central America to drive revenue growth and improve earnings… more
Haiti – Technology : Venezuela order 10,000 tablets Surtab
Haiti – Tuesday, Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe and the President of Petrocaribe, Bernardo Alvarez in 24-hours visit in Haiti as part of a supervisory visit of several construction sites of social housing funded by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, have conducted a business visit to the Haitian business Surtab at Industrial Park SONAPI in Port-au-Prince… more
Bittersweet Returns From Lime Jamaica – Subscriber Base Expands, But Revenue Shrinks
Jamaica – Despite double-digit growth for its subscriber base in Jamaica for year ending March 2014, Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) saw its Jamaican revenue fall by more than US$30 million during the period, some of it linked to currency fluctuations…. more
C&W Jamaica net loss narrows to JMD 3.5 bln
Jamaica – Cable & Wireless Jamaica revenues slightly decreased to JMD 18.44 billion for the year ended 31 March 2013, from JMD 19 billion in the year-earlier period… more
‘$500m spent on learning tools’
Trinidad and Tobago – The Government has spent over $500 million on essential tools for learning for pupils in Trinidad and Tobago over the last four years—$252.4 million on laptops and $250 million on textbooks… more
Trinidad pioneers online ‘knowledge network’
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies is pioneering an ambitious online learning project… more
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Christie blames Ingraham for longer telecoms monopoly
Bahamas – The Ingraham administration’s legislative efforts to guarantee a three-year cellular monopoly to Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) in 2011 will essentially delay competition until 2015, Prime Minister Perry Christie said yesterday… more
‘Hands Tied’ For New Cellphone Licence Plans
Bahamas – THE “government’s hands were tied” essentially until 2015 regarding any possible liberalisation of the telecommunications sector following the Ingraham administration’s deal to sell the majority stake in BTC, Prime Minister Perry Christie revealed yesterday… more
Guyana in the grip of China’s cyber army
Guyana – Writing on Wednesday in the Epoch Times, a privately held news media company with an emphasis on coverage of China, author Dennis Adonis claims that China’s dangerous cyber army has a firm grip on Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean… more
Guyana is China’s spy playground
Guyana – The Caricom-related nations of Guyana and Jamaica are probably the Caribbean’s leading benefactors of Chinese investments, and arguably the region’s principal users of mostly counterfeit technology out of Beijing… more
Digicel Brings 4G Speed To Vieux Fort
Saint Lucia – DIGICEL customers are enjoying the very latest in mobile broadband innovation on Digicel’s super-fast, affordable and reliable 4G network… more
Ascension Day service interruption keeping TelEm Group technicians, engineers busy.
Sint Maarten – At approximately 11:00am, Thursday, May 29th, TelEm Group personnel reported a network card failure on the company’s CS2K international switch resulting in interruptions in service to mobile voice and landline customers… more
Fiber Optic Technology to Propel Development in Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – RESIDENTS of Milford Court, Tobago are poised to have greater opportunities become more readily available as the community became the most recent to be served by blink | bmobile with fiber optic cable connections… more
Tablets for tertiary students, says Karim
Trinidad and Tobago – The People’s Partnership Government’s laptop initiative to provide each secondary school pupil with the device may be extended with tablet computers to be given to tertiary-level students… more
Trinidad And Tobago Boost Education Through Online Course
Trinidad and Tobago – TRINIDAD AND Tobago’s government will be teaming up with one of the world’s biggest online university course providers to boost local education opportunities… more
Friday, 30 May 2014
Cable Bahamas completes preferred share offering
Bahamas – The Bahamas – Cable Bahamas Ltd. announced today that it has successfully raised $114.5 million via the issuance of preferred shares… more
Haiti – Politic : The country on the right track for E-Governance
Haiti – At the recent and 1st Forum of the Government, on the Information Technology and Communication (ICT), which brought together many great servants of the State, Antoine Verdier, Deputy Coordinator of the Office of Management and Human Resources (OMRH), emphasized in his speech the role of the OMRH in the implementation of e-governance and makes reference to the Unit for the Promotion of electronic Administration… more
Digicel projects sale of 20,000 smartphones during June
Jamaica – Telecoms company Digicel says that it will introduce the lowest priced smartphones on the local market as part of its ongoing drive to widen accessibility to mobile internet… more
Telecom regulator going after fixed line rates
Jamaica – THE Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) is going after fixed line telephone call rates following the two-thirds slash in mobile rates last year… more
Digicel BlackBerry Sale Continues this Weekend for Project Voila
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Extraordinary telecommunications company Digicel has partnered with the Ministry of Gender Affairs to offer critical support for teen mothers in St. Kitts and Nevis… more
Saturday, 31 May 2014
100 computer centres to be in Amerindian communities by next month
Guyana – Government is expected to complete the construction of 100 computer centres in several Amerindian communities in June… more
Community fibre optic project launched in Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – Acting CEO of TSTT George Hill, addressing a Tobago audience at the launch of the Mahogany Fibre-to-the-Community project, said more than $15 million was being spent by blink | bmobile in bringing fibre optics closer to thousands more homes throughout T&T… more
CWU protests outside TSTT exec’s home
Trinidad and Tobago – The Communication Workers Union (CWU) moved its protests from the city streets to outside the home of Harrigobin Jhinkoo, executive vice president, human resources at Telecommunications Services of TT (TSTT), in Palmiste, San Fernando yesterday as they seek settlement of industrial matters… more
Sunday, 1 June 2014
In Cuba, technology may beat censorship
Cuba – Cuba’s first major independent newspaper in more than five decades — a digital daily called 14ymedio — was quickly blocked within the island last week, but the big question is for how long the country’s regime will be able to maintain its monopoly on the news media… more
Get on the ball
Jamaica – CVM Television, the sole broadcast rights holder in Jamaica for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, has been directed by the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ), the local monitoring and regulatory entity, to improve its quality of coverage across the island by June 6… more
Latin America Telecoms (Mobile) & Broadband Market Forecasts and Overview
Regional – MarketReportsOnline.com adds Latin America – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Forecasts and Latin America – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Overview 2014 market research reports to its store… more
UTS ready for 2014 Hurricane Season
Sint Maarten – United Telecommunication Services prepared its operations and staff for the 2014 hurricane season… more
Image credits: Yon Garin (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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I always enjoy reading your weekly roundups. Thanks for providing such detailed updates on happenings from across the region.
You’re welcome, Michelle!