A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 28 July to Sunday 3 August 2014.
Monday, 28 July 2014
In response to Leon Williams, BTC
Bahamas – Does the new BTC CEO, Mr. Leon Williams take the Bahamian public for fools? It certainly appears that way… more
LIME warns customers about fake email
Cayman Islands – LIME is warning its customers against a phishing email that has been circulating recently… more
Logic moves to buy WestStar
Cayman Islands – There is a move toward consolidation in the telecommunications industry in the Cayman Islands, with Logic engaging in talks to take over the company that owns WestStar and CITN Productions, which operates Cayman 27… more
Workshop to enhance Dominica’s cyber security begins
Dominica – A three-day training workshop focusing primarily on understanding Cybercrime Forensics has begun in Dominica… more
LIME offers premium services for multi-office firms
Jamaica – LIME last week unveiled its most advanced networking solution, ‘Global Connect’, designed to deliver a rich array of data connectivity services to power multi-office businesses… more
Scotiabank Wins Multiple 2014 Consumer Internet Bank Awards From Global Finance Magazine
Regional – Scotiabank has been recognized by Global Finance Magazine as the 2014 Best Consumer Internet Bank in 22 countries across the Caribbean and Central America… more
Cable runaround resolved
Trinidad and Tobago – Each week, the Guardian Angel column highlights complaints sent in by you, the consumer, and provides solutions or directs you to the appropriate resource… more
Tech tools in crime fight unveiled
Trinidad and Tobago – Gary Griffith’s claim that his new national security setup could put down an attempted coup within an hour came after he had given the media a tour of the new Emergency Dispatch Centre in St James—an exercise designed to show the investment in technology his ministry has made… more
TOP STORY: Phone rates reduced
Turks and Caicos Islands – AS OF September this year, mobile users from the three local service providers should see a reduction in calls across networks, with more reductions in 2015 and 2016… more
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
BTC Margins Off 21% Amid Cellular Equality Demands
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) controlling shareholder has demanded that it be placed on a ‘level playing field’ with any cellular rival, as price cuts dropped some margins by up to 21 per cent year-over-year… more
BTC to govt: Demand national coverage from competitor
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has called on the government to require any other service provider to cover the entire Bahamas as it is required to, after it was invited to provide input on how competition “should be rolled out”, according to Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) Chief Executive Officer Phil Bentley… more
New boss at Digicel; Delcan Cassidy moves to Miami
British Virgin Islands – Conor Looney has been announced the new Chief Executive Officer of Digicel BVI, replacing Declan Cassidy who will move on to head the company’s Miami-based operations… more
BTC and CANTO bring Information, Communications Technology Industry Conference to Nassau
Regional – The Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (CANTO) has selected The Bahamas to mark its 30th anniversary and to stage their annual conference and trade exhibition from August 10th – 15th at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. BTC, in partnership with the government of The Bahamas, is the co-host… more
TSTT ‘hiding faults with poor reform’
Trinidad and Tobago – Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) is attempting to cloak its deficiencies through inept reform… more
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
BTC Broke Law On Exclusive Phone Card Agreements
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) was yesterday fined $243,442 after regulators determined its ‘exclusive’ phone card supply agreements broke the law, excluding rivals from up to 60 per cent of the market… more
BTC Chief ‘Quite Aware’ Of URCA Ruling Reverse
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) chief executive yesterday said he was “quite aware” of the $243,000plus fine slapped on the company by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), but declined to comment further… more
BTC Eyes Haiti Mobile Market
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is still aiming to enter Haiti’s cellular market, its chief executive confirmed yesterday, arguing that the carrier would effectively be “dead in the water” if it did not expand outside this jurisdiction…more
BTC fined $243,442 over ‘abuse of position’
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has been fined $243,442.76 by the telecoms regulator for allegedly abusing its dominant market position and has been ordered to adjust its behavior within 30 days or face further penalties… more
E-commerce thrust
Barbados – THE SMALL Business Association (SBA) is pushing e-commerce in a big way and as such has formed partnerships to enable its members to more fully utilise the technology… more
Telecoms slammed for staff treatment
British Virgin Islands – The Virgin Islands telecoms industry is the perfect model of what not to do in people management. Moreover, Jack Customer should never expect better from a business that treats its staff poorly… more
Hopetown Primary gets tablets
Guyana – The Hopetown Primary School yesterday benefitted from a ‘technology education initiative’ through the donation of 56 electronic tablets that are expected to boost the students’ learning capacity… more
LIME Ja praised for 37% increase in 1Q mobile revenues
Jamaica – CABLE & Wireless Communications (CWC), the parent company of LIME, has lauded the Jamaica operations for achieving June 2014 first-quarter growth in mobile revenues up 37 per cent over year earlier levels… more
Caribbean Telecoms Forum At Atlantis
Regional – The Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organidations (CANTO) will hold its 30th anniversary annual conference and trade exhibition at Atlantis from August 10-15… more
Staff cuts at TSTT
Trinidad and Tobago – The Communication Workers Union (CWU) wants Finance Minister Larry Howai to order a forensic audit into operations at state-owned TSTT… more
TSTT closed for renovation
Trinidad and Tobago –The Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) offices at Caroline Building at Wilson Road, Scarborough has been closed due to renovations, a release from TSTT issued yesterday said… more
Thursday, 31 July 2014
BahamasLocal staffer first Bahamian to achieve highest internet marketing certification
Bahamas – With internet marketing threatening to overtake traditional print and mobile marketing ready to burst onto local telephone screens, a 27-year-old BahamasLocal staff member has become the first Bahamian to earn Internet Marketing Association certification… more
Bahamas Telecommunications plans to enter the cellular market in Haiti
Bahamas – Tuesday in Nassau (Bahamas), at a luncheon of the private sector with President Michel Martelly, Leon Williams, the Director General of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has indicated that his company planned to enter the cellular market in Haiti stressing that “The Bahamas is 350,000 people… more
Technology can help
Barbados – The Barbados Coalition of Services Industries (BCSI), in partnership with Digicel, recently launched the “Industry Genius App Development Contest”… more
2000 more jobs in 2 years in BPO field
Belize – The government of Belize is moving quickly to meet demands in the Business Processing Out Source (BPO) arena. According to CEO in the Ministry of Trade and Investment, the government identified BPO’s as a job creator in Belize and since that time the industry has been expanded from two companies who provided the service to 16 which are now operating in Belize… more
VI reflects on 50 years of telecoms
British Virgin Islands – From rabbit ears to digital cable, from shared payphones to smart phones, the Virgin Islands has come a long way in telecommunications technology in the last 50 years… more
Ja team seeks US$120,000 in pitch to Microsoft judges
Jamaica – Team NewAge, a Jamaica-based tech start-up, thinks its game ‘Project Exit’, currently in test-mode, can generate US$750,000 (J$83m) a month from downloads… more
Blink / Bmobile Bouncing Back
Trinidad and Tobago – FOLLOWING the recent disclosure that TSTT, declared a loss of over $500 million for the financial year ending March 2014, acting CEO of the company, George Hill, announced that the company was already experiencing a recovery in its bottom line… more
Friday, 1 August 2014
TRC honours communication pioneers
British Virgin Islands – Modern communications have been a major contributor to the growth and development of the Virgin Islands, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the pioneers in the industry, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith said at a Telecommunications Day luncheon July 31… more
GT&T launches “Shop ‘n go”
Guyana – Following the successful launching of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company’s Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) last year, the telephone company last evening launched the second phase of this service called “Shop ‘n go”… more
Power cuts knock Flow’s operations in Portmore
Jamaica – DISRUPTIONS in the Jamaica Public Service’s (JPS) electricity supply yesterday hit the services of telecommunications provider, Flow, in Portmore, St Catherine… more
A revolution in mobile communication is coming to the Caribbean: Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
Regional – When people talk about LTE networks, also known as 4G, they are mainly referring to data, specifically high-speed data. And it’s not unusual… more
Saturday, 2 August 2014
Faster FLOW Speeds From Today
Saint Lucia – COLUMBUS Communications St. Lucia Limited, operators of the brand “Flow”, announced that as of today, residential customers across the island will receive faster internet speeds at no additional cost… more
Tech Camp kids learn to create their own path
Trinidad and Tobago – The last two weeks have been an intense, fun-filled time for 50 kids taking part in BrightPath Foundation’s Tech Camp… more
The real cost of violating net neutrality
Trinidad and Tobago – A recent move by two major Caribbean mobile providers to block access to Internet-based telephony services—including several popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications—has brought the issue of net neutrality to the attention of Caribbean mobile phone users… more
Wooding: Tech education essential to help youth create future
Trinidad and Tobago –Increasing the competitiveness of T&T’s software industry should be a priority for the sustainable development of the nation’s nascent information technology (IT) sector. This was the call from Bevil Wooding, Executive Director of BrightPath Foundation… more
Curacao to host CaribNOG8
Trinidad and Tobago – The Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) and LACNIC will hold a joint meeting at the Hilton Curacao from September 29 to October 3… more
TSTT happy with Industrial Court ruling
Trinidad and Tobago – TSTT says it is satisfied with the recent decision of the Industrial Court over the Communication Workers Union’s reported complaint that the Company failed to meet and treat with the Union concerning its Voluntary Separation and Voluntary Early Employment Retirement Plans (VSP/VEERP) that would allow junior and senior staff employees to participate in the said plans… more
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Flow’s parent reports increased revenues 44 per cent higher sales
Regional – Caribbean telecommunications and cable company, Columbus Communications, operator of the dominant Flow brand in T&T, reported “a 44 per cent improvement in the sales conversion rates and increased revenues” in its business solutions unit… more
Image credits: Stuart Miles (FreeDigitalPhotos.net); Facebook; The Eleutheran; Wikipedia;
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