A roundup of ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 15 December to 21 December 2014.
Monday, 15 December 2014
Cable Bahamas Opens Doors On Its New Store At Mall
Bahamas – CABLE Bahamas’ new flagship Customer Service and Experience Centre in the Mall at Marathon opens its doors to the public this morning with the company offering its REV brand and core product categories “in one unified space”… more
New director to help CIG become more e-friendly
Cayman Islands – Mr Ian Tibbetts has been appointed as the Cabinet Office’s new Director of e-Government… more
BUSINESS BYTE: Digicel Play welcomes new general manager
Dominica – Dominica’s fastest broadband and TV company, Digicel Play, recently welcomed Michael Loiser as its newly appointed General Manager… more
‘Butch’ Stewart launches third call centre in Grenada
Grenada – Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart last week launched his third Caribbean call centre – after Jamaica and St Lucia – in this Grenadian capital, promising technological sophistication and high-quality customer service… more
Qualfon Expands Operations in Georgetown, Guyana, South America to Serve One of the Largest Telecom Companies in the U.S.
Guyana – Qualfon, a people-driven business process outsourcing (BPO) company and global provider of call center services, has expanded its operations in Georgetown, Guyana in South America to serve one of the largest telecommunications companies in the U.S… more
New company to be formed from CWC/Columbus merger will transform customer service experience
Regional – “We are forming a new company, with a new leadership team, and a new culture, putting our customers at the heart of the business” … more
CWU against takeover of Columbus
Trinidad and Tobago – Cable & Wireless and Columbus Communications are engaging in “corporate prostitution” that would lead to massive layoffs if allowed to continue, according to Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) secretary general Joseph Remy… more
Tuesday, 16 December 2014
CCJ to hand down judgment on BTL nationalisation in January
Belize – The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is expected to hand down its final decision on the nationalisation of incumbent telecoms operator Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) on 23 January 2014, following three days of arguments, the Reporter writes… more
E-government chief starts work
Cayman Islands – Former Cable & Wireless/LIME executive Ian Tibbetts begins work this month as the Cayman Islands director of e-government under the Cabinet office… more
Govt. now considering alternative bandwidth for E-governance
Guyana – With several hundred million dollars already expended to land a fiber optic cable in Guyana from Brazil, there is now uncertainty about when and where the internet connectivity will be coming from now that the project is in deep trouble… more
Gov’t beefs up cyber-security after website attacks
Jamaica – The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) says it is implementing a raft of measures to address the issue of cyber-security, following an attack on more than 10 government websites three weeks ago… more
Big Investment, New Jobs – CWC/Columbus Merger Promises To Transform Customer Experience
Regional – CABLE and Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus International Inc. (Columbus) have announced a ground-breaking customer charter that will guide how the new company would operate following the approval and closing of their merger… more
Regulators consider merger
Regional – Over the course of two days, specifically last Wednesday and Thursday, regional telecommunications regulators met at the Cascadia Hotel to consider the proposed buyout of Columbus Communications by Cable and Wireless (CWC)… more
CWU: List TSTT on the TTSE
Trinidad and Tobago – Secretary general of the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) Joseph Remy is calling for TSTT to be listed on the T&T Stock Exchange… more
Union wants regional governments involved in CWC-Columbus International merger
Trinidad and Tobago – The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is appealing to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments to intervene in order to stop a merger between the British telecommunications giant, Cable and Wireless (CWC) and Columbus International… more
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
BTC introduces TV service to Bimini
Bahamas – Just 8 days shy of Christmas Day, BTC has delivered on its promise, to introduce television services to Bimini… more
Digicel Business, Masergy partner on data security
Cayman Islands – Digicel Business is extending its partnership with Masergy Communications Inc. to offer an advanced “Security as a Service” solution to businesses across Cayman… more
Jagdeo stifled Guyana’s technological development
Guyana – Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, through his actions, deliberately stalled Guyana’s technological development by more than four years… more
Big Things A Gwaan Fi LIME
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: big kudos to telecommunications giant LIME Jamaica on its recent acquisition of Dekal Wireless Jamaica Limited and Columbus Communications through its parent company, Cable and Wireless Communications… more
J’can student has large antivirus software firms in his cross hairs
Jamaica – SHELDON Duncombe reckons that he can compete with some of the world’s largest antivirus software companies when he launches his company, HurteX, next March… more
Mega Technology At MegaMart
Jamaica – Believe it or not, it might be possible to avoid long retail lines during the Christmas shopping season, especially if you have to fight your way to the checkout counter… more
Columbus/LIME merger risks taking telecoms back to the dark ages
Regional – I felt moved to respond to Mark Wignall’s Sunday Observer column in The Agenda entitled ‘Embrace the healthy competition, Digicel’ based on the fact that the piece was littered with emotional invective whilst, at the same time, being totally devoid of actual facts… more
Digicel chairman presses case against CWC/Columbus merger
Regional – DIGICEL Chairman Denis O’Brien argued his company’s case against the proposed acquisition of Columbus Communications by Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) Plc last week in Trinidad, insisting that the purchase will create a monopoly… more
OAS supports Suriname in development of national cyber security plan
Suriname – The Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday concluded a two-day mission in Suriname for preparatory meetings geared towards information gathering to assist in the development of a National Cyber Security Plan… more
Thursday, 18 December 2014
Cable Bahamas Suspends Local Talent
Bahamas – As a 100% Bahaman-owned company, Cable Bahamas has a vested interest in the community and supporting local talent. Cable Bahamas has become aware of a matter involving one of our local advertising contractors… more
URCA issues preliminary determination and draft order on the BTC March 2014 network outage
Bahamas – On March 27, 2014, the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) notified the public that, in exercise of its powers under Section 9 of the Communications Act, 2009, it commenced an investigation into the network outage as experienced by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (BTC) on March 22, 2014, in order to determine the appropriate regulatory or other measure it would take to effectively address this matter… more
Build Or Lease? The Economics Of Datacenter Facilities
Curacao – In today’s fast evolving business climate, companies rely heavily on the availability, quality and consistency of their IT infrastructures in order to guarantee the continued success of the business… more
LIME Dominica here ‘for the long haul’
Dominica – General manager of LIME Dominica Jeffery Baptiste has dismissed suggestions by some members of the public that the company may have taken a turn for the worst… more
IT specialist is 2014 Best Cop
Guyana – With Information Technology playing a major role in almost every aspect of modern day life including crime fighting, the Guyana Police Force appears to be following the trend when they selected one of their IT Specialists as the Best Cop for 2014… more
CTU issues statement after its Port-of-Spain Forum
Regional – Following is the full text of the statement issued by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union on the Regulatory Forum held on December 10-11 at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s, T&T… more
Telecom consolidation: 5 potential consumer benefits
Regional – Much has been written about the potential negative implications of the consolidation being witnessed in the Caribbean telecom sector… more
Tell the facts, C&W
Regional – I was initially pleased to see that Cable & Wireless (C&W) responded to my letter on their proposed acquisition of Columbus, but after reading their response I was disappointed to see they didn’t take my comments on board, nor did they take the opportunity to ease the concerns of the public… more
Putting the consumers first
Trinidad and Tobago – ON December 11, Finance Minister Larry Howai assured Digicel founder and executive chairman Denis O’Brien that Government will make a decision soon on the proposed US$3 billion acquisition of Columbus by Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC)… more
Friday, 19 December 2014
Cable Bahamas suspends spokesperson
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas yesterday announced that it suspended its relationship with one of its advertising contractors pending the result of a police investigation… more
URCA preliminary finding on March 2014 BTC network outage
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) placed the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) on a clock with respect to any response by the telecoms company to URCA’s preliminary finding of breach of contract: BTC now has less than a month to respond, 30 days after which URCA will issue its final determination and order… more
Columbus: Still no luck with mobile licence
Barbados – Columbus Barbados Telecommunications Limited is keen to get a mobile licence but has been unsuccessful so far… more
Instant message: BB is here to stay
Barbados – The Caribbean remains a stronghold for BlackBerry and any suggestion that the Canadian telecommunication and wireless equipment company is on its last legs is false… more
Latitude, a Blockchain Startup Accelerator, Set to Launch in the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands – A newly announced accelerator program for blockchain ventures is set to launch in January in the Cayman Islands, aiming to take advantage of the location’s heavenly landscapes and favorable tax regime… more
What Washington’s Policy Shift Means for Cuba’s Awful Internet Service
Cuba – The United States’ trade embargo against Cuba began on Oct. 19, 1960. That’s almost exactly nine years to the day before the first link was established on what would eventually evolve into the Internet… more
BUSINESS BYTE: Customers continue to WIN with LIME this Christmas
Dominica – LIME is keeping its promise of making this Christmas a ‘Holly Jolly’ one for its many customers… more
BUSINESS BYTE: LIME slashes roaming rates
Dominica – Dominica’s leading telecommunications service provider LIME, has announced the launch of their new prepaid roaming offers – slashing prices by up to 50%… more
Appeal Court says Digicel/Claro merger was proper
Jamaica – The Court of Appeal has closed the chapter on the 2011 merger of Digicel and Claro, saying the merger was effected properly… more
LIME positioning to take advantage of US/Cuba relations
Jamaica – Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) is now positioning itself to take advantage of any business opportunities resulting from the historic re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the USA and Cuba… more
LIME projects US$281-m growth in revenues from Flow acquisition
Regional – TELECOMS provider LIME Jamaica expects to grow annual revenues to US$281 million with the Flow acquisition, according to Chairman Chris Dehring… more
Digicel Delivers Super Smartphone Sale Today
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Just when we thought that giving away $15,000 cash every week was enough, Digicel St. Kitts & Nevis strikes again with another incentive to make this Christmas the best one to date… more
Former LIME Employees Start to Collect Severance
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Some former LIME employees have collected their long delayed severance pay from the government, according to reports reaching WINN FM… more
IDB Funds Open Data For E-Health In T&T
Trinidad and Tobago – A US$110 million Inter-American Development Bank loan for Trinidad and Tobago will fund a health initiative to design and implement a nationwide electronic health information management system… more
Saturday, 20 December 2014
LIME, DEKAL Wireless Provide School With Internet
Jamaica – HERE WAS excitement at the Schoolfield Primary and Infant School on Tuesday as the institution received Internet for the first time courtesy of Lime and DEKAL Wireless… more
Columbus tells CWU: No plans to cut jobs
Trinidad and Tobago – Columbus Communications Trinidad Ltd has told the Communications Workers Union (CWU) it has no immediate plans to reduce its workforce in T&T… more
Sunday, 21 December 2014
Five Apply For Portability Admin Services
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulations (OUR) has received five applications for number portability administration services to Jamaican telecommunications operators… more
Image credits: Mars Hill Church (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; The Bahamas Weekly;
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