A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 31 August to Sunday 6 September 2015.
Monday, 31 August 2015
Cellular Liberalization Task Force announces resumption of the Phase 2 spectrum auction
Bahamas – The Cellular Liberalization Task Force (the Task Force) advises that on August 19, 2015, the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) resumed Phase 2 of the competitive selection process for the second cellular mobile provider… more
URCA resumes cellular liberalization process
Bahamas – Phase two of the request for proposals (RFP) process for the selection of a second mobile service provider resumed on August 19, according to the Cellular Liberalization Task Force… more
Dominica Receives Telecommunications Aid
Dominica – Dominica has received assistance with telecommunication as the country continues its search and rescue efforts… more
LIME working on full restoration of Service to affected customers
Dominica – LIME is reporting significant progress in service restoration to customers and communities whose essential LIME services have been affected as a result of Tropical Storm Erika… more
Restoration of Service continues across the island
Dominica – Customers of LIME in the town of Portsmouth now have the availability of fixed line voice and mobile service allowing friends and loved ones who have not been able to make contact since the passage of the storm, now have the access to do so… more
BCJ Says Cable Operators Complying With Order To Remove Channels
Jamaica – The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) says there has been a high level of compliance by cable operators with the order to discontinue the illegal broadcast of certain channels… more
Digicel Jamaica to expand fibre service to Montego Bay
Jamaica – Digicel Jamaica is set to complete the expansion of its fibre-optic service to Montego Bay’s so-called Elegant Corridor district by the end of October, reports local daily Jamaica Gleaner… more
Mona School Of Business Launches Mobile App
Jamaica – Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM) launched their free mobile app at the University of the West Indies Mona campus orientation activities recently… more
Tens of thousands of Jamaicans switch phone providers under number portability
Jamaica – Jamaicans are taking advantage of the number portability introduced in June, with about 33,000 cell phone and land line accounts being transferred from one provider to another… more
Universal Service Fund generates more than $13 billion
Jamaica – The Universal Service Fund is reporting that it has generated more than $13 billion in revenue from international telephone calls terminating in Jamaica since its establishment in 2005… more
Flow to Establish State-of-the-Art Customer Call Centre of Excellence Bringing More Than 300 New Jobs to Jamaica
Regional – Flow, the new Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) consumer retail brand, today announced plans to establish a new, state-of-the-art Customer Call Centre of Excellence in Kingston, Jamaica and create more than 300 full-time jobs over the next two years… more
Digicel changes lives with ‘Red Hot Summer’ promotion
Saint Lucia – As Digicel continues on with its promise of delivering the best value to its customers daily through its promotions, more St. Lucians increasingly are celebrating the benefits of being part of the Digicel family… more
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
BTC Selects NAAP Global Solutions, Ltd to Assess Vertical Assets Integrity and Implement Asset Management Program
Bahamas – NAAP Global Solutions, Ltd., a leading global provider of asset management solutions for the telecommunications industry, today announced that The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Ltd. (BTC) has selected its Network Asset Lifecycle Management Platform (NAAP Platform) as the end-to-end solution to address its asset management needs… more
Gov’t Urged To Consider ‘Opening’ Mobile Bidding
Bahamas – A leading private sector executive yesterday urged the Government to consider opening up the cellular liberalisation process to other bidders, given that it had not seen the desired level of competition… more
Barbados Edged By Jamaica To Host Flow’s State-Of-The-Art Customer Call Centre
Barbados – Despite initial indications Barbados would be considered, Phil Bentley gave the nod for plans to establish FLOW’s new, state-of-the-art Customer Call Centre of Excellence in Kingston, Jamaica, with a thrust to create more than 300 full-time jobs there over the next two years… more
LIME gives gift of free credit to all customers
Dominica – As the service restoration efforts continue and mobile cell sites progressively return to full operation, LIME Dominica has gone a step further to facilitate contact with family and loved ones in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika… more
Fewer cable offerings
Jamaica – TODAY is the deadline for local cable television providers to remove 19 channels from its roster based on a directive issued by the regulatory agency, The Broadcasting Commission… more
Going with the FLOW
Jamaica – Kiana Garvin (left), Riana Garvin, and Nathan Gordon — have a good time at the former LIME store, rebranded FLOW, on Half-Way-Tree Road in Kingston, yesterday… more
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
URCA promotes STEM disciplines to students
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) supported two Science, Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) camps this summer; the Bahamas Engineering and Technology Advancement (BETA) and “HACK IT” camps… more
Is it failed, frayed or Fair Trading . . . ?
Barbados – On January 2, 2001, the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) came into being. Its mission, proudly stated, was to be transparent and accountable, and to provide professional services to its constituents… more
Cayman domain open to international market
Cayman Islands – Website addresses with Cayman domain names are open to the international market as of Wednesday… more
GTT, Cable and Wireless to offer high-end services to businesses; GTT unveils new logo
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) and Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) are Thursday expected to hold talks on how companies here can benefit from secure data storage and other high-end facilities… more
PHOTOS: LIME transforms to Flow
Jamaica – A new chapter of the history of Cable and Wireless in Jamaica began yesterday when the LIME showcase customer location at Carlton Crescent in Kingston was rebranded to Flow. Here are some before and after photos of the makeover… more
FLOW: Over 300 jobs to be created
Regional – FLOW, the new Cable and Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) consumer retail brand, on Monday announced plans to establish a new, stateof- the-art Customer Call Centre of Excellence in Kingston, Jamaica and create more than 300 full-time jobs over the next two years. The innovative Customer Call Centre of Excellence is part of the Company’s bid to become the leader in service excellence and revolutionise customer experience across the Caribbean… more
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Two to battle it out for Bahamas mobile licence
Bahamas – Authorities in the Bahamas will auction off the country’s second mobile licence next month and there are two companies in the running… more
C&W Communications launches Dominica relief support campaign: Text “HELP” to donate
Dominica – Cable & Wireless Communications has established a regional relief support campaign for the island of Dominica, following the devastation caused by the passage of Tropical Storm Erika… more
Digicel donates desktop phone to evacuation centre
Dominica – Digicel Dominica on Thursday 3 September 2015 delivered a desktop phone and credit to the Dominica Grammar School, one of the evacuation centres… more
ITU deploys emergency telecommunication equipment in Dominica
Dominica – ITU has deployed emergency telecommunication equipment in Dominica, which was hit by Tropical Storm Erika on 27 August. Heavy rains, severe flooding and landslides wreaked widespread damage across the island in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea… more
LIME Update on Service Restoration
Dominica – LIME Mobile and fixed line voice services have been restored in the western communities of Colihaut, Dublanc and Bioche, while efforts continue to complete restoration in Coulibistrie and Salisbury today… more
‘Brand-new’ GTT launches ambitious plans to ‘Do More’
Guyana – As Guyana readies for new laws that will open the telecommunications market to new players, one company appears to be already preparing itself for an increase in competition… more
C&W Networks Launching New Submarine Cable System: Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS)
Regional – C&W Networks one of the largest telecommunications service providers in the Caribbean, announced today that Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks (ASN) has completed the commissioning of the Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS)… more
Team Jamaica wins CANTO ‘s i-Create C.O.D.E 1.o Hackathon Competition
Regional – 2015 CANTO, DSS and PIEDATA hosted the 1st Annual CANTO i- Create C.O.D.E 1.0 Coding Competition at the Hyatt Regency, Miami, Florida. The regional software, design and developer competition highlighted five (5) teams of the best software developers and designers from the Caribbean region… more
Local IT firm becomes Microsoft partner
Trinidad and Tobago – Local information technology (IT) and business consulting company, Caribbean TECH TrendZ Ltd (CTTL) took the coveted title of Microsoft T&T, Country Partner of the Year Award. This award solidifies CTTL as a world-class provider of Microsoft products and services… more
Friday, 4 September 2015
Cable ‘Self-Serving’ On Limiting Facility Share
Bahamas – Regulators last night slammed Cable Bahamas’ “self-serving” argument that newly-developed infrastructure sharing regulations be confined to the mobile market, as they unveiled another key step essential towards its liberalization… more
URCA: Infrastructure sharing regulations take effect
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulations and Competition Authority (URCA) today released the Infrastructure Sharing Regulations (the “Regulations”) for the Electronic Communications Sector (ECS)… more
After TS Erika: BTC teams up with Bahamas Red Cross to help victims in Dominica
Dominica – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is sending out a call to customers to join the company and the Bahamas Red Cross in helping Caribbean neighbor Dominica, post Tropical Storm Erika… more
C&W Communications launches Dominica Relief Support Campaign
Dominica – Cable & Wireless Communications has established a regional relief support campaign for Dominica, following the devastation caused by the passage of Tropical Storm Erika… more
Digicel commits over US$500,000 in support of Dominica’s relief efforts
Dominica – Digicel today announced that it has committed over US$500,000 in support of the relief efforts in Dominica following the devastation that was left behind when Tropical Storm Erika hit the island last week… more
LIME service restored to Delices, Belles
Dominica – LIME’s technicians have overcome the challenges faced in Delices and are reporting success in restoring services to that eastern community… more
Telephone companies unite to help Dominica recover
Dominica – Tropical Storm Erika wreaked havoc in Dominica on 27 August 2015 through flooding, mudslides and landslides, but it also caused two of the country’s main telecommunications providers to unite to help Dominica to recover… more
Dominican Republic gets failing grade in Web access: EFE
Dominica Republic – Dominican Republic figures among the countries with the lowest scores in households with internet access in Latin America, EFE reports… more
90 lose jobs as Linden Call Centre closes
Guyana – Toucan Connections Incorporated, the only Call Centre in the Mining town, violated labour laws when it closed operations recently and sent home some 90 people without prior notice… more
Flow plans $7-b investment for Jamaica
Jamaica – REBRANDED telecommunications provider Flow is planning the establishment of a call centre as part of a $7-billion investment it will be rolling out across the island over the next 12 months… more
Jamaica to host Caribbean’s first digital publishing conference
Jamaica – he Caribbean’s first digital publishing conference, #TheOnlineMind will be held in Kingston, Jamaica, from November 2-5, 2015. The three-day event, which is organised by the Jamaica Copyright Licensing Agency (JAMCOPY), will highlight and address the global trend towards digital publishing… more
Slow overseas postal service hits online commerce entrepreneurs
Jamaica – COURIER problems halted the processing of mail destined for the UK, Europe and beyond for nearly two months — a situation which angered at least one type of exporter — online traders… more
Cable & Wireless outranks global competitors
Regional – CABLE & Wireless Business Solutions was recently placed above international counterparts engaged in the business of technology… more
FLOW Customers Will Be Informed
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Customers of FLOW have been assured that they will be engaged and informed on any adjustments to the video line up here… more
Flow seeks rights to T&T movies
Trinidad and Tobago – Local film makers willing to sign over rights to their movies to local cable company Flow (Columbus Communications), can begin reaping financial rewards almost immediately says the company’s managing director Brian Collins… more
Saturday, 5 September 2015
Khan Academy helping students improve Math skills
Barbados – Schools engaging the Khan Academy Mathematics Initiative are already reporting some minimum gains in terms of improvement in the subject area, as well as students being eager to interact with the programme… more
LIME donates tablets to the EOC
Dominica – The Emergency Operations Center – EOC, the nucleus of communication and steering of restoration efforts following the passage of Tropical Storm Erika has been on the receiving end of 5 Samsung Galaxy Tablets from LIME Dominica… more
Open Campus prepared to help Dominican students
Dominica – Officials of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus say steps are being taken to ensure that Dominican students can continue to pursue their studies in that country… more
It’s time to actually “Do more” GTT
Guyana – Dear Editor, It seems ironic that at a time when there is much celebration at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, in light of its recent rebranding efforts, that I have been plagued for about two weeks now with no landline telephone service… more
ECTEL Warns Telecom Blockers
Regional – TELECOMMUNICATIONS providers in the OECS sub region have been called upon to stop blocking over the top (OTT) services to their subscribers… more
TelCell technicians resolving cell site issue on Fort William Hill.
Sint Maarten – TelEm Group mobile provider, TelCell, reported Friday night that technicians have regularized a problem affecting a cell site located at Fort William Hill and in the process have improved mobile calls originating from this cell site and surrounding areas… more
Digicel to open largest data centre in T&T
Trinidad and Tobago – Telecommunications giant Digicel is currently completing work on the largest data centre in T&T… more
Sunday, 6 September 2015
By 2020 most Dominican should be digitally linked to world economy
Dominican Republic – By the year 2020 the Dominican Republic should have 80% of its population digitally connected and integrated into the world economy, which will make its citizens more intelligent, educated and productive… more
Flow customer doesn’t want inappropriate ring tone
Jamaica – Dear Claudienne, I hope you can help me to have these problems with LIME/Flow resolved… more
No discrimination in call centre job selection – Sinclair
Jamaica – THERE will be no discrimination against people who live in Kingston and St Andrew’s inner city communities who desire to seek employment when FLOW opens its new call centre in Jamaica soon, the company’s Managing Director Garfield “Garry” Sinclair has said… more
FLOW was sexier than LIME, says Sinclair
Regional – THE decision to settle on the name of the merged company of Flow and LIME was in the end not a difficult one… more
Image credits: journalismthatmatters (flickr); Flow; The West Indian News; ITU; Wikimedia; Wikipedia
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LIME gives gift of free credit to Dominica customers affected by the tropical storm… I thought that is very good move. It is also good for business, puts the company in good light with present and prospective customers.