A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 9 November to Sunday 15 November 2015.
Monday, 9 November 2015
Third annual data protection symposium announced
Bahamas – The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has announced that the third National Training Symposium – under the theme “The balancing act: Data protection & freedom of information” – will be held on November 13, 2015 at the Melia Nassau Beach resort, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.… more
60 Young Caribbean Entrepreneurs Attend Boot Camp
Jamaica – Sixty young Caribbean entrepreneurs are participating in a one-week boot camp that will equip them with basic business and product development tools and techniques necessary to build a software-based company… more
ICT Sector Is More Than BPO And Call Centres, Shareholders Want Government To Maximise Other Opportunities
Jamaica – Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been hailed as one of the planks of Jamaica’s growth-inducement strategy… more
Cable and Wireless Communications Plc Receives “Outperform” Rating from RBC Capital (CWC)
Regional – RBC Capital reiterated their outperform rating on shares of Cable and Wireless Communications Plc (LON:CWC) in a report released on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a GBX 76 ($1.14) price target on the stock… more
Liberty Global’s revenues surge
Regional – Liberty Global, the British-based telecommunications and television conglomerate which is eyeing Flow Jamaica’s parent company, Cable and Wireless Communications, has reported a surprising rise in third-quarter revenue… more
Tech Term Of The Week: Passphrase
Regional – The term is usually confused with password only because both act as a security code for a user’s device or personal information wherever it is stored… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Interruption
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Flow is upgrading the fixed line network in the West Farm area on Monday November 9th, 2015… more
Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Stolen laptop lands two men in trouble
Barbados – Two men have appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court in connection with the theft of a laptop computer… more
Civil servants to get cash back from Digicel
Jamaica – More than 120,000 civil servants in Jamaica will soon be able to get access to exclusive deals and cash back on their purchases at Digicel, with the introduction of a new Team Jamaica ValuCard initiative… more
Country’s 235th Computer Access Point Opens in Mandeville
Jamaica – Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, on Friday (November 6), formally opened Jamaica’s 235th Community Access Point (CAP) at the Mandeville Craft Institute (MCI) vocational training centre in Manchester… more
Digicel Jamaica to invest USD 100 mln in new FTTH rollout
Jamaica – Digicel Jamaica is set to invest USD 100 million to expand its fibre-optic service to Portmore, Spanish Town and parts of Kingston, reports local daily Jamaica Gleaner, citing the operator’s CEO Dennis O’Brien… more
Grading Jamaica’s Information And Communication Technology Sector
Jamaica – Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have changed the face of the world… more
Tech Times: Start-Up Ja Hosts 60 Young Entrepreneurs From The Region
Jamaica – Beginning today, Start-Up Jamaica will be hosting its second boot camp, where young tech entrepreneurs from around the Caribbean will participate in five days of workshops… more
Cable and Wireless Communications Plc Stock Rating Reaffirmed by RBC Capital (CWC)
Regional – Cable and Wireless Communications Plc (LON:CWC)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by investment analysts at RBC Capital in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Interruption
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Flow is upgrading the fixed line network in the areas of Marion Heights, Upper Stoney Grove, Victoria Road, Cane Garden and Brown Hill on Wednesday November 11th, 2015… more
C&W Business launch
Trinidad and Tobago – TELECOMS giant Cable & Wireless last Wednesday launched C&W Business at the Hyatt Regency (Trinidad) in Port of Spain… more
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
BTC Joaquin damages top $20M
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) incurred more than $20 million in damages during Hurricane Joaquin last month, according to BTC executives… more
BTC Workers Warned Of ‘Challenge’ Ahead
Bahamas – BTC CEO Leon Williams yesterday said that while he does not anticipate any layoffs at the company in the near to short-term, BTC and the future of its remaining employees may be “challenged” by the evolution of mobile services in the country and the emergence of a second cellular services provider… more
Union Angry At Cellular Licence For Cable Bahamas
Bahamas – BAHAMAS Communications and Public Officers Union President Bernard Evans yesterday criticised Cable Bahamas Limited’s successful bid to become the country’s second cellular services provider… more
WhatsApp ate $10M of BTC’s revenue in 2015
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) CEO Leon Williams yesterday revealed that popular mobile messaging app WhatsApp alone had cost the telecoms company approximately $10 million in revenue in 2015… more
C&W plans greater investment if hub materializes
Jamaica – GROUP head of C&W Business John Maduri says telecommunications giant Cable and Wireless is willing to invest in another data centre in Jamaica if the planned logistics hub materialises… more
In brief: Digicel targeting Jamaica fibre spend
Jamaica – Digicel – the telecoms firm owned by Denis O’Brien, pictured – is spending more than $100m (€93m) to roll out fast fibre broadband in Jamaica… more
Jamaica: A guardian angel of entrepreneurial talent in the Caribbean
Jamaica – With its young, creative and English-speaking population, Jamaica is making its mark on the entrepreneurial stage, especially within the digital sector. Its talented youth are already catching the eye of international investors… more
Wi-Fi penetration set to expand with new marketing initiative
Jamaica – ANDREW Pairman, CEO of Intelligent Multimedia Limited, believes that his company is on the cusp of revolutionising marketing and customer service in Jamaica with the introduction of SOCIALFIJA… more
12 reasons viewers close your website and open your competitors’ instead
Regional – I have been reviewing a number of websites lately, and thought it would be helpful to present a sampling of the many reasons potential customers would rather hit the back button than to keep moving forward on a website to make a desired purchase… more
Cable & Wireless Communications to Deploy TrueCall® Geoanalytics Platform to Decrease OpEx, Improve Subscriber Experience
Regional – Tektronix Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., (NASDAQ:NTCT) today announced Cable & Wireless Communications, a full-service communications provider operating throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, will deploy its TrueCall® platform to reduce operating expenses and improve network and subscriber services… more
Cable and Wireless posts loss on takeover
Regional – Cable and Wireless Communications dropped to a $1 million pre-tax loss during the first six months of 2015 ending in September, compared to a $154 million profit during the same period last year, as a result of finance expenses related to its acquisition of Columbus Communications… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Interruption
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Flow is upgrading the fixed line network in the areas of Cotton Ground, Clifton Estate, Cades Bay and Colquhouns on Thursday November 12th, 2015… more
New era Samsung TV comes to T&T
Trinidad and Tobago – Samsung Electronics has introduced its new line of SUHD televisions, setting a new standard in UHD premium content and taking the viewing experience to new levels… more
Youths debate cellphones in school
Trinidad and Tobago – SHOULD mobile phones be banned in secondary schools during class time? … more
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Update On Dominica History Digital Resource
Dominica – Earlier last month the Division of Culture in collaboration with the Create Caribbean Inc. Research Institute of the Dominica State College launched a digital research resource dubbed ‘The Road to Independence: A Virtual Journey’ forming part of Dominica’s 2015 history week… more
TAWU Writes Cable & Wireless Over Staff Cut Proposal
Grenada – Grenada’s Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) has written to the Chief Executive Officer of CABLE AND WIRELESS, Phil Bentley, over the company’s proposal to cut staff in the face of a merger with Flow Communications… more
How Much Cable TV Can Jamaica Sustain?
Jamaica – When it was announced earlier this year that a number of channels were to be removed from cable television service in Jamaica, I was unmoved… more
Cable and Wireless Communications Plc Earns Neutral Rating from Citigroup Inc. (CWC)
Regional – Citigroup Inc. reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Cable and Wireless Communications Plc (LON:CWC) in a report published on Monday, MarketBeat reports… more
Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (LON:CWC) Receives Equal Weight Rating From Barclays Capital Analysts
Regional – Cable & Wireless Communications PLC (LON:CWC) had its stock rating indicated as ‘Equal Weight’ in a report released by analysts at Barclays Capital… more
Eastern Caribbean countries moving closer to number portability
Regional – Member states of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) will advance plans to move to number portability later this month… more
Jamaica to host international tech conference in April 2016
Regional – Montego Bay, Jamaica, will host the next regional gathering of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) from April 19 to 24, 2016… more
Number Retention Coming To ECTEL States
Regional – Member States of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority-ECTEL will advance plans to move to number portability later this month… more
Telecommunication Merger has no Direct Impact on St. Kitts and Nevis, Says Chairman Byron
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Honourable Vincent Byron, Minister of Telecommunications and Chairman of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL), has confirmed that the merger between Cable & Wireless Communications Plc. and Columbus International Inc. will not impact St. Kitts and Nevis, as it would the Windward islands like Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia… more
C&W Business launches its Workplace Solutions for SMEs
Trinidad and Tobago – C&W Business is offering IT products that can help businesses to maintain a competitive edge said David D’Oliveira, vice president, business and government sales, C&W Business… more
Friday, 13 November 2015
Telecoms service providers in A&B support ECTEL’s plan
Antigua and Barbuda – Telecommunications service providers here are in support of the plan by the Eastern Caribbean Authority (ECTEL) to implement number portability later this month, in the member states which it serves… more
Union Opposition To Cable’s Mobile Licence Bolstered
Bahamas – The Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) yesterday received backing from a second trade union over its opposition to Cable Bahamas receiving this nation’s second mobile licence… more
Cable and Wireless and Wikimedia Foundation Sign Partnership Deal
Regional – In another ground-breaking move that is sure to appeal to educators, parents and the broader C&W customer base, the Company has signed an important partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that supports Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects… more
Cable and Wireless Communications Plc Price Target Raised to GBX 63 at Barclays (CWC)
Regional – Cable and Wireless Communications Plc (LON:CWC) had its price target lifted by Barclays from GBX 60 ($0.90) to GBX 63 ($0.95) in a research note released on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock… more
Flow in talks with US networks
Regional – COMMUNICATIONS company Flow is now in discussions with various US networks to allow the company to enter licensing arrangements so that Caribbean consumers can once again get access to their preferred cable stations… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Interruption
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Flow is upgrading the fixed line network in the areas of Cherry Gardens, Prospect Estate, Low Ground and Prospect on Friday November 13th, 2015… more
500 educators attend C-TEC conference
Sint Maarten – More than 500 educators attended the first day of the two-day Caribbean Technology and Education Conference (C-TEC) at Milton Peters College (MPC) on Thursday… more
Saturday, 14 November 2015
Cable Bahamas’ facility and infrastructure repairs nearing completion on hurricane-affected islands
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas’ efforts to repair facilities and other infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Joaquin are drawing closer to completion, Cable Bahamas Vice President of Marketing David Burrows announced… more
GTT gears up to launch free WiFi across city
Guyana – GTT yesterday launched free WiFi service at Church’s locations across the country as part of the plans by the company to “do more” for its customers… more
National Conference on Cyber Security Nov. 17 to 18
Jamaica – The third annual National Conference on Cyber Security will be held from November 17 to 18, at the regional headquarters of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus… mores
DIgicel Launches ‘Brighten Your Christmas’ With Cash And Amazing Gifts To Be Won!
Saint Lucia – You would have thought that it was Friday night and that there was a street party happening in the city on Thursday. But oh no! It was Digicel spreading some early Christmas cheer and putting a new spin on Black Friday… more
Turks and Caicos government writes off $12 million in uncollected telecoms taxes
Turks and Caicos Islands – The Turks and Caicos Islands government on Friday passed a motion in the House of Assembly for the write-off of $12 million in penalties for late payment of telecommunications taxes that was inadvertently overlooked for some four years… more
Sunday, 15 November 2015
FLOW moves to ‘Merry up Christmas’
Jamaica – On Friday, telecommunications company FLOW unveiled its first major seasonal campaign for the newly launched ‘quad-play’ service provider called the “Merry UP Christmas” promotion…. more
Gov’t to purchase US$200,000 state-of-the-art Digital Archival System
Jamaica – In four weeks, Jamaica will become the owner of a US$200,000 (J$23 million) state-of-the-art Digital Archival System, which will allow for the preservation of the audiovisual data of several public agencies… more
JN crowdfunding platform to boost Branson Centre entrepreneurial growth
Jamaica – A new partnership established between Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) ISupportJamaica crowdfunding platform and the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship — Caribbean (BCoEC), aims to significantly improve the growth potential of start-ups across the region… more
UWI hosts 3rd annual Cyber Security Conference
Jamaica – THE Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication, University of the West Indies will be hosting the third annual Cyber Security Conference under the theme “Data Protection, Financial Services and Customer Awareness”. The conference will be held at the UWI Regional Headquarters, Mona, in St Andrew, on Tuesday and Wednesday… more
E-auction and e-procurement…the way forward
Trinidad and Tobago – As recent as 2012, a major e-auction event was conducted at a state enterprise for the procurement of pipe and fittings valued at US$47million… more
Lack of care from TSTT
Trinidad and Tobago – THE EDITOR: I have been a TSTT customer for over 30 years and was never in default or late in my payments. I am, to them, a valuable customer… more
Image credits: Brands of the World; Apple; Wikipedia; Flow; Wikipedia
_____________
