A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 22 February to Sunday 27 February 2016.
Monday, 22 February 2016
Ericsson and Cisco establish agreement with Aster in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic – Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) will transform Aster’s TV proposition and cable network in the Dominican Republic through the deployment of the Ericsson Mediaroom TV Platform and video compression solutions, as well as the Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) cBR-8, the industry’s first Evolved Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP)… more
Media companies worried as ad blocking goes mobile
Regional – An “unethical, immoral, mendacious coven of techie wannabes” — that is how Randall Rothenberg, president of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, describes ad-blocking companies… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Interruption
Saint Kitts and Nevis – FLOW is upgrading its Broadband network in the Camps area on Tuesday February 23rd, 2016. Landline and Internet services will be affected… more
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
BTL & Mek Mi Rich Lose Landmark Case
Belize – Telecommunications giant B.T.L. colluded with registered game show company Mek Mi Rich to steal entrepreneur Curtis Swasey’s concept and use it as their own… more
Internet providers block copyrighted content
Cayman Islands – Customers of FLOW and C3 may find themselves unable to stream movies or access certain content since the internet providers have begun to block some copyrighted content flowing into the Cayman Islands… more
Digicel Play Deploys Its Fiber Network to Offer Pay-TV In Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago
Regional – As anticipated by NexTV News Latam in January, Digicel prepares to launch its Pay-TV and broadband services Digicel Play in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago… more
EDITORIAL: Telecoms monopoly no way to go
Regional – OVER THE PAST half-century or so, Barbados’ engagement with providers of telecommunications services has been quite interesting… more
Going with FLOW
Regional – Last year, Cable and Wireless Communication, a Miami-based telecommunications provider operating in the Caribbean and Latin America, rebranded its stores as a result of a merger with Caribbean telecom Columbus International… more
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
More backing needed for tech developers
Barbados – FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN Barbados need to be a bit less conservative, and make a bigger investment in new technologies and younger people, particularly those with a keen interest in entrepreneurship… more
Cuba, US officials hold talks on Internet and telecoms
Cuba – Cuban officials say they have held two days of talks with their U.S. counterparts about telecommunications and the Internet… more
C&WJ Profit Not Convincing, Says Minority Shareholder
Jamaica – Outspoken minority shareholder Orette Staple needs convincing that telecoms Cable & Wireless Jamaica’s (C&WJ) first quarterly profit in nearly a decade will benefit stockholders… more
Battle Heats Up Over Mobile Ad Blocking
Regional – A new front is opening in the battle between technology companies and telecom operators: wireless ad blocking… more
C&W Business earns Fortinet Platinum Partner
Regional – C&W Business, part of Cable & Wireless Communications, Plc (CWC), today announces it has been recognized as a Fortinet Platinum Partner… more
Flow — Exclusive Broadcast Partner and Sponsor of Flow CARIFTA Games
Regional – Flow has once again given Caribbean sports fans another reason to celebrate — as for the first time in the history of the CARIFTA Games, a three day sports event will be broadcast live in High Definition (HD) across the entire region… more
Pitch-IT bringing opportunities for Caribbean & Bajan App developers
Regional – Over 100 tech-savvy entrepreneurs will get the chance to hone their Mobile App development skills over the next 30 months, and make money for themselves at the same time… more
E-Government Is A Magnificent Advancement In The Lives Of Citizens
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis launched the Government’s new E-Portal on Thursday, February 18, which Attorney General and Minister of Communications, the Honourable Vincent Byron, described as a magnificent advancement in the lives of citizens within 12 months of the Government assuming office… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Opening Hours
Saint Kitts and Nevis – FLOW wishes to advise the general public of changes in our Opening Hours on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th February, respectively… more
Google search ‘Caribbean vacation’ offers little about the USVI
United States Virgin Islands – The Tourism Department marketing plan for 2016 includes a heavy focus on social media and Internet marketing, but a basic Google search seeking “vacation in Caribbean” opportunities turned up few links to the territory’s destinations or activities, though many other Caribbean islands are repeatedly touted… more
Thursday, 25 February 2016
Bitt Launches Caribbean’s First Blockchain Based Digital Money
Barbados – The Caribbean’s first blockchain-based digital money was launched on Monday by the Barbados based financial technology company, Bitt Inc… more
Bitt Uses Bitcoin Technology to Digitize Barbadian Dollar
Barbados – The name Bitt may ring a bell for people who are experienced in the world of Bitcoin and blockchain, as the FinTech startup has been chosen to revamp the financial industry in the region… more
BTL and MMR in “SHADY” relationship, says Supreme Court
Belize – The decision by Supreme Court Justice Courtney Abel in the landmark intellectual property case of Swasey vs. Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Mek Me Rich (MMR) Belize Ltd. took just over an hour to read out on Tuesday, February 22nd… more
Court says ‘MEK MI RICH’ was Curtis Swasey’s idea
Belize – Corozal Businessman Curtis Swasey has won his fight against BTL and the proprietors of the Mek Mi Rich Lottery Game. The Supreme Court has ruled that lottery texting in Belize was his idea, and that Mek Mi Rich stole it… more
Aster from the Dominican Republic to Migrate to IPTV through Partnership with Ericsson and Cisco
Dominican Republic – Cable TV operator Aster (Telemicro) from the Dominican Republic announced through a press release that it will transform its technology to offer Pay-TV through Mediaroom TV, Swedish technology company Ericsson’s IPTV platform… more
C&W Jamaica returns to profitability
Jamaica – CABLE & Wireless Jamaica Limited, which operates as FLOW, returned to profitability for the first time in eight years during the third quarter of the financial year, which ended December 31, 2015… more
Friday, 26 February 2016
Bahamas Social Media Summit experiences exponential growth
Bahamas – Mackey Media Ltd and International Seminar promoter Mitch Carson have teamed up to host Bahamas Social Media Summit scheduled to take place April 5th, 2016 at Grand Lucayan… more
Business Tech Expo and Hackathon expands business opportunities
Bahamas – The recent Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) Business and Technology Expo and Hackathon was planned and presented to underscore the company’s “renewed sense of commitment to explore opportunities to advance and strengthen business partnerships in The Bahamas,” said Senior Vice President of Business Solutions, Chris Mayer… more
Bitt launches “digital” Bajan dollar for its e-wallet
Barbados – Bitt, the Barbados-based software company building a new financial platform for the region, has announced the launch of what it called the Barbadian Digital Dollar, which it said would be cheaper to use, more secure and more traceable than cash… more
Opposition Party Speaks on MEK MI RICH and BTL
Belize – Earlier this week we told you of the ruling by Justice Courtney Abel as it relates to the lawsuit taken out by Curtis Swasey against the Belize Telemedia Limited… more
ICTA focusses on transitioning to PUC
Cayman Islands – The Information & Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) has released a list of what it says are the top five priorities on which the organisation is focussing, and which will bring about much needed changes to the current telecommunications landscape… more
Two men convicted for lottery scamming
Jamaica – The St Elizabeth Proactive Investigations Unit recorded another lottery scam conviction in the St Elizabeth Circuit Court on Wednesday… more
Digicel Play to Incorporate Euronews’ Signal to Its Pay-TV Offer in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago
Regional – Telecommunications company Digicel reached a commercial agreement with the French subscription TV channel Euronews (Media Globe Networks) to incorporate its English version to Pay-TV service Digicel Play’s grids in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago… more
WIN TV to close for 3 months
Trinidad and Tobago – FROM Monday, World Indian Network (WIN) may be required to cease the operation of both its television and radio stations for at least three months, or until it manages to pay close to $5 million in concession and licence fees and also secure a concession and licence of its own from the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) to continue such operation… more
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Phone push
Barbados – Telecommunications Minister Darcy Boyce says while Barbados currently ranks “high” in the Caribbean in terms of connectivity, his desire is to have it listed among the top ten countries in the world… more
Digicel sues firm in US over phone calls to Haiti
Haiti – Records about the jailing, and subsequent release, of a number of people in Haiti alleged to have been involved in a scam to defraud Denis O’Brien’s Digicel group, have been filed with a court in the United States… more
Educating You On Digicel Play
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: I write in response to a letter to the editor, titled ‘Too many teething pains, Digicel’, written by a Leroy Brown and published in The Gleaner on Saturday, February 20, 2016… more
Over 70 Entrepreneurs Benefitting from Training
Jamaica – Over 70 local and regional entrepreneurs and innovators are currently benefiting from training in product and business development skills under the Caribbean Green Tech Start-up Boot camp… more
High Court dismisses application by media house
Trinidad and Tobago – A High Court judge has dismissed an application for an injunction filed by the media company, WIN Caribbean Ltd challenging the decision of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) not to renew its licence until the arrears owed since 2011 are paid… more
Sunday, 28 February 2016
Flow blocks out pirates
Barbados – SOME BARBADIANS had a torrid time media streaming this past week… more
Government’s IT budget halved since 2008
Cayman Islands – While information technology was playing a larger role each day in public governance, the Cayman Islands was slashing its IT budget year after year, finance records reveal… more
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