A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 14 March to Sunday 20 March 2016.
Monday, 14 March 2016
$1.5M Phone Bill – Huge Charges Racked Up On Gov’t-Issued Cell Phone After Former Company Chairman’s Resignation
Jamaica – Though Maurice Henry demitted office as chairman of the state-owned Aeronautical Telecommunications Limited (AEROTEL) in February 2012, $1.5 million in charges were racked up on the same company cell phone issued to him over a 22-month period after his resignation, court and other documents obtained by The Gleaner have revealed… more
Aerotel To Blame – Gov’t Official Suggests State-Owned Company At Fault For $1.5M Cell Phone Bill
Jamaica – The management of the state-owned Aeronautical Telecommunications Limited (AEROTEL) should be blamed for allowing more than $1.5 million in charges to be racked up on the cell phone issued to its former chairman during the first two years after his resignation, a senior government official has said… more
Digicel Urges Young Smartphone Videographers To Film And Win
Regional – 10th Annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day Video Competition launched in Jamaica Digicel is challenging students from ages 15 to 18 to submit a winning entry in the 10th Annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day Video Competition for a chance to win trip to Puerto Rico, tablets and cash prizes… more
Ectel unable to regulate Columbus acquisition by CWC
Regional – The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (Ectel) announced that it has been unable to reach an amicable agreement with Cable & Wireless Communication (CWC) over its acquisition of Columbus International, reports the Jamaica Observer… more
Latin America and the Caribbean called on to strengthen efforts on cybersecurity
Regional – Leaders of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS) on Monday called on the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to step up their efforts on cybersecurity after releasing a new study, carried out by the two institutions with the support of Oxford University, that shows the region is highly vulnerable to potentially devastating cyber-attacks… more
Marketing Strategies Today: Top 30 things to remember as you are growing your online business
Regional – 1. You can never have too much knowledge about SEO and analytics… more
St. Lucia to host regional telecommunications conference
Regional – St. Lucia will this week host a telecommunications conference that will attract delegates from across the globe… more
Saint Lucia to host ICT Week
Saint Lucia – Saint Lucia is the host venue for ICT Week from March 14-18, 2016…. more
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Cable Bahamas gives at-home viewers front seat to national basketball championships
Bahamas – High school sports fans who were unable to attend the first ever Bahamas High School National Basketball Championships in Grand Bahama over the weekend got the opportunity to catch the action in the comfort of their homes thanks to live coverage provided by Cable Bahamas… more
Marketing conference brings Google, Microsoft to Cayman
Cayman Islands – Cayman Enterprise City has announced a conference that will bring the world’s leading digital marketing specialists and tech entrepreneurs to the Cayman Islands… more
Proposed laws on child pornography, computer hacking for public discussion tomorrow
Guyana – Government is set tomorrow to publicly discuss ground-breaking, proposed legislation that will address concerns of the crimes relating to internet use and illegal acquisition of computer data… more
Ramjattan maintains that Jagdeo’s broadcasting licences must be revoked
Guyana – Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, said, yesterday, that he has said enough on the campaign trail about the importance of the revocation of all illegally granted broadcasting licences and as such, will maintain those statements today… more
Flow gone Wi-Fi
Jamaica – Telecommunications firm Flow in its aim to give patrons a complete ‘Champs’ experience, will launch a groundbreaking initiative of offering free wireless internet connection (Wi-Fi) throughout the entire National Stadium at the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championship… more
CANTO 2016 – Bigger and Better in Puerto Rico
Regional – uerto Rico, known as the ‘Island of enchantment ‘La isla del encanto’ is the chosen venue for CANTO’s upcoming 32nd Annual Conference & Trade Exhibition… more
Caribbean countries urged to strengthen efforts on cyber security
Regional – They made the call after releasing a new study on Monday which shows the region is highly vulnerable to potentially devastating cyber-attacks. They made the call after releasing a new study on Monday which shows the region is highly vulnerable to potentially devastating cyber-attacks… more
Commonwealth Ministers tackle cybercrime
Regional – Commonwealth ministers, policymakers and cyber security experts begin a three-day meeting here on Wednesday to tackle rising cybercrime in the Caribbean… more
CXC keeping up with technology
Regional – Very soon, students will be able to take their Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams online. It is CXC’s way of keeping up with an increasingly automated world… more
ECTEL to mark World Consumer Day
Regional – The St. Lucia-based Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) says it will convene a series of activities to mark the World Consumer Rights Day on Tuesday, including the airing of a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in its member countries…. more
Flow Moves Call Center from El Salvador to Historic Site in Jamaica
Regional – Flow, a subsidiary of the Caribbean telecom giant Cable & Wireless, has begun relocating its call center from El Salvador to Jamaican city of New Kingston… more
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Cable contents crossing line
Bahamas – There is a growing concern about the many movies that are available to cable subscribers. Often minors view movies with a high violent and sex content… more
Smart Belize Selects FTS’ Convergent Billing Platform
Belize – Belize-based mobile operator Smart Telecom today announced that it has selected FTS’ convergent billing solution to offer more innovative and affordable services to its customers… more
Media, identity, financial protection hot on draft Cyber Crime Bill consultations
Guyana – Concerns were Wednesday raised that the loss of money as a result of cyber theft at banks and other financial institutions is not provided for in the draft legislation currently under discussion… more
CWJ Board to distribute surplus pension funds
Jamaica – The board of directors of Cable & Wireless Jamaica Limited (CWJ) today communicated their intention to distribute surplus funds from the pension plan to members on record… more
Thursday, 17 March 2016
BTC broadens 24/7 call centre services
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has recently widened its 24/7 Call Centre service platform to include credit card payments over the phone for land, mobile and internet bills, instant restoration of disconnected services and TopUp… more
20 thousand strong and the launch of an entrepreneurship assistance program
Belize – Women are far more likely to be unemployed and underemployed than men… more
Guyana holds second public consultation on draft cybercrime bill
Guyana – The second public consultation on Guyana’s draft Cybercrime Bill of 2016, kicked off on Wednesday in Georgetown; with stakeholders making several meaningful submissions on almost every aspect of the draft legislation, which seeks to rein in perpetrators of cybercrimes against Guyanese citizens, companies, and state institutions… more
PM Moses in favour of revoking illegal radio licences
Guyana – Amidst mounting criticisms from various quarters, Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo clarified yesterday his stance on the radio, television and cable licences which were granted during the Jagdeo regime… more
OUR sees 29% customer contact increase
Jamaica – There was an increase in the number of consumers making contact with the Office of Utilities Regulation’s (OUR’s) Consumer Affairs Unit during the October to December 2015 quarter, compared to the previous quarter… more
Digicel and Broadsoft Expand Unified Communications Collaboration
Regional – Digicel Group has announced that it is expanding its Broadsoft BroadWorks® platform and UC One® Unified Communications portfolio of services, which will see customers across the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific region benefiting from world-class products and services… more
Flow TV to Cover CARIFTA Games Live, Exclusively
Regional – Sports fans in Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean looking to cheer on their country in the 2016 CARIFTA Games will be able to watch up to the minute television coverage in High Definition (HD) for the first time ever… more
Regional TV series coming
Regional – A group of OECS audio-visual professionals have just ended a three day training exercise on Developing Strategies for Producing Content for Regional and International Media with a commitment to create a regional television series, for audiences in the Caribbean and beyond… more
Unprepared for cyber attacks Central and South America
Regional – Latin America and the Caribbean are highly susceptible to cyber attacks , according to a new report issued jointly by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) this week… more
Digicel Customers Rejoice For Win Cash Promotion
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Fifteen customers of telecommunications firm Digicel St. Kitts-Nevis, are today rejoicing for winning cash in the ongoing Win Cash Promotion for March, 2016… more
Friday, 18 March 2016
Customs to launch ASYCUDA prototype by June
Antigua and Barbuda – The Antigua & Barbuda Customs and Excise Division will launch the prototype for a cutting edge Customs management system by June 1, 2016… more
BTC Broadens Customer Service Platform Appeal
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has recently widened its 24/7 Call Centre service platform to include credit card payments over the phone for land, mobile and internet bills, instant restoration of disconnected services and TopUp… more
USAID, Microsoft to boost youth education with new hi-tech programs
Dominican Republic – US Embassy chief of staff Patrick Dunn, US Agency for International Development (USAID) director Alexandria L. Panehal, and the Microsoft Dominicana country general manager Jorge Cabeza on Thursday signed a preliminary agreement to use information technology to bolster education and other Agency programs… more
Three Primary Schools Receive Laptops and Projectors for Ask Listen Learn Programme
Grenada – On Wednesday, March 16, 2016, the Regional Beverage Alcohol Alliance (RBAA), in collaboration with its global partners and sponsors, Pernod Ricard and DIAGEO, donated laptops and projectors to the Samaritan Presbyterian, the Mt. Rose Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Primary and Concord Government primary schools… more
Public discussion on proposed cybercrime laws… Leaking confidential data, hacking of bank accounts raised
Guyana – Proposed legislations that will change the way the country deals with internet crimes are up for public discussions with the US and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) promising to assist Guyana… more
Subcommittee recommended illegal radio licences must be revoked
Guyana – Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), Leonard Craig continues to dodge questions which require him to explain to the nation where the Authority is on the revocation of the illegally granted licences under the Jagdeo regime… more
BOJ warns public about malicious emails
Jamaica – The Bank of Jamaica in another advertisement in the press today reiterated its warning against e-mails informing people of “new transaction guidelines”, which are being circulated as if originating from BOJ… more
CDB Supports Drive For Better Data To Boost Caribbean Development
Regional – In 2012, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved financing for a collaborative project with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat… more
Digicel Files Suit Against US Firm For Mail, Wire Fraud
Regional – A United States court has found that sufficient facts have been pleaded against UPM, an Oregon-based firm, to proceed with the case in which it is alleged to have used Digicel Haiti’s subscriber identity cards – SIMs – to divert international telecommunications traffic and, consequently, revenue from the telecoms provider… more
OECS audio-visual professionals endorse plans for regional TV series
Regional – A group of Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) audio-visual professionals has just ended a three day training exercise on developing strategies for producing content for regional and international media with a commitment to create a regional television series, for audiences in the Caribbean and beyond… more
Regional postal workers urged to embrace new technologies
Regional – CARIBBEAN postal workers attending a three-day workshop in Bridgetown, Barbados, have been told that they have little or no choice but to embrace new technologies and embrace the opportunities they provide as they carry out their duties… more
Female entrepreneurs to receive training in Digital Marketing
Saint Lucia – At least twenty female entrepreneurs will receive training in Digital Marketing under the Saint Lucian Women & Girls in ICT Campaign, which is a joint initiative of the Saint Lucia Coalition of Services & Industry (SLCSI) in collaboration with the Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (CARCIP)… more
CWU wants TSTT executive to go
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) is calling on Chairman of the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), Emile Elias, to get rid of one of the Company’s executives… more
Saturday, 19 March 2016
GPS tracking for PSVs
Barbados – Minister of Transport Michael Lashley has signalled that changes are to be made to the Transport Authority Service Integration (TASI) pilot project, including the installation of GPS monitors in privately operated public service vehicles (PSVs)… more
Digicel Play A Romp Rough!
Jamaica – After much resistance, I eventually yielded to the entreaties to switch to the Digicel’s Triple Play promotion, which promises a win-win combination of Internet, cable and telephone service – a decision I came to regret less than three hours after the installation two Saturdays ago… more
Interrupting Normal Operations
Regional – WE are on the alert because neighbouring islands are affected by diseases which are not yet reported on our shores, including H1N1 swine flu, and the Zika virus… more
Sunday, 20 March 2016
If radio, cable, TV licences not revoked, Guyana loses
Guyana – Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, has now added his voice to the debate over the revocation of the granted radio and cable licences under the Jagdeo regime… more
CONSUMER CONCERNS…Developing new standards for consumer goods and services
Guyana – One of the greatest concerns which the Guyana Consumers Association, and indeed consumer advocates worldwide have is the standard of goods and services offered to consumers… more
Telecoms Bill to go before the House within a month
Guyana – Within a month’s time, the National Assembly will be examining legislation that should see the liberalization of the telecommunications sector. This is according to Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes… more
Businesswise | Secrets To Success For Earning Online
Jamaica – I am constantly writing about ways to earn both online and offline because of our persistently high levels of youth unemployment, and the wealth of untapped opportunities for them to create their own sustainable incomes outside of the elusive traditional jobs… more
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