A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 29 February to Sunday 6 March 2016.

Monday, 29 February 2016

Court hearing looms but union open to settlement in employees’ favour

Antigua and Barbuda – The union representing the 13 workers of telecommunications company LIME, who have been made redundant as a result of its merger with FLOW, said it is willing to accept a last minute settlement ahead of this week’s trial in the Industrial Court… more

Inniss: Technology can improve government efficiency

Barbados – THE GOVERNMENT OF Barbados will be more efficient if it employs more technology, says Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development Donville Inniss… more

SMART Signs Agreement with Formula Telecom Solutions

Belize – A brief statement from SMART issued today announces that it has entered into an agreement with Formula Telecom Solutions, a provider of convergent billing, charging, customer care and policy control as well as payment solutions… more

Government IT still under resourced

Cayman Islands – The government is still not investing enough in information technology to ensure its future security or the necessary systems required to move towards comprehensive e-government services… more

Marketing Strategies Today: Top seven online entrepreneurs you must emulate to be successful

Regional – When you are an online entrepreneur, you are a bit of an island out there if you are not plugged into other resources that will be able to help you in this area… more

We all need IT, says CXC head

Regional – INFORMATION technology should be just as important as Mathematics and English and every Caribbean citizen should know how to use a computer, says head of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), Prof Sir Hilary Beckles… more

FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Interruption

Saint Kitts and Nevis – FLOW is upgrading its Broadband network in the areas of Half Moon Heights and Camps on Tuesday March 1st, 2016… more

Digicel T&T wins award for broadband speed

Trinidad and Tobago – Digicel Play Group CEO John Suranyi; Digicel Trinidad and Tobago CEO Sacha Thompson and Digicel Play Trinidad and Tobago CEO Garvin Medera are flanked by Digicel brand ambassadors at the Digicel Play launch earlier this year where the Ookla award for being the fastest mobile and fixed line broadband networks in the country was announced… more

Tuesday, 1 March 2016

http://www.belizeweb.com/telemedia-related-sites.htmBTL: 40 Mil For 4GLTE

Belize – BTL 4G – for many phone users saying that name is almost like a curse word – and that’s because of the system’s unreliability, its slowness and the overall congestion… more

BTL goes LTE

Belize – 2017 will see Belize – all of Belize – covered by a 4G LTE network from the state-owned company, Belize Telemedia Limited… more

BTL To Launch “Full Nationwide” 4G LTE In Belize With Huawei

Belize – Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), under the banner of its DigiCell Mobile brand, and its telecommunications vendor-partner Huawei Technologies, today announced the roll-out of its nationwide 4G LTE network, expected for launch in December of this year… more

ICTA to boost cyber security in face of increasing threats

Cayman Islands – The Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) plans to make internet security a top priority as the Cayman Islands has seen a rise in cyber attacks… more

Gov’t Computer Services starved for resources

Cayman Islands – As cyber threats continue to evolve, more is being asked of the Government Computer Services Department yet the budgetary allocations for the necessary Information Technology (IT) resources have been steadily declining… more

Technology: Former hacker shows off new tricks of the trade

Cayman Islands – Kevin Mitnick, who once was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list and is now a computer security consultant, took to the stage at the Cayman Alternative Investment Summit to show off some of the newest ways hackers are breaking into computer systems… more

FLOW crackdown spreads across region

Regional – THE CRACKDOWN AGAINST people accessing illegal television programming content has moved region-wide… more

C&W Business Launches its Cloud Solutions Suite in St. Kitts & Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis – C&W Business, the Business to Government/Business to Business arm of Cable & Wireless Communications, officially unveiled a suite of its cloud-based technological solutions on the island of St. Kitts & Nevis… more

Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Local expert says develop culture of IT

Antigua and Barbuda – A local Information Technology (IT) expert has suggested integrating the use of IT into Antigua & Barbuda’s classrooms, in response to the call for a greater emphasis to be placed on the subject in schools across the region… more

NIB registration drive to ‘cleanse and update’ database

Bahamas – The National Insurance Board (NIB) has embarked on a registration drive designed to “cleanse and update” its database, given that there are 40,000 businesses on its register, and the last time a registration drive was conducted was in 2006, according to NIB Head of Compliance Stephen Thompson… more

Barbados flagInternet service providers urged to move Barbados into top 10

Barbados – MINISTER WITH RESPONSIBILITY for telecommunications, Senator Darcy Boyce, has challenged internet service providers in Barbados to improve their service to the level that would place the island into the top 10 worldwide… more

ON THE LEFT: Common framework among challenges

Barbados – E-GOVERNMENT IS CLOSELY RELATED to the concept of e-governance, which the Commonwealth Secretariat has defined as governments’ “utilisation of information and communications technology to interact with and provide services to businesses, citizens, and other governments with the intent to improve transparency, increase public service efficiency, and deepen democracy”… more

ON THE RIGHT: Some ‘shyness’ to new technologies

Barbados – THE EMERGENCE of the digital era is now the most pervasive and structurally distinctive influence on how governance arrangements are changing and facilitating an unprecedented universality and immediacy of information in industrial states… more

THE ISSUE: Master plan in the works

Barbados – BARBADIANS ARE ABLE to file their income tax returns online. Most people wish they could do so for most things in relation to Government services, including pay road taxes and driving licence fees while sitting in front of their computers… more

Cable Company Jacked

Belize – A cashier was robbed of over $12,000 dollars in Dangriga. On Monday afternoon around 12:50, 19 year old Dianie Munoz was at her workplace: the Southern Cable Network Office… more

ICTA to give telecom customers more choice

Cayman Islands – The Information & Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) plans to give telecoms customers more choice by raising the level of competition in the industry by introducing universal service to Cayman… more

Customs Agency launches new website

Dominican Republic – Customs Director Fernando Fernandez on Tuesday launched a new website, developed under best national and international commercial practices, with statistics and analysis related to business, trade and public activities the Dominican Republic… more

Telecoms Company sues GTT, PUC for US$281M

Guyana – A telecoms company is suing the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GTT) and the regulatory body, Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for US$281M, claiming that it was deliberately suppressed from expanding its cell services… more

Accountant faces court for breaches of Cybercrimes Act

Jamaica – Detectives attached to the Fraud Squad unit of the Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch charged a man for breaches of the Cybercrimes Act yesterday… more

Minimum wage hike expected to impact BPO sector

Jamaica – A proposed 32 per cent hike in the minimum wage is expected to take a toll on the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector in Jamaica… more

Thales ATC technology to upgrade Jamaica

Jamaica – Thales has been awarded a contract by the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) to implement an advanced ATM system that will modernise and enhance the delivery of ATC services over Jamaica… more

C&W Business and Scala Announce New Partnership in the Caribbean and Latin American Region to Shape the Future of Digital Signage

Regional – C&W Business, part of C&W Communications (LSE: CWC), today announces a partnership with U.S. based Scala, Inc., the leading provider of end-to-end software solutions for digital signage, visual communications and advertising management, to expand their portfolio of services and offer full-service digital signage networks throughout the Caribbean and Latin American markets… more

Digicel invests USD 389 min in Caribbean FTTH rollout

Regional – Digicel is planning to invest a total of USD 389 million to roll out FTTH infrastructure in Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados, reports local daily Newsday, citing the company’s Trinidad and Tobago CEO Sacha Thompson… more

Flow Sports brings CARIFTA Games in HD to the Caribbean

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

UN report explores digital currency use in Caribbean

Regional – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean recently released a report in which it examines the use of digital currency technology in the Caribbean subregion with the goal of drawing attention to the opportunities and liabilities related to this technology… more

The best experience in digital TV is here!

Saint Kitts and Nevis – Cable television subscribers of Digicel Play in Nevis (formerly Caribbean Cable Communications) can now experience best in class digital channels with the click of a button on the remote control… more

Trinidad_and_Tobago Flag80% local content, tax on NLCB, Telecommunications Authority

Trinidad and Tobago – The Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG) report, produced in main by recently-resigned CNMG chair Helen Drayton, recommends that the State-owned media house should broadcast 80 per cent local content and proposes a tax on the Telecommunications Authority and the National Lotteries Control Board to support the purchase and production of local content… more

Broadcast service providers get extension

Trinidad and Tobago – MINISTER of Public Administration Randall Mitchell has approved recommendations from the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) and signed documents to renew the concessions of a number of broadcast service providers whose concessions expired last Monday… more

Drayton proposed broadcast trust

Trinidad and Tobago – A BROADCASTING trust corporation should be established and special legislation brought to ensure its editorial independence, former CNMG chairman Helen Drayton recommended in a proposal submitted last year to Communications Minister, Maxie Cuffie… more

Thursday, 3 March 2016

Digicel Play launches in Barbados

Barbados – Digicel Play, the ultimate in home entertainment service that allows customers to view multiple channels and enjoy Internet speeds from 25 megabytes to 1 gigabyte per second has been officially launched in Barbados… more

Digicel top-up

Barbados – DIGICEL CUSTOMERS are being promised more value with the new services the telecommunications company is offering… more

Download a movie in 2 minutes? Flow delivering 1Gbps speed to all customers

Barbados – Flow has landed yet another first for the country… more

Belize Telemedia taps Huawei for nationwide LTE deployment; eyes December launch

Belize – Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has selected Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies to roll out a nationwide 4G LTE network for its DigiCell mobile unit… more

Regulators Attend Amateur Radio Administration Course In Mexico City

Belize – Telecommunications regulators from Mexico and Belize attended an Amateur Radio Administration Course (ARAC) February 17-19 in Mexico City. International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU R2 http://www.iaru.org/region-2.html), the Mexican Federation of Radio Amateurs (FMRE http://www.fmre.org.mx/), and the ARRL sponsored the sessions… more

ICTA to ensure broadband customers get quality service

Cayman Islands – A major priority of the Information & Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) is to increase its focus on quality of service (QOS) standards, beginning with broadband… more

Prosecutors get hi-tech photo App to nab fugitives, felons

Dominican Republic – The Justice Ministry on Thursday unveiled a hi-tech system for prosecutors to identify fugitives and people with rap sheets through photos… more

City getting updated IT software

Guyana – By mid-month around 40 staffers from the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) Information Technology (IT) Department and Treasurer’s Department among others would have received training for a modernised computerised system at City Hall… more

FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Service Restored

Saint Kitts and Nevis – FLOW wishes to advise all of its valued customers on Nevis that services have been restored… more

Friday, 4 March 2016

NIB administration to go online

Bahamas – Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson yesterday announced the impending launch of a new web-based platform designed to allow registrants of the National Insurance Board (NIB) to conduct their interactions with NIB online… more

Mobile wallet launched

Barbados – BITT, a financial technology and software development company founded and based in Barbados, has taken another major step towards offering easier and cheaper financial services using a digital medium… more

Dominican_Republic FlagDominican Republic mobile users grow to 8.7 mln in November

Dominican Republic – There were 8.70 million mobile telephone lines in operation in the Dominican Republic at the end of November 2015, according to data published by the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel)… more

Netflix ranks Digicel Play’s broadband number one in Jamaica

Jamaica – Digicel Play yesterday said that its all-fibre home entertainment service has been ranked number one in Jamaica for internet transfer speed by Netflix… more

CDB’s VYBZING Programme Announces Animated Music Video Challenge

Regional – “Bring the vibes, bring the creativity” is the call from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) as it announces its 2016 VYBZING Animated Music Video Challenge to be hosted in Jamaica… more

Mobile phones assist Caribbean in containing spread of chikungunya

Regional – Information generated from mobile phones can be successfully used to contain the spread of non-communicable diseases, as was recently done to stem the spread of the chikungunya virus in the Caribbean… more

Regional central banks wary of digital and mobile money use — new UN study

Regional – A United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) report on the use of digital currency technology in the Caribbean subregion says central banks within the region are demonstrably wary of the technology… more

Government’s E-technology base being strengthed

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – His Excellency Baushaun Ger, Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan, is looking forward to signing the agreement with this country’s Information Technology Minister Camillo Gonsalves for a new phase of cooperation…. more

‘Digital child molester’ appeals rape conviction

Sint Maarten – Emmanuel York (49), who was described as a “digital child molester” during his trial at the Court of First Instance in January 2015, on Thursday appealed his five-year sentence for the sexual abuse of two minor boys… more

Saturday, 5 March 2016

Jones wowed by Digicel Play

Barbados – Digicel Play, the ultimate in home entertainment service that allows customers to view multiple channels and enjoy Internet speeds from 25 megabytes to one gigabyte per second, was officially launched in Barbados on Monday… more

THE HOYOS FILE: Bitt-er pill to swallow

Barbados – BITT IS THE LOCAL SOFTWARE COMPANY that has been held up as a little bit of Silicon Valley right here in Bimshire, a company we are told ad nauseam that we should admire and hail for bringing the computer age to this country… more

Sunday, 6 March 2016

The implications of technology shifts on news content development

Jamaica – Be careful of predictions on technological outcomes… more

David Jessop | The Cashless Society

Regional – If you read the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post or some of the world’s other heavyweight newspapers, you may have seen, in recent months, articles discussing the abolition of currency… more

 

Image credits:  Mars Hill Church (flickr);  Belize Web;  Wikipedia;  Wikipedia;  Wikipedia;  

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