A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 4 April to Sunday 10 April 2016.
Monday, 4 April 2016
Bahamas Social Media Summit to place focus on maximizing business potential
Bahamas – A one of a kind event, geared toward disseminating vital information about maximizing business potential through the use of social media, is set to take place on April 5 between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.at the Grand Lucayan Resort… more
Bitt in historic partnership with Overstock.com
Barbados – Bitt, the Barbados based financial technology company has closed its Series A investment round with a staggered investment from retail giant Overstock.com of US$16 million, placing the company’s valuation at US$50 million… more
FTC issues decision on the Price Cap Plan 2016
Barbados – THE FAIR TRADING Commission issued its Decision on the Price Cap Plan 2016 (PCP 2016) on March 31… more
DVRP DONATES ICT EQUIPMENT
Dominica – The Dominica Vulnerability Reduction Project has made a large donationof ICT equipment to Government departments in the interest of disaster resilence and mitigation… more
30 young graduates for call centers
Haiti – Saturday at the Marriott Hotel, as part of a pilot program in collaboration with Digicel, the Investment Facilitation Centre (IFC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Avasant Foundation proceeded to the delivery of diploma to about thirty youth aged 18 to 26, who have successfully completed training of four weeks, enabling them to get a job in the industry of Call Centers in Haiti… more
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge now available for sale at Courts
Saint Lucia – Courts St. Lucia today announced that customers can purchase the unlocked version of the newest addition to the Galaxy family of products; The Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge… more
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Fair Trading Commission limits FLOW
Barbados – Telecommunications company Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited (C&W), trading as FLOW, will not be able to increase prices on non-competitive services above three per cent for the next three years under the new Fair Trading Commission’s (FTC) Price Cap Plan 2016… more
FTC gives C&W the OK
Barbados – THE FAIR TRADING COMMISSION (FTC) has given Cable & Wireless (C&W) a little wiggle room in landline pricing… more
PAY-CUT FURY
Barbados – SCORES OF TECHNICAL STAFF working for a company subcontracted by Digicel are up in arms with the telecoms provider… more
Report: Lack of skills, experience barriers to Caymanian employment
Cayman Islands – A government report on Caymanian unemployment found a lack of literacy and math skills, experience and knowledge were the primary reasons Caymanian applicants were not hired… more
Launch of the first educational online platform «Made in Haiti»
Haiti – Wednesday at the Hotel Montana, will take place the official launch of the first online teaching platform THESS (Hybrid Technology for Education, Science and Knowledge) “Made in Haiti” in the presence of the Ambassador of France, Elisabeth Béton Délègue… more
Can a dual SIM Android phone receive calls to both SIMs?
Regional – Yes, most new dual SIM Android devices from manufacturers such as Samsung, Motorola, Alcatel and LG have perfected the simultaneous call feature, removing the need to manually switching between SIMs… more
Cabinet Approves New E Government Portal Apps
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Cabinet has taken further actions to enhance the services available on the E-Government Portal… more
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Bajan inventor of first search engine has no regrets
Barbados – HE HAD THE CHANCE to make millions of dollars, but Barbadian Alan Emtage opted not to go that route… more
Corruption ‘in way of innovation’
Barbados – BARBADIAN INNOVATOR Alan Emtage yesterday called for corruption to be stamped out, saying it was one of three major impediments to innovation and entrepreneurship in the country… more
‘Crowd funding’ pitched to the nation’s nascent businesswomen
Barbados – A tripartite initiative was undertaken yesterday for the benefit of a number of the nation’s young women who spent the day in a workshop aimed at developing their skills in sourcing funding for their business ideas… more
Impact16 brings tech giants to Cayman
Cayman Islands – Tay.ai is, or was, a Microsoft experiment in artificial intelligence set loose on Twitter to learn from the people it interacted with… more
Major cyber-security breaches discovered locally
Cayman Islands – The Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) has seen a rise in cyber attacks including major security breaches such as instances of ransomware and denial of service (DoS) attacks… more
Medina’s ‘Digital Republic’ to boost Dominicans’ cyber savvy
Dominican Republic – President Danilo Medina on Tuesday launched the “Digital Republic,” a project that aims to achieve Dominican Republic’s cyber development… more
Digicel Doubled Its IPTV Users In Jamaica In Two Months By Reaching 20,000
Jamaica – Caribbean telecommunications company Digicel said it doubled its number of Pay-TV subscribers in Jamaica by reaching 20,000 just two months after passing the 10,000… more
Turning school exams into an online game in Jamaica
Jamaica – March is the month that brings anxiety to schoolchildren and their parents across Jamaica. It’s when pupils aged 11 or over sit their Grade Six Achievement Test, better known as the GSAT… more
Liberty Global shareholders to vote on April 20
Regional – In March, Liberty Global Plc gave notice of the upcoming general meeting of shareholders on April 20, in which it will seek the approval for shares to be issued under the acquisition of Cable & Wireless Communications PLC (CWC )… more
Thursday, 7 April 2016
Flow Announces Increased Internet Speeds
Barbados – Faster internet speeds and greater value are about to be delivered to Flow fibre broadband customers… more
Flow Is Barbados’ Fastest Telecoms Provider, Says Ookla
Barbados – The world leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications has given Barbados’ leading telecommunications provider its stamp of approval… more
Pilfering BTL
Belize – Ever since Belize Telemedia Limited was taken by force by the Barrow Administration in 2009, the company has been slowly pilfered away by the politically connected… more
New copyright law seen as attraction for tech companies
Cayman Islands – New copyright laws will be coming into force this summer and new trademark legislation is expected in the fall, said Financial Services Ministry chief officer Dax Basdeo, speaking on a panel at the Impact16 conference this week… more
AT&T GoPhone introduces Dominican Republic package
Dominican Republic – AT&T GoPhone is debuting a new package on its USD 45 and USD 60 plans for customers who have family and friends in the Dominican Republic… more
Outstanding money already paid for shares in GTT
Guyana – The balance of payment of a hefty US$5M owed by a Chinese company for the sale of shares at telecoms company Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has already been paid off… more
C&W Business partners with ICT specialists to expand reach
Jamaica – C&W Business, a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), announced Thursday that it has engaged several ICT specialists and other ICT value-added firms across the island to sell and implement CWC solutions to Jamaican businesses… more
FLOW Offering Rewards For Information On Fibre Cable Vandals
Jamaica – Telecommunication company, FLOW Jamaica, is offering rewards to persons who can give information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons who vandalise its fibre cables… more
US Government Still Concerned About Illegal Cable Stations In Jamaica
Jamaica – A representative of the United States government says the country is still concerned about local cable operators who are broadcasting US channels without the proper license… more
Regulator Monitors QoS of Telecom Operators
Sint Maarten – Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten purchased advanced measurement probes to effectively measure the quality of Telecommunications services provided by the St. Maarten Telecommunications Operators… more
An app for everything
Trinidad and Tobago – Dayne Thompson is a local mobile application developer who is using technology to provide modern services to the people of TT. The entrepreneur is the founder behind HYT Solutions (hytsolutions. com), a company dedicated to providing technological solutions and services to the everyday man… more
Parents must embrace new media
Trinidad and Tobago – PARENTS and guardians must embrace new media and become tech savvy so as not to run the risk of falling far behind their children who are adept in information technology, Beverley Emmanuel, Executive Director, Community Mediation Services Division, advised yesterday… more
Friday, 8 April 2016
Major upgrades & WiFi hubs coming for Jubilee
Guyana – The Telecommunications Ministry and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) have struck a major deal which would see major upgrades to Guyana’s cellular networks and WiFi hotspots at strategic locations across the Georgetown in time for the 50th Anniversary celebrations… more
Avasant Digital Youth Employment Initiative Honors Promising Haitian Graduates
Haiti – In partnership with the Investment Facilitation Centre (IFC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Digicel Haiti, ACTIVEH and the Association Haitienne pour le Developpement des Technologies de L’Information et de la Communication (AHTIC), the Avasant Foundation celebrated the culmination of its skill development training program in Port Au Prince, Haiti on April 2nd, 2016… more
Sagicor Bank Cuts Staff After Technology Upgrade
Jamaica – Sagicor Bank Jamaica cut 20 job positions at the end of March, resulting from the implementation of its new state-of-the-art banking platform… more
Thieves target Flow cables again
Jamaica – FLOW said yesterday that vandals this week caused major disruption to its network, severing the company’s fibre cables in the Hope Pastures area in Kingston… more
CXC going digital
Regional – CXC will be going digital with its exams beginning as early as next year… more
The new FLOW launches in SVG
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – It’s now official – LIME is now the new Flow. The transformation from LIME St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the new and refreshed Flow heralds the start of a new and exciting era for the brand, which underscores the successful integration of Cable & Wireless Communications and Columbus Communications Ltd… more
Saturday, 9 April 2016
Dominican Republic drafts new broadband strategy
Dominican Republic – Danilo Media, the President of the Dominican Republic and candidate for re-election for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), has launched the “Digital Republic” programme for 2016-2020, with the goal of converting the country into the Caribbean’s centre for new technologies, reports El Nacional… more
Dominican Republic’s poverty, digital divide ’a shame’
Dominican Republic – National Telecom Institute (Indotel) executive director Gideon Santos on Friday said he’s “ashamed” of Dominican Republic’s poverty and digital divide in the 21st Century… more
GTT, ministry working on network upgrades ahead of jubilee celebrations
Guyana – The Ministry of Telecommunications and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) are working to ensure major upgrades to cellular networks and hot-spots in considered locations across the country in time for next month’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations… more
O’Brien waives $20m dividend from Digicel Group
Regional – Businessman Denis O’Brien waived about $20 million (€17.5m) of cash dividends last year from his Digicel Group and has promised the mobile company’s lenders he will not take further payments until business improves… more
Beware: You Could Be The Next Internet Sin-Sation!
Saint Lucia – God forbid my first article for the year should be related to, er, public morals… more
Sunday, 10 April 2016
BTC: Prepaid Electricity Coming Soon
Bahamas – The concept of metered and prepaid electricity may be a near reality as the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has started an equipment test bed in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera. Prepaid metering allows customers to better manage their electricity-use and bills via BTC’s 4G LTE data network… more
C&W Business signs up new partners to target MSME firms
Jamaica – C&W Business, a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Communications, Plc (CWC), announced last week that it has engaged several ICT specialists and other ICT value-added firms across the island to sell and implement CWC solutions to Jamaican businesses… more
Image credits: filipe ferreira (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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