A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 20 March to Sunday 26 June 2016.
Monday, 20 June 2016
Belize Has Big Internet Plans
Belize – He’s the Chief Operating Officer of Centaur Cable and the newly appointed chairman of Belize’s internet exchange point. Launched in Belize City on April 27, the exchange point is seen as a key component in the country’s growing technology sector… more
BVI Pushes For Next-Level Internet Development: Internet Exchange Point Earmarked For Upgrade
British Virgin Islands – On June 4, 2011, BVI became only the second country in English-speaking Caribbean to establish an internet exchange point. Called BVI-IX, the exchange point was seen as an investment that would help the British Overseas Territory to strengthen its telecommunications infrastructure and encourage greater development of local digital content. Last week, BVI officials announced new plans to realise that promise… more
STATIN to host regional advisory group meeting
Jamaica – THE Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) will next week be hosting the meeting of Advisory Group on Statistics, which will involve the participation of heads of agencies from other statistics offices in the region… more
TelEm earns more than NAf. 6 million in 2015
Sint Maarten – The TelEm Group raked in a little over NAf. 6 million in revenues in 2015, which was less than what the company had budgeted for… more
Cable & Wireless Communications’ Flow ID Wins Global Telecoms Business Award for Customer Service Innovation
Regional – UXP Systems, the leader in User Lifecycle Management for telecommunications operators, is pleased to announce today that they have been presented with the prestigious Telecoms Innovation Award for customer service innovation… more
Flow to broadcast Olympics on Caribbean OTA channels
Regional – Caribbean quad-play provider has announced that it has agreed to extend access of its broadcast rights to the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games to other Over-The-Air (OTA) providers throughout the Caribbean… more
Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Is ‘planned obsolescence’ of tech real?
Trinidad and Tobago – “They don’t make ‘em like they used to,” as the idiom goes. So it would seem for the Centennial Light… more
Government websites accessible without data plan
Jamaica – Jamaicans are expected to benefit from a zero rate access plan to key government websites within the next few weeks… more
ECTEL to discuss regulatory matters in sub-region
Regional – Members of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) meets in St. Vincent on Wednesday to consider a number of regulatory matters confronting the sub-region… more
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Former OLPF Manager denies involvement in any wrongdoing
Guyana – To say that the review undertaken by Chartered Accountants of Ram and McRae into the operations of the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project was blown out of proportion would be an understatement… more
Natcom offers its customers to test for free the true 4G-LTE
Haiti – For almost two years, the Natcom mobile phone company in Haiti update its network and equipment to offer customers the true 4G-LTE… more
AIS Mulls National Roll Out Of Hospital Records Project
Jamaica – Tech company Advanced Integrated Systems (AIS) is hoping to tap government and private sector clientele for its new electronic hospital management system, which it wants to roll out nationally… more
E-Direct: the happening app and one-stop shop
Jamaica – Business partners Omar Green and Andrew Karim have pumped $2 million into what they believe can be Jamaica’s next go-to application to find events, products and services… more
Electronic payments can increase GDP growth — MasterCard
Jamaica – From a study titled ‘Evaluating the Cost of Cash’, international payment company MasterCard has concluded that the Jamaican economy can grow by at least 0.7 per cent if electronic payments were to grow by 30 per cent over the next four years… more
Government To Fully Roll Out Tablet In Schools Programme
Jamaica – Although declining to release the findings of a comprehensive audit at this time, the Government has indicated that it will end the pilot phase of the Tablets in Schools (TIS) programme and begin a full rollout… more
Open Data Portal to be Launched June 24
Jamaica – The Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, along with its partners, will officially launch the Government of Jamaica Open Data Portal on Friday, June 24… more
Peter Bunting | Investment For Central Manchester – Case Study
Jamaica – With Jamaica’s bauxite/alumina industry already in intensive care in 2007, there was an urgent need to find a replacement for the sector that had been the mainstay of economic activity in central Jamaica for decades… more
Technology Minister Requests Audit of all Gov’t Websites
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley, has requested that a comprehensive audit and assessment plan be prepared and implemented to determine the current state of vulnerability of all government websites… more
Wheatley: Public to have free Internet access to Government services in weeks
Jamaica – THE Government says that within weeks the public will have free access to its essential and educational services via the Internet… more
St Maarten to host CaribNOG 12
Regional – St Maarten will host the twelfth meeting of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) from October 24 to 26… more
Thursday, 23 June 2016
Starr Computer launches Business Centre
Guyana – With a keen focus on promoting cutting edge technology designed to advance and make more efficient the way business is done, Starr Computer yesterday officially launched its Business Centre… more
Digicel reports record-breaking sign-ups for LTE
Jamaica – Digicel Jamaica is reporting that within a week of activating Jamaica’s first LTE network, just over 7,000 customers are now enjoying what it describes as “blazing-fast mobile Internet speeds”… more
The Department of Information Technology prepares to launch a Government Wide Area Network
Saint Kitts and Nevis – A team of Information Technology (IT) consultants from the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) is presently in the Federation providing technical support to the Department of Information Technology in developing its Government Communications Network… more
blink | bmobile, IFC showcase TT to overseas firms
Trinidad and Tobago – The Trinidad and Tobago International Outsourcing Summit took place for the first time, on June 15-16, and convened some of the world’s top decision makers in international outsourcing to learn of TT’s strengths as an international business centre… more
HR policy in the age of social media
Trinidad and Tobago – As a practicing advocate consultant, I have had, within recent times, increasing requests for advice and opinions regarding employees use of social media and employees questionable public postings to the world at large. In most instances, the advice/request would surround the use of the popular, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social networking sites… more
Friday, 24 June 2016
Email scams costing businesses $billions
Cayman Islands – Unsuspecting employees in Cayman are being targeted by criminals with ‘Scareware’ and sophisticated email scams, enabling them to siphon off cash from these companies without the need for complex hacking techniques… more
Tribute: Michel Stephane Bruno: The Haitian Steve Jobs you didn’t know
Haiti – He studied economics at the Université Quisqueya from 1993 until 1997. Some of the things that interested him were mobile technologies, telephone services, messaging and marketing, mobile applications and ICT4D… more
QualityWorks Jamaica Emerges As Go-To QA/Testing Destination for US Tech firms
Jamaica – One year ago, QualityWorks Consulting Group LLC, an agile software test consultancy firm based in Los Angeles, expanded their operations to Kingston, Jamaica… more
Wheatley orders audit of Gov’t websites
Jamaica – MINISTER of Science, Energy and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley has requested that a comprehensive audit and assessment plan be prepared and implemented to determine the current state of vulnerability of all government websites… more
Does crowdfunding have the power to grow Caribbean economies? (Part 2)
Regional – Last week, I introduced the topic of the power of crowdfunding potential for the Caribbean… more
Flow takes inclusive approach to Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Regional – In the spirit of the Olympic Games, Flow – the Official Broadcast Partner and Exclusive Telecommunications Partner of Rio 2016 Olympic Games –announced that it will extend access of its broadcast rights to the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games to facilitate other providers throughout the Caribbean to air the event… more
Letter: Cyber Crime Bill 2
Regional – Dear Sir: It is said that the love of power is the beginning or the root of all evil; from world history we can all conclude that this is true… more
Saturday, 25 June 2016
Govt signs contract for ICT needs assessment project in rural, hinterland areas
Guyana – An Information Communication Technology (ICT) needs assessment project will get underway in hinterland and rural communities in Guyana, following a US$524,00o contract which was signed by the Government of Guyana, Germany-based Detecon Consultancy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)… more
Gov’t to bridge digital divides between coast and hinterland
Guyana – In a bid to bridge the digital divide that exists between the Coastland and the Hinterland Region, the government through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), yesterday entered into an agreement with an international Consultancy Firm to conduct a Needs Assessment Project (NAP)… more
Information and communication tech needs in rural, hinterland areas to be evaluated
Guyana – The partially decomposed body of a man who was missing for two days, was yesterday afternoon found in a canal at Onderneeming, Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, a short distance from his home… more
Andrea Martin-Swaby | Cyber Bullying A Growing Threat
Jamaica – Bullying is not a novel term. It has always been classified as antisocial behaviour that has existed for centuries, but this generation is perhaps the first to grapple with a different form of bullying… more
Flow excites Half Way Tree with 50-day Olympics countdown
Jamaica – Kingston’s activity mecca of Half-Way-Tree exploded with sights, sounds and excitement recently as telecommunications firm Flow, official broadcast partners of the Rio 2016 Olympics Games, kicked off its 50-day countdown to the world’s most anticipated sporting event… more
OECS Commission holds talks towards regional geographical data sharing strategy
Regional – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission recently conducted a virtual geographical information strategy or GIS symposium, which is part of plans towards a regional geographic data strategy… more
Sunday, 26 June 2016
Three graduate from inaugural Amerindian Computer Training
Guyana – Three students are now equipped to return to their Amerindian community of Parisharra armed with computer skills to teach their peers and villagers, thanks to an initiative of Region Nine Executive Officer, Carl Parker, and his secretary Ms. Keisha Vincent… more
Contractor General Carrying Out ‘Review’ Of Caricel Operator – Ian Moore, George Neil Added As Company Directors
Jamaica – Telecom regulator the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) confirmed that it gave requested information about Symbiote Investments Limited, the holding company for Caricel, to the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) as part of a formal review… more
Ja’s Global Open Data Index ranking improves
Jamaica – Jamaica is currently ranked 37 out of 122 countries on the Global Open Data Index, moving from 61 two years ago… more
ECLAC calls for creation of regional digital market in the Caribbean
Regional – The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has called for the creation of a regional digital market, saying that it will contribute to development with equality and environmental sustainability in the region… more
Image credits: Wikipedia; Brands of the World; Wikipedia
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