A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 11 July to Sunday 17 July 2016.
Monday, 11 July 2016
DIGICEL SELECTS AGAMA FOR VIDEO SERVICE ASSURANCE
Regional – Agama Technologies has announced that Jamaica-based Digicel Group has selected Agama to provide its end-to-end DTV monitoring solution… more
Marketing Strategies Today: Thirteen visual tools to blow up your Pinterest marketing
Regional – If you’re using Pinterest on a daily basis, you’ve probably wondered if you could somehow boost your own marketing too… more
Tuesday, 12 July 2016
800 Job Applications For New Mobile Player
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas had received around 800 applications for jobs with the nation’s second mobile provider by end-last week, it was revealed yesterday, and is confident the new operator can beat its financial targets… more
Digi-rise
Barbados – Customers of “The Bigger, Better Network” can prepare to pay a bigger slice of the 22 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) which Government imposed on mobile phone services at the start of this year… more
Chamber of Commerce Condemns Delay in B.T.L. Settlement
Belize – Another issue of national importance is the recent B.T.L. Arbitration Award… more
Unified Technologies expands into Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands – Unified Technologies has opened Unified Tech Cayman Ltd. in Grand Cayman as part of its expansion into the Caribbean, the company said… more
Gov’t working with Digicel on emergency calls – Ramjattan
Guyana – The Ministry of Public Security is currently in consultation with mobile phone service provider, Digicel as it prepares to develop a command centre to effectively handle emergency calls, GINA said yesterday… more
Tech Bytes: Bolt’s Twitter emoji…FB allows graphic content…Pokemon Go taking people places
Jamaica – Bolt gets Twitter emoji… more
Tech Tips: Best practices for securing your smartphone
Jamaica – In today’s world where your smartphone is virtually your ‘office on-the-go, main productivity tool and the one device that you are most likely to go back for at home… more
NetCents Partners with Bitt Inc.
Regional – NetCents Technology Inc. (CSE: NC) (“NetCents” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its latest partnership with Bitt Inc. (“Bitt.com”), a financial technology and digital asset exchange company that trades Bitcoin as well as other exotic currencies… more
Ericsson to Provide World-Class Managed Services for Flow Mobile Networks in Caribbean
Regional – Three-year contract for managed services of the Flow mobile network in the North Caribbean region… more
Let’s Talk Business: Technology’s role in human resource
Regional – Advancements in information technology and the widespread use of the different social media platforms have completely redefined business practices across all industries and dramatically impacted human resources practices across the board… more
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
“Cable Bahamas Awarded Cellular Licence Amid Many Flaws”
Bahamas – Dear Editor, Cable Bahamas Limited has been awarded the second mobile cellular license in the country amid a litany of flaws as a cable television provider which has left thousands of Bahamians throughout the archipelago without the service since 1995… more
Cable Bahamas Ltd announces $50M preferred share offering
Bahamas – Following both the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) & Cable Bahamas Ltd (CBL) press releases issued on Friday July 8th announcing the award of the second cellular license to NewCo2015 Limited (NewCo) and further to its previously announced expansion plans in Florida, CBL announces today that it will be offering a private placement preferred share offering… more
Cable Targets 14 Per Cent EBITDA Growth – Without Newco
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas yesterday disclosed it is targeting a 14 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in earnings before taxation over the next five years – a goal that excludes potential benefits from its stake in the nation’s second mobile provider… more
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND CUSTOMS TO IMPLEMENT ASYCUDA WORLD SINGLE WINDOW
Grenada – The Ministries of Agriculture and Health, and the Royal Grenada Police Force (Government Agencies) in collaboration with the Grenada Customs & Excise Division is pleased to report that mechanisms are in place and the Agencies are now ready to implement the Single Window Module (License Module) of the Asycuda World System… more
DIGICEL STRIKES DEAL WITH FLOW SPORTS
Regional – From 1 August, Digicel Play will add the channel Flow Sports (Cable & Wireless) to its line-up of content throughout all of its TV markets in the Caribbean… more
Flow’s Olympic App – Innovation For Customers ‘On The Go’
Regional – Flow customers will have yet another exciting option to experience the Olympic Games, as Flow – the region’s leading content provider and ‘Official Broadcast Partner of Rio 2016 Olympic Games’ – introduces FlowRio2016Extra, the ‘take the Olympic Games with you’ App… more
GlobalNexus Announces New Subsea Cable to Service The Bahamas, Canada, Eastern Caribbean and South America
Regional – Bahamas-based GlobalNexus Ltd. (GlobalNexus) has announced its entry into the telecommunications market to improve business efficiency in The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean. The move will seamlessly connect the region to the rest of the world… more
Officials updated on ICT Centre upgrade
Saint Kitts and Nevis – On Wednesday government officials toured the Information and Communication Technology Centre in East Basseterre to get an update on the improvements underway at the location… more
Thursday, 14 July 2016
Cable Bahamas
Bahamas – CABLE Bahamas Limited has been awarded the second mobile cellular license in the country amid a litany of flaws as a cable television provider which has left thousands of Bahamians throughout the archipelago without the service since 1995… more
Cable Confirms Capital Raising Profits ‘Drag’
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas has acknowledged that costs associated with recent debt capital raisings “have dragged on profitability and cash flow”, helping push it into a $14.371 million net loss for 2015… more
GOB makes 1st payment for BTL
Belize – The government of Belize has made its first of two payments as settlement for the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Ltd. (BTL)… more
GOB makes first payment to Ashcroft
Belize – The Government of Belize paid over $190 million to the Ashcroft Alliance this week as part of the arbitration award for the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL)… more
How Did 7 Year litigation with Ashcroft impact Government Coffers?
Belize – The usual suspects have flocked the airwaves to criticize Government’s execution of the BTL nationalization… more
Man vs Technology
Belize – Social Networks such as facebook, twitter, instagram, and snapchat for the past years have been sculpting the pathway of people becoming inseparable and even addicted to their devices… more
ICTA investigators denied entry into Flow
Cayman Islands – Information & Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) investigators were reportedly denied entry into Flow’s Eastern Avenue headquarters on Wednesday (13 July) when they attempted to serve notice and obtain documents from the telecommunications giant as part of an ongoing investigation… more
Telecom regulator can require universal service
Cayman Islands – Cayman’s telecom regulator now has the power to require phone and Internet companies to pay into a fund for universal service to ensure access for people and businesses in the Sister Islands and the eastern districts… more
Billing complaints spike, says OUR
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) is reporting that between January to March 2016, there has been a spike in the number of complaints about billing matters… more
Flow offers customer Olympic Games experience
Jamaica – Telecommunications firm Flow has made a really happy customer out of accounting professional Monica Stone-Brown, as she was a lucky winner of a trip for two to the Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero, Brazil… more
Jamaica Bankers Association (JBA) Funds Cybersecurity Campaign
Jamaica – The Government’s national cybersecurity public-education and -awareness campaign is being funded at a cost of over $15 million by the Jamaica Bankers Association (JBA)… more
OUR Records First Quarter Spike In Billing Complaints
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has reported an increase in the number of billing complaints received for the first quarter of 2016 over the previous quarter… more
B.T.B. Hosts Digital Branding Conference
Regional – Day one of a two-day conference on digital branding took started this afternoon at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City… more
CARIRI launches IT help desk for small businesses
Regional – On July 7, the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) launched a new initiative, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Help Desk for Micro Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) called CARISupport… more
CWC posts net decline in mobile subscribers in Q4
Regional – Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) said it saw a net loss of 94,800 mobile subscribers over the its fiscal fourth quarter to end-March, narrowing from a loss of 159,300 clients in the year-earlier period… more
FLOW launches Olympic app
Regional – Flow customers will have yet another exciting option to experience the Olympic Games, as Flow – the region’s leading content provider and ‘Official Broadcast Partner of Rio 2016 Olympic Games’ – introduces FlowRio2016Extra, the ‘take the Olympic Games with you’ App… 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
Detour-tech out, Starbucks in
Trinidad and Tobago – ELECTRONICS retailer Detour-tech is moving its prime location at MovieTowne in Port of Spain to make way for the country’s first Starbucks coffeehouse… more
Friday, 15 July 2016
BTC, COB ink $50K innovation lab deal
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday signed a $50,000 memorandum of understanding (MOU) with The College of The Bahamas (COB) for a new “innovation lab”… more
BTC Signs MOU for Innovation Lab at College of The Bahamas
Bahamas – As a gift to the nation in celebration of the country’s forty-third year of Independence, BTC has signed a $50,000 Memorandum of Understanding with The College of The Bahamas (COB) for a new Innovation Lab… more
Williams to NewCo: Welcome to BTC country
Bahamas – CEO of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) Leon Williams welcomes competition from the second mobile licensee… more
DIGICEL CONTINUES TO DO WELL IN THE BARBADIAN MARKET
Barbados – Digicel Barbados’ CEO, Conor Looney, stated, “Our market share continues to increase, more and more customers in Barbados are choosing Digicel.” … more
Opposition Leader Stands In Agreement With BBCI on BTL Negotiations
Belize – On Tuesday the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BBCI) issued a release chastising the Government of Belize on the nationalization of Belize Telemedia, stating that the acquisition was not made under the parameter of the law, also adding that GOB’s prolonged negotiations will create a negative impact on all Belizeans… more
Opposition Leader Weighs In On First Payment Made For BTL
Belize – Yesterday the government of Belize delivered the first half of the over half a billion dollar settlement for the nationalization of the Belize Telemedia Ltd, as set by the permanent court of arbitration… more
CCT also included – spectrum allocation in August
British Virgin Islands – After initially being shut out of the Spectrum Award process in the British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Cellular Telephone (CCT) is now among the three telecom companies that have been declared successfully registered… more
Telecoms giant blocks Cayman regulator from offices
Cayman Islands – An attempt by the Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) to enter the main Cayman office of Cable and Wireless this week was met with a refusal, officials from the regulator have confirmed… more
Cuba, young and free
Cuba – A new generation of artists are taking hope from Cuba’s tentative embrace of the internet and the possibility of a rapprochement with the USA… more
Guyana telecoms company allegedly obstructs service for emerging newspaper
Guyana – Guyana-born international journalist and multi-faceted businessman Dennis Adonis has accused the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) of being a “communications tyrant” and a frequent albatross around the neck of Guyana’s economic progress… more
Digital Marketing: BTB Hosts Conference for Online Advertisers
Regional – The marketplace of the future inarguably has its origin in social media… more
4G licences coming by September: TATT chair
Trinidad and Tobago – A third mobile provider is coming and could be awarded its licence as early as September, 2016… more
DETOUR-tech shocked, disappointed*
Trinidad and Tobago – BARADA Information Systems Ltd, which operates DETOUR-tech electronics stores, said yesterday it was shocked and disappointed when MovieTowne decided to terminate Detour-tech’s tenancy from its prime location at the cineplex and shopping complex in Port of Spain… more
Saturday, 16 July 2016
Flow celebrates first anniversary
Barbados – Telecoms giant, Flow celebrated its first anniversary today with an island-wide motorcade that ended with a free public concert dubbed “Big Blue Live” in Heroes Square, Bridgetown… more
Barbados underscores importance of ICT to economic development of region
Barbados – Barbados Telecommunication Minister Darcy Boyce says the vision of a single information communication and technology (ICT) space as outlined by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders , is concrete recognition of the role that technology must play in the socio-economic development of the Caribbean… more
GOB raising funds to pay Ashcroft from treasury notes and bills
Belize – The Government of Belize is raising funds on the domestic market to finance the payment of the arbitration award amounting to nearly half-a-billion dollars to the Ashcroft group of companies, whose shares the Government of Belize assumed when it nationalized Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) back in 2009… more
The sacred cow
Belize – Amandala welcomes this week’s statement from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) on the national financial catastrophe which the Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has become… more
Crowdfunding at work
Regional – Very soon, women entrepreneurs across the Caribbean will have a new way to raise much needed capital for their ventures. FundRiseHER™, the first ever Commonwealth-wide crowdfunding initiative, was announced on July 5, alongside the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, which took place in Guyana from July 4 – 6… more
Sunday, 17 July 2016
BOJ issues first mobile wallet licence
Jamaica – THE Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) on Tuesday granted a licence to the Jamaica Co-operative Credit Union League (JCCUL) for Conec — the mobile wallet payment service that will allow delivery on a full commercial basis… more
Image credits: carterse (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia;
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