A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 27 June to Sunday 3 July 2016.
Monday, 27 June 2016
Telecom Provider Pledges ‘Unheard Of’ Service Levels
Bahamas – A newly-launched telecommunications provider yesterday promised “unheard of” service quality levels for the Bahamian market, as it will incur financial penalties for failing to meet customer expectations… more
New copyright rules go into effect Thursday
Cayman Islands – New copyright rules will come into force Thursday, June 30, replacing legislation originally from the United Kingdom in 1956… more
FLOW Grenada to send home workers
Grenada – The Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) says several workers at the telecommunications company, FLOW Grenada, will be sent home as a result of its merger with the British telecommunications giant, LIME… more
Marketing Strategies Today: WhatsApp versus Line
Regional – WhatsApp and Line are two messaging apps that have grown in popularity over the years. WhatsApp was launched back in 2009 and in 2014 it was bought by Facebook… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Mobile Network Upgrade
Saint Kitts and Nevis – FLOW wishes to advise that due to a necessary upgrade to our mobile network, customers would not be able to top-up, add plans or check balances between 10:00pm – 7:00am on June 27/28, 2016… more
T&T taxi start-up in PitchIT finals
Trinidad and Tobago – T&T’s Reach was among the 25 finalists at the recently held PitchIT event in Montego Bay, Jamaica… more
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Government of the Bahamas Expands Relationship with Tyler Technologies
Bahamas – Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) announced today that the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Department of Inland Revenue, Real Property Tax Valuation Unit (RPTVU) has signed a contract for technology-driven mass appraisal services using Tyler Verify™… more
Students to build 50 websites
Barbados – TWENTY-NINE BARBADOS Community College students will be creating 50 websites for non-governmental organisations over the next two months… more
Belize Telecoms Case to CCJ
Belize – Last year around this time, we told you about the outcome of an appeal at the Court of Appeal which the telecommunication company, Speednet, better known as “Smart”, brought against the Public Utilities Commission… more
COLA Demands Clarity in S.S.B. Deal with G.O.B.
Belize – As we told you earlier, the arbitration award is in and no matter how it’s spun, it’s bad news for G.O.B. – about three hundred and fifty million dollars-worth of bad news… more
Experts Say Cyber-Bullying is a Real Concern in Belize
Belize – Cyber bullying, the release of nudes and sex tapes on social media platforms have become a concern in Belize, exposing the lack of personal securities… more
MoE Hosts Conference on Cyber Security
Belize – For the past two days, the Ministry of Education has been hosting a conference on Cyber Security… more
The Perils Of Children And Unsupervised Internet Usage
Belize – School is out for summer, and the kids are already enjoying their long break. While there are tons of summer programs and jobs for them to do, most of them will stay home on their computer for the entire vacation… more
Cayman updates copyright for digital age
Cayman Islands – The Cayman Islands has taken its first steps to modernise its intellectual property laws with the introduction of a new copyright bill that takes effect from 30 June… more
GNBA Board forges reform of Broadcast Act–Chairman
Guyana – Based on legal opinions it received from Sir Fenton Ramsahoye, the Board of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) is lobbing for a complete revamp of the Broadcasting Act… more
GPTWU continues protest action against GTT
Guyana – The alleged imposition of working conditions by Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) on their employees without consulting the Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers Union (GPTWU) had led to protest action by the GPTWU and GTT employees a few weeks back… more
Police track cell phone, nab bandits in Berbice hotel
Guyana – Quick action and brilliant thinking by ranks in Berbice, and by detectives attached to the Blairmont Police Station, led to the capture of two bandits who had earlier robbed a Chinese national… more
Cyber-Security Awareness Campaign to be Launched in July
Jamaica – The Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology (MSET) will launch a cyber-security awareness campaign in July… more
ECLAC proposes single digital market for 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
FLOW to send home workers
Saint Lucia – In light of the recent merger between FLOW and LIME, some 17 workers are due to receive termination letters by the end of June, it has been reported… more
Workers to be terminated in FLOW/LIME merger
Saint Lucia – An estimated seventeen workers were due to receive letters of termination this week, as a result of the merger between FLOW and British telecommunications giant, LIME, reliable sources have told the Times… more
A smartphone workflow
Trinidad and Tobago – It recently became necessary for me to codify how I handle photographs on a smartphone, and it turns out it’s not quite as easy as snap, filter and Instagram… more
Wednesday, 29 June 2016
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERS PLAY VITAL ROLE
Barbados – The role of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) is far greater than they once were, as they now have to interact with multiple stakeholders and be responsible for a variety of issues… more
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH: The new norm
Barbados – IS THIS OUR BARBADOS? Let’s look at a normal day nowadays. You wake in a good mood, feeling like you could conquer the world… more
IT skills lacking – new survey
Barbados – A new global information technology (IT) leadership survey has found that a shortage of skilled IT workers and threats to cyber security are major challenges in the way of companies keeping pace with innovation and disruptive technology – a term coined by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen to describe a new technology that displaces an established… more
Barrow Says Takeover of B.T.L. Was Worth Every Penny
Belize – It’s not quite as simple as that. The settlement agreement, agreed to in 2015 between Prime Minister Barrow and Lord Michael Ashcroft, does indeed stipulate that the Accommodation Agreement portion of the award, sixty percent, is to be paid in Belize dollars… more
COLA Attorneys Says Delayed Misappropriation was a Costly Blunder
Belize – Attorney Kareem Musa, who describes the entire nationalization as a political blunder, maintains that the former owners of B.T.L. should have been compensated at the time the utility company was appropriated in 2009… more
COLA Steps Up in B.T.L. Arbitration Award
Belize – Ahead of the prime minister’s press conference this afternoon, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, held its own media brief to discuss the impact of the B.T.L. arbitration award… more
G.O.B. Claims Analysis Shows Benefits from B.T.L. Outweigh Costs
Belize – To round off his sales pitch, the P.M. then launched into a costs-benefits analysis which he maintains is complete vindication of G.O.B.’s seven years of effort and fighting the good fight… more
Upgraded Online Business Registry for Dominica
Dominica – Improvements have been made to the Online Business Registry which aimed at improving the system since moving from a manual system to an electronic one in 2012… more
Duo stole over $31M in electronics from Digicel
Guyana – Two men were yesterday charged with stealing over $31 million in electronics belonging to Digicel Guyana Incorporated… more
Facebook Live set to broadcast CPL T20 games
Regional – Caribbean Premier League organisers have combined with online social networking service, Facebook, to broadcast all 34 games of the new season, live to 40 countries… more
FLOW St. Kitts & Nevis Internet Service Outage
Saint Kitts and Nevis – FLOW wishes to advise all of its valued Broadband Internet subscribers that on Tuesday June 28th, we experienced an island-wide service outage on both St. Kitts & Nevis between the hours 5pm – 8pm… more
Thursday, 30 June 2016
GOB to pay $388 Million – final settlement to Ashcroft group for Telemedia shares
Belize – The Government of Belize (GOB) will pay the former owners of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) Bze$388 Million for the shares which GOB acquired in a public interest in 2009, Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow announced at a standing room only press conference at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City on Wednesday, June 29… more
PM Barrow Says $97 Million BCB Settlement is B.T.L.’s Liability
Belize – And while he claims things are going downhill at the utility company, Briceño says it’s going to get much worse since apparently B.T.L. will be made to take on the ninety-seven million dollar BCB Holdings settlement, or at least a significant portion of it… more
P.U.P. Says B.T.L. Isn’t Worth a Fraction of Cost to Taxpayers
Belize – Following Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s presentation and spin of the Arbitration Award for B.T.L. on Wednesday, the Opposition issued a release entitled the Cost of Barrow’s Arrogance… more
The Speednet Carve-Out In The Accommodation Agreement
Belize – And while Briceno points to the punishment of the electorate, he doesn’t get off so easy. That’s because his family part owns the other phone company, Speednet… more
Dominica’s Online Business Registry first in region
Dominica – Dominica is the first country in the Caribbean region to launch an Online Business Registry website… more
Good reviews for improved Online Business Registry
Dominica – Attorney-at-law and member of the steering committee for the newly upgraded Online Business Registry website, has described the use of the new system as better than the old… more
Digicel Business partners with Microsoft to launch Office 365
Jamaica – Local ICT solutions provider, Digicel Business and global software leader, Microsoft, have announced the launch of Microsoft Office 365—an all-in-one solution that enables users to access a wide array of productivity tools on one unified bill… more
Jamaica Must be Prepared to Respond to Regional Disaster – PM
Jamaica – Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness says Jamaica must be prepared to respond to regional disasters, not only for humanitarian reasons but to safeguard national security… more
New BPOs to provide 12,000 jobs — Vaz
Jamaica – APPLICATIONS for three new Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies have been approved since May 2016, and cumulatively will provide employment for approximately 12,000 people… more
Caricoin Ltd To Transform the Caribbean’s Economy with Bitcoin
Regional– Bitcoin startup Caricoin recently announced the launch of a social mobile money platform for the Caribbean… more
Currency movements a drag on Digicel figures
Regional – Digicel, the mobile phone group controlled by Denis O’Brien, has reported slightly lower revenue and profit figures for the year to the end of March, mainly due to adverse currency movements against the US dollar in some of its markets… more
Friday, 1 July 2016
BTC delivers Fiber-to-the-Home to Eastern New Providence
Bahamas – Hundreds of eager residents turned out for BTC’s town-hall meeting on June 22 to introduce Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) to the Eastern New Providence… more
Flow TV Reaches New Providence
Bahamas – Hundreds of eager residents turned out for BTC’s Town Hall Meeting on June 22nd to introduce Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), to the Eastern New Providence Community… more
NewCo, BTC to share equipment in Family Islands
Bahamas – Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) Director of Policy & Regulation Stephen Bereaux has confirmed that URCA is at present consulting with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and NewCo — the company co-owned by Cable Bahamas Ltd. (CBL) and the state-owned HoldingCo and to which URCA has been directed to award the second mobile phone license — with the intent to allow NewCo to provide its services with the use of BTC’s equipment… more
REV and GVTV partner to bring YouTube star to local social media seminar
Bahamas – REV has joined forces with Gone Viral TV (GVTV) to bring YouTube star “LaToya Forever” to New Providence for a “Learn from the Pros” social media seminar on Sunday, July 3 at the British Colonial Hilton… more
BTL Price finally settled – 233 million to be invested in projects in Belize
Belize – The Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow called a press conference on Wednesday June 29 in which it announced that the final price for BTL has been decided… more
Police to receive additional training to deal with cybercrime
Guyana – An Assistant Superintendent and a Sergeant from the Guyana Police Force will benefit from training in cybercrime next month… more
Generating growth through science and technology
Jamaica – A few months ago, noted scientist Dr Henry Lowe made another pitch for the use of science and technology to aid sustainable development in Jamaica… more
Digicel frees up Facebook for all
Regional – All Digicel customers can now access social network Facebook for free on their mobile phones without affecting their data plan or credit… more
‘No pressure’ for Digicel IPO as group’s reported earnings dip to $1.16bn
Regional – Digicel is under “no pressure” to undertake a stockmarket flotation after pulling a planned debut last year, according to group chief executive Colm Delves… more
ATN COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF INNOVATIVE GROUP OF COMPANIES
Regional – ATN International, Inc. announced today that its acquisition of the Innovative group of companies is complete, and the company now provides a full range of enhanced telecommunications and media services to consumers and business in the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with Cable TV services to customers in the British Virgin Islands and St. Maarten… more
Saturday, 2 July 2016
Half-a-billion bucks for BTL!
Belize – The saga surrounding the exorbitant cost of telecommunications liberalization in Belize—which has ballooned because of the tumultuous and litigious landscape that emerged after the Government of Belize moved in 2001 to end the telecommunications monopoly—still has some observers awed with disbelief… more
SMS, special derogation of CONATEL for CEP
Haiti – The Directorate General of the Executive Body of the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) in a notice to operators, recalls that in accordance with Article 4 of the OE-CNT-DEC20140001 regulation sanctioning the sending of unsolicited SMS Article 4… more
Digicel Not Delivering On Cable, Internet Deals
Jamaica – I write to complain about an experience with DigiPlay/Digicel that has upset me very much… more
JPS launches mobile money for customer convenience
Jamaica – JPS customers now have another convenient way to pay their bills from their phone or other device, even without a bank account or credit card… more
Sunday, 3 July 2016
TONI THORNE: Misuse of social media
Barbados – I SHALL NEVER for the life of me understand why people like to run with a story without knowing the full facts… more
Big boost for sports, technology likely from Digicel/Huawei partnership
Jamaica – Jamaicans have become used to China as a major trading and infrastructural development partner. But leading telecommunications company Huawei’s partnership with Digicel has added service technology and probably sports promotion to the list… more
Call centre takes credit for tight security
Jamaica – Dear Claudienne, I have worked at a call centre company since 2013… more
Fast Fix For Migrating Teachers – Education Minister Looks To Technology To Fill Classroom Vacancies
Jamaica – The Education Ministry is looking to technology to mitigate the impact of the frequent migration of specialist teachers, particularly in the areas of mathematics and science… more
Travis Atkinson | Kick-Starting Mobile Money Through Path
Jamaica – What if PATH beneficiaries could receive their benefits via their mobile phones? Yes, even the not-so-smart phones. Better yet, what if mobile PATH payments became the catalyst for a much larger, national mobile financial services ecosystem? … more
CARIBBEAT: Trinidad’s WIN TV and radio stations face uncertain future after founder’s death
Trinidad and Tobago – He had become a successful business owner in America, but establishing the WIN TV and Radio stations in his native country was a dream come true for Trinidad-born entrepreneur Mohan Jaikaran… more
Image credits: (Mick Baker)rooster (flickr); Belize Web; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Brands of the World;
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