A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 12 September to Sunday 18 September 2016.
Monday, 12 September 2016
NewCo touts per second billing intent
Bahamas – NewCo Limited 2015, The Bahamas’ second cellular mobile licensee, plans to offer customers a per second billing (PSB) plan, rather than a per minute billing (PMB) plan… more
Utilities, improve your services
Barbados – THE FAIR TRADING COMMISSION (FTC) wants Barbados’ longstanding electricity and telephone companies to improve their level of service… more
Digital Economy Fair 2016
Haiti – The 27 and 28 September at the Karibe Convention Center, will be held the Digital Economy Fair 2016 (SEN), around the central theme “The digital economy, accelerator of economic and social development in Haiti”… more
Statement by The Most Honourable Andrew Holness on Granting of Spectrum Licence
Jamaica – The Cabinet has given serious and deliberate consideration to the recommendations contained in the Special Report of the Office of the Contractor-General, on the investigation it conducted into the circumstances surrounding the Granting and /or Issuance of a Domestic Mobile Spectrum Licence to Symbiote Investments Limited… more
Cable TV, Gone Viral partner with Shoot Hoops, Not Guns
Sint Maarten – Every year St. Maarten Cable TV nominates an organisation for a grant from the Caribbean Cable and TV Association Community Programme (CCTA) and this year St. Maarten Cable TV nominated the Shoot Hoops, Not Guns project. The project was one of many in the region that received a donation of US $1,200… more
Caribbean countries urged to do more to tackle cyber-crime
Regional – A senior official of the accounting firm, Deloitte’s Global, says despite increased improvements in technology in Latin America and the Caribbean, the region remains highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks… more
ECTEL managing director provides CWC-Columbus post-merger update
Regional – Managing Director of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL), Embert Charles, has given an update on the situation relating to the US$3 billion regional merger of Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus Communications group last year, and how it relates to regulatory matters going forward… more
Bad Call: Man Admits To Cell Phone Scheme That Allowed Fraudulent Calls To Caribbean
Regional – An American man has admitted to multiple offences in connection with a sophisticated global cell phone fraud scheme that involved hijacking cellphone customers’ accounts and “cloning” their phones to make fraudulent calls to Caribbean countries… more
Marketing Strategies Today: Content marketing explained to non marketers
Regional – When it comes to a way to start a conversation nothing is more common that the original “What do you do? … more
Powerful speakers for Caribbean Utility Regulators Confab
Regional – A powerful line-up of speakers will address next month’s Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) 14th annual conference in Montego Bay, St James… more
Tuesday, 13 September 2016
URCA: Consultation on BTC’s amended Reference Access and Interconnection Offer
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (“URCA”) issues this Notice in accordance with section 11 of the Communications Act, 2009… more
Broadband, Barbados & a 100G Breakthrough
Barbados – While some poor sods in so-called “developed” markets are still struggling with sub-10 Mbit/s DSL-based broadband, the team at Caribbean operator Digicel is already looking well beyond Gigabit for their service options… more
Clipboard virus belatedly removed from Cuban government website
Cuba – A clipboard virus that appeared to be capable of attacking vulnerable computers that had visited the Cuban government information service website (acn.cu) was belatedly removed a day after Caribbean News Now had raised the issue for the second time last week and after denials from the Cuban authorities that the problem existed in the first place… more
Hytera awarded multi million dollar contracts in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic – Hytera, a world leading solution provider of Professional Mobile Radio communications, was awarded two projects by the Ministry of the Presidency of Dominican Republic… more
Business Process Industry Boss Blasts Telecom Service Providers
Jamaica – Peeved by the recent inconsistencies in the provision of telecom services, the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), the umbrella organisation for the lucrative business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, is demanding an emergency meeting with the heads of telecom providers FLOW and Digicel… more
Letter Of The Day | Mobile Money Modern Answer To Farmer Receipts
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: In a desperate effort to minimise, if not eliminate, praedial larceny – a plague on farmers – the administration of a previous minister of agriculture introduced the farmers’ receipt book… more
Symbiote gets nod for mobile licence despite OCG report
Jamaica – The Government has given the go-ahead for Jamaica’s third domestic mobile spectrum licence to be issued to Symbiote Investments, which will market as Caricel… more
Usain Bolt reports for work as Digicel’s Chief Speed Officer – Gets upgrade to fastest home in the world
Jamaica – Usain Bolt reported for his first day on the job as Digicel’s Chief Speed Officer on Tuesday, September 13. And to mark his first day, Usain’s home was officially upgraded to the fastest in the world… more
Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua, the worst internet penetration rate…
Regional – According to the report “The State of Broadband in Latin America and the Caribbean 2016” just released by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), to be presented at the second meeting of the Conference of science, innovation and ICT, which opened yesterday, Monday in Costa Rica, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua are the 3 countries among the population of Latin America and the Caribbean, with the worst penetration rate, or less than than 15% of households connected… more
Internet access progressing across LatAm, Caribbean
Regional – In 2015, 43.4 percent of all households in Latin America and the Caribbean had access to the Internet, almost doubling the 2010 level, according to a report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)… more
Telecoms Sector Crucial
Regional – WITH the ever-changing telecommunications sector in the OECS sub-region being highly valued as one of the fundamental factors for regional growth, a great deal of emphasis must be placed on ensuring that the region remains on top of its game… more
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
BTC submits amended RAIO
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) has published the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) amended Reference Access and Interconnection Offer (RAIO)… more
NewCo sitting on $125M
Bahamas – CEO of NewCo Limited 2015 Damian Blackburn said the company is sitting on a war chest of $125 million. Blackburn also said NewCo’s official brand would be unveiled as the company approaches its first deadline to provide coverage for 99 percent of New Providence and 80 percent of Grand Bahama by October… more
Bolt reports for first day at work
Jamaica – His flashy gold Nissan appeared at the gate a few minutes to midday… more
Green Light For New Phone Firm – Holness Rejects OCG Recommendation, Grants Cellular Licence To Holding Company
Jamaica – The true beneficiaries of Jamaica’s third cellular licence remain under a cloud as the Government has admitted that in doing its due diligence, it did not go beyond the names submitted on the application by Symbiote Investments Limited… more
Symbiote/Caricel on track for third spectrum licence
Jamaica – JAMACA has moved closer to resolving the issue of its third spectrum licensee, with the Government’s decision to accept a conditional approval given by the previous Administration in February and issue the licence… more
Customers Embrace FLOW Lend – Credit Advance App For Prepaid Mobile Customers
Regional – Customers who need to top up their phone’s credit but are short on cash, or simply can’t make it to a top-up station, no longer have a problem. Prepaid mobile customers now have an easy way to top up with the innovative.. more
Deloitte executive says Latin America and Caribbean highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks
Regional – Deloitte’s global chief information officer, Larry Quinlan, said that, despite increased improvements in technology in the Caribbean and Latin America, the regions remain highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks… more
Thursday, 15 September 2016
NewCo seeking competitive advantage
Barbados – NewCo Limited 2015 (NewCo) intends to beat the incumbent Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) on prices, rates and other cellular services. In an interview with Guardian Business, CEO Damian Blackburn addressed the company’s expectation to obtain a competitive advantage in the telecommunications market… more
Utilities office will oversee IT, power, water and fuel
Cayman Islands – Government’s plan to create an umbrella utilities commission to oversee and regulate all of the utility related sectors in Cayman are now well underway and four pieces of legislation required to change the current regime and provide for the new office will be debated in parliament next month, with several more amendments to other laws due early next year… more
Cybercrime, Whistleblower legislation for next Parliamentary session – AG
Guyana – Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, has said that the Cybercrime Bill will be among the legislative pieces set to be addressed at the next parliamentary session… more
C&W appoints Michelle English to board
Jamaica – Cable & Wireless Jamaica has appointed Michelle English to its Board… more
Liberty Global Ligths Up TV Screns with Global Netflix Partnership
Regional – Liberty Global plc (“Liberty Global”), the world’s largest international cable TV and broadband company, today revealed a multi-year partnership with Netflix Inc. (“Netflix”) which will lead to Netflix’s content being made available to Liberty Global video customers across more than 30 countries around the world… more
Friday, 16 September 2016
Flow to critic: No one will need to stand in line
British Virgin Islands – Telecom company Flow has announced that two newly recruited staff members will start work next week, adding that one of them will meet customers at the door and make it virtually unnecessary for persons to stand in lines… more
Damaged GPL submarine cable should be repaired by mid-November –Patterson
Guyana – The damage to the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) submarine cable, which caused a widespread power outage in sections of regions 3, 4, and 5 back in July, should be repaired by mid-November, according to Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson… more
Guyana wants Chinese telecoms giant to expand fibre-optic network; downplays concerns about espionage
Guyana – Guyana has asked the Chinese telecommunications giant, Huawei, to assess the feasibility of expanding the coastal fibre-optic network to include other areas of the country, even as it downplayed concerns that that company might be engaged in espionage… more
E-book nonprofit expands to Haiti
Haiti – On the day that would forever change Haiti, Valerie Noisette was thousands of miles away… more
Caricel set to win Jamaica mobile licence
Jamaica – The Jamaican prime minister says a company whose backers seem unidentified is likely to win the country’s third mobile licence… more
FLOW, Digicel And BPIAJ To Meet Government Today…Muppuri’s Letter To Wheatley High On The Agenda
Jamaica – The top leadership of telecoms giants FLOW and Digicel and the executive members of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) are slated to meet the Government today to address concerns recently raised by the BPIAJ, the umbrella organisation for the lucrative business process outsourcing (BPO) sector… more
HI-TECH CRIMINALS …Gangsters using iPhone, WhatsApp to plot attacks
Jamaica – Fearful that their phones have been tapped, criminals are said to be staying away from making phone calls to their cronies, relying instead on new applications such as WhatsApp… more
‘Mystery company’ set to win third Jamaica licence
Jamaica – Jamaica is about to get its third mobile network, as the government appears set to grant a licence to Caricel, a locally owned company that will compete with Digicel and Liberty Global’s Flow… more
ECLAC says Internet use, access sharply increase in the Caribbean
Regional – A study by the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has found that there has been a dramatic increase in Internet use and access in the region… more
Saturday, 17 September 2016
UCRA concerned over increase incidents of poor taste broadcast material to Bahamians
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority, (URCA) says it has come across increase incidents of broadcast material that would be considered by the general public in The Bahamas to be harmful, abusive, offensive, discriminatory or otherwise contrary to the standards of taste and decency which generally obtain in the country… more
URCA crack down
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is cracking down on broadcasters following what it noted was an increase in breaches related to “standards of taste and decency” and “harm and offence”… more
China trip: Guyana engages Huawei in expanding “big time” ICT programme
Guyana – “We have to change the focus and identify our own priorities as a nation. This is the time for Guyana to think big but act in a manner reflecting our small country.” That is the enthusiasm that characterized the mood of Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, as she spoke about her recent trip to China… more
Guyana asks Huawei to help expand internet network
Guyana – Chinese ICT giant Huawei Technologies has been asked to assist Guyana to expand its internet network and this could lead to connections being available in remote parts of the country… more
Telecommunications Minister boasts of leading Guyana to ICT literacy
Guyana – The Ministry of Public Telecommunications is boasting that it has almost completed phase one of the Secondary School Internet Connectivity project which forms part of the E-Governance project… more
Golden Age Home Gets Computers from USF
Jamaica – The Universal Service Fund (USF) has donated three desktop computers to the Golden Age Home, located in Vineyard Town, Kingston… more
Digicel Simplifies Borrowing; FLOW Expands Credit Loan Product
Regional – If banks introduced a line of credit accessible by one SMS request and nothing more to existing account holders, they would probably make millions… more
Sunday, 18 September 2016
Bitcoin Exchange, Caricoin, Trying To Enter Jamaica – Discussions With BOJ Under Way
Jamaica – A new player is trying to set up a bitcoin exchange in Jamaica as the first-known operator in the virtual currency space locally, but it needs the approval of the Bank of Jamaica… more
Flow Wants To Drop Emergency Operator Service
Jamaica – Flow Jamaica has informed the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) that it will no longer host a centralised emergency operator service through its network. Instead, it wants all telecoms providers to offer the service to their own subscribers… more
Image credits: NS Newsflash (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia;
_______________
