A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 19 September to Sunday 25 September 2016.
Monday, 19 September 2016
Antigua Seeks More Help To Get US To Settle Internet Gaming Dispute
Antigua and Barbuda – Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne has called on his colleagues in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to support his country’s efforts in reaching a settlement with the United States in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Internet gaming dispute… more
NewCo carries out recruitment exercise on Grand Bahama
Bahamas – Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, on September 19, welcomed the CEO of NewCo, Damian Blackburn… more
Bill allows government to commandeer airwaves during disasters
Cayman Islands – Emergency public bulletins broadcast just before or after a natural disaster, serious public health threat or during a significant man-made disaster would have to be issued by all local broadcast license-holders, according to new legislation seeking to govern Cayman’s disaster management… more
Digicel gets the nod to purchase TRES Networks in Curacao
Curacao – Digicel Group today announced that it has received approval from the Government and regulatory authorities for the purchase of TRES Networks in Curacao, and is now moving swiftly to complete the transaction… more
EMERGENCY 911 SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE
Dominica – There is now only one number which Dominicans can use to receive assistance in the case of an emergency – 911… more
ECLAC study points to sharp increase in Internet use in the region
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
Flow’s parent company Liberty Global and Netflix agree to integrate Netflix app into devices in over 30 countries
Regional – Liberty Global plc (“Liberty Global“), the world’s largest international cable TV and broadband company and parent company of Flow, just 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
Trinidad and Tobago to revamp telecoms sector
Trinidad and Tobago – Government initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago’s telecoms sector aim to strengthen the market by bringing new players into the mobile segment and creating plans to develop broadband infrastructure… more
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Minister promises increased bandwidth as CXC e-testing delayed
Antigua and Barbuda – Following the disappointing results of a simulation for online testing in secondary schools, the Ministry of Telecommunications has promised an improvement in connectivity on school plants once the Telecommunication Bill 2016 is passed… more
Freeport Home For Newco Call Centre
Bahamas – NEWCO’s national service call centre will be located in Grand Bahama, creating some 30 new jobs for Bahamians in Freeport, officials of the new mobile service provider announced yesterday… more
NewCo creating employment for Grand Bahamians, recruitment exercise underway
Bahamas – NewCo 2015 Limited (NewCo) The Bahamas’ newest mobile service company is planning to create new employment opportunities for many Grand Bahamians… more
NewCo creating employment for Grand Bahamians, recruitment exercise underway
Barbados – NewCo announced Monday (September 19) during a press conference at the Ministry of Grand Bahama that it is actively recruiting to staff up its national call center, which will be located on Grand Bahama… more
Barbados lagging in innovation
Barbados – DESPITE RANKING 37 out of 141 countries on the Global Innovation Index in 2015, Barbados still continues to lag in innovation… more
Dunkeld and Government Told to Work Out B.T.L. Settlement
Belize – A three-judge panel of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) this morning advised attorneys representing Dunkeld International Investments, The B.T.L. Employees Trust and the Government of Belize to work out with all possible speed the settlement of the amount due from the government to the former shareholders of Belize Telemedia… more
How Will B.T.L. Arbitration Affect Belize’s Currency Position?
Belize – There were differing views on whether the Government can adhere to paying the remaining portion of the award due to Dunkeld in U.S. dollars, and should have paid the first instalment in Greenbacks… more
Residents warned as social media ‘threatens’ court
British Virgin Islands – Partly due to the proliferation of communication technologies and unprecedented access to internet, the judicial system in the Eastern Caribbean including the British Virgin Islands is now under a level of scrutiny and threat never seen before, according to Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Janice Pereira… more
DIGICEL’s Acquisition Of Tres Networks Approved
Curacao – Digicel Group today announced that it has received the required approvals from the Government and regulatory authorities for the purchase of TRES Networks in Curacao, and is now moving swiftly to complete the transaction… more
E911 TO REDUCE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIME AND SAVE LIVES
Dominica – The E911 Emergency Center launched on Friday September 16th, promises to significantly reduce the time it takes to respond to emergency situations in Dominica, thereby saving lives… more
American Chamber hails creation of the ‘Digital Republic’
Dominican Republic – President Danilo Medina recently issued executive order 258-16 that creates the “Digital Republic,” which includes a set of policies and actions to promote the inclusion of information and communication technologies in productive and educational processes, and government services to Dominican citizens… more
Internet accounts jump 20.77% to 5.4 million in Dominican Rep.
Dominican Republic – Internet accounts in the Dominican Republic climbed from 4,479,499 in June 2015, to 5,410,149 in the same period of 2016, a 20.77% jump, according to the Dominican Telecom Institute (Indotel)… more
Guyana abandons Brazil fibre in favour of satellite links
Guyana – The Guyanese government is looking to salvage its disastrous ‘E-Government’ network rollout by abandoning the infrastructure in the country’s hinterland and expanding the fibre footprint in the coastal regions… more
Telecoms Ministry consults companies over inefficient 4G services
Guyana – There was much excitement and optimism among local consumers when it was announced that fourth generation (4G) services would be introduced to Guyana. However, the services introduced are less than satisfactory… more
UG online degree programme plagued with problems
Guyana – Dear Editor, Everything happens online these days. A quick search of the internet will deliver thousands of results from universities offering their programmes through an online platform… more
Silver Agers Irreplaceable In Economy
Jamaica – In a globalised economy that is increasingly being driven by technological changes, it is very tempting to view employees over 50 years of age, who are oftentimes slow to adapt to these changes, as a hindrance to the entrance and advancement of young people in the labour market… more
Look out for random emails, it’s phishing season!
Regional – Phishing in the cybercrime world is by far one of the most common methods to gain access to your sensitive information. Cyber criminals are known to be notoriously lazy and will find the easiest way to get access to your information… more
Barix Audio over IP Solutions Enhance Connectivity for Caribbean Broadcaster
Sint Maarten – Audio over IP pioneer Barix is helping St. Maarten FM radio broadcaster Island92, owned by Caribe Broadcasting, strengthen reliability and reduce costs associated with remote broadcasting via its IP encoding and decoding solutions… more
Wednesday, 21 September 2016
SBA PUSHING ONLINE SHOPPING
Barbados – Speaking to The Barbados Advocate yesterday, Chief Executive Officer of the Small Business Association (SBA), Lynette Holder, revealed that consumers will soon be able to purchase products from a variety of local micro, small and medium enterprises online… more
Digicel (Cayman) moves to Cayman Technology Centre
Cayman Islands – Digicel (Cayman) Ltd has moved to Cayman Technology Centre (CTC). Digicel will be occupying 8,000 sq. ft. on the second level which will now be home to the company’s new headquarters in January 2017… more
Broadcasting Authority Chairman calls Tony Vieria “abusive and obstructionist”
Guyana – A major conflict has surfaced in the board Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), even as that regulatory entity prepares to address the granting of several licenses by the Jagdeo-led administration and prepares to grant ones before next year… more
Digicel and GTT give Guyanese G0-dee instead of 4G
Guyana – People who live in this country always getting shaft and this ain’t start happening yesterday… more
Major investors interested in ICT sector
Guyana – Continuous development in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is signalled for Guyana as interests and applications for investments in the sector have been submitted to the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest)… more
OUR awaits FLOW’s analysis after widespread Internet disruption
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says that it is awaiting the results of a root cause analysis to be conducted by FLOW, following its 17-hour interruption of service to customers in several parishes between September 2 and 3, which it has committed to share with the OUR and the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology… more
Support Laws Governing Cyberspace
Jamaica – THE EDITOR Sir: The proliferation of information communication technologies (ICT) is moving apace, and as international smart phone manufacturers continue their rivalry and dominance of the ICT industry, ordinary individuals are finding themselves swept up in the never-ending euphoria of ‘smarter’ devices entering the market… more
C&W Networks and TE SubCom Extend Pan-Caribbean Partnership to Provide Capacity Upgrades to Multiple Cable Systems
Regional – C&W Networks, a division of Cable & Wireless Communications, (C&W), one of the largest full service communications and entertainment providers in the Caribbean and Latin American region, now part of Liberty Global (LiLAC Group), is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. ( NYSE : TEL ) company and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology, to complete an immediate upgrade to the ECLink (Trinidad-Curacao) system… more
Denis O’Brien investing up to $450m on ocean telecom cables
Regional – Businessman Denis O’Brien has revealed plans to personally invest as much as $450m (€403m) on a network of undersea telecoms cables linking dozens of countries in the Caribbean… more
Five More Network Operators Sign Code of Practice on Safeguarding the Open Internet
Regional – Close to 30 Network Operators from the Caribbean region have now signed the ‘Code of Practice for safeguarding the open Internet’… more
Micoud Secondary School gets laptop computers
Saint Lucia – The Micoud Secondary School moved another step towards replenishing its Learning Resource Centre, after the LRC room was gutted by fire two years ago, destroying all of its contents… more
TSTT launches prepaid card
Trinidad and Tobago – Chairman of Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT) Emile Elias is optimistic that the company can regain lost market share in less than five years. He said with the introduction of the bmobile Prepaid Visa Card, the company continues to sharpen its competitive edge… more
Thursday, 22 September 2016
As URCA probes, Moncur vows to continue ‘speaking truth’
Bahamas – In the face of a recordings request from the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), attorney Wayne Munroe, who represents political activist and radio talk show host Rodney Moncur, said yesterday his client will “not stop speaking what he sees to be the truth” on his program “Freedom March” on ZSR 103.5 FM… more
Denis O’Brien’s Caribbean connections revealed in Bahamas papers
Bahamas – Irish businessman Denis O’Brien is linked to property on the Caribbean island where Dermot Desmond has been developing an exclusive tourist resort, filings in the Bahamas indicate… more
Barbados pressing ahead with ICT programme
Barbados – BARBADOS IS IMPLEMENTING a number of initiatives aimed at moving its information and communications technology (ICT) programme forward… more
CCJ gives GOB and Ashcroft alliance a week
Belize – The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has given the Government of Belize and the Ashcroft Alliance one week to settle the payment dispute over the arbitration award for the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited… more
P.M. Plays Down Concerns About Extra Borrowing for B.T.L. Settlement
Belize – Tuesday’s hearing at the Caribbean Court of Justice addressed a number of issues with regard to the Settlement Agreement for Belize Telemedia Limited, including the issue of paying back the former owners of the telephone company, represented by Dunkeld International Investments and the B.T.L. Employees Trust, in U.S. dollars… more
Cayman captives boosted by non-traditional risk
Cayman Islands – So far, 2016 has been a very active year for new captive insurance formations, with 23 new licences granted over the first six months of the year, according to the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. This number exceeded the issuance of licences in the whole of 2015… more
CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES URGED TO COLLABORATE MORE IN DEVELOPING SINGLE ICT SPACE
Regional – President of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Darcy Boyce is calling for greater collaboration among Caribbean countries if the regional vision of a single Information and Communications Technology (ICT) space is to be achieved… more
Bitt Explains Decision To Issue Digital Barbados Dollar On The Blockchain
Regional – Ever since Bitt created Barbados’ own digital currency, there have been a lot of questions regarding this decision. Although the team used a blockchain to achieve this goal, creating national virtual currencies seems like a strange concept… more
Digicel revamps credit loan service
Regional – Telecommunications group Digicel has announced a major revamp of its DigiLoan credit advance service that allows customers to top up their account by dialling a short code, reports the Jamaica Observer, citing Digicel Jamaica CEO David Butler… more
Cell Phones And Other Contraband Found In Prison Search
Saint Kitts and Nevis – An early morning search operation on Tuesday(September 20) at Her Majesty’s Prison on St. Kitts and a simultaneous search at the Prison Farm on Nevis signaled the start of ‘Operation Safe Streets’ by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force… more
Talks being held about TelEm, UTS merger, TelEm sale halted
Sint Maarten – The shareholders of United Telecommunications Services (UTS) have agreed to hold talks with the TelEm Group about the two companies partnering and merging… more
bmobile launches Mobile Money Revolution
Trinidad and Tobago – On Monday (September 19), TSTT launched a bold new product that will revolutionise how individuals and businesses in Trinidad and Tobago conduct financial transactions. It is the bmobile VISA Prepaid Card… more
bmobile’s VISA prepaid card launched
Trinidad and Tobago – LOCAL telecommunications provider, TSTT, Republic Bank Limited, VISA International and Cellmaster on Monday evening launched the BMOBILE VISA Prepaid Card and an accompanying smartphone application… more
Friday, 23 September 2016
Bahamas corporate data leak prompts swift reaction, outrage in Europe
Bahamas – The European Commission is considering action against a former top official following revelations of an undeclared link to an offshore company in The Bahamas… more
Announcement expected soon on mobile LTE
Barbados – A declaration is expected soon on Long Term Evolution (LTE) – a technical process for high-speed data for phones and other mobile devices – as part of Government’s plans to advance information and communications technology (ICT), according to Minister with responsibility for Telecommunications Senator Darcy Boyce… more
Barbados Revenue Authority and Newgen Partner on Automatic Exchange of Information System for FATCA Reporting
Barbados – Newgen Software Inc., a leading global provider of Business Process Management (BPM), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Customer Communication Management (CCM) and Case Management (CM) solutions, is pleased to announce the successful deployment of Automatic Exchange of Information filing module for both the Foreign Account Tax Compliant Act (FATCA) and Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for the Barbados Revenue Authority… more
Billion-dollar B.T.L.? Prime Minister Says It Can Happen by 2030
Belize – As we reported on Thursday night in our interview with Prime Minister Dean Barrow following a meeting with the Belize National Teachers Union, he appeared not to be concerned by the one hundred and fifty million dollars in domestic borrowing the Government must undertake to repay the former owners of Belize Telemedia Limited for the nationalization of the company… more
Dodgy Drafting on BTL Settlement Opens Up Huge Hard Currency Dispute Between GOB and AA
Belize – On Monday’s news, we brought you coverage of the Caribbean Court of Justice’s teleconference hearing trying to resolve the latest fight between the Barrow Government and the Ashcroft Alliance over BTL… more
Digicel Adjusts Mobile Data Prices
Jamaica – Digicel Jamaica adjusted a raft of prepaid mobile data plans this week on its website, which makes it nominally cheaper for plans with longer tenures, but more costly for the cheaper plans in its product line-up… more
Jamaica Customs Warns Of Email Scam
Jamaica – The Jamaica Customs Agency is alerting the public of an email scam purporting to be from Commissioner of Customs, Major Richard Reese… more
Caribbean Airlines Launches Mobile Website
Regional – Caribbean Airlines has launched our mobile website application, which allows customers to:… more
CIC IT ROUNDTABLE
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce continued their series of Sector Specific Round Table discussions and met with the IT Sector… more
NTRC/I Squared Competition Commended
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – The decision by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) to start the Ideas and Innovations (I Squared) Competition, has come in for high praises from two previous participants… more
ICT Expertz in Cyber Security Awareness drive
Trinidad and Tobago – LOCAL ICT (information and communications technology) company ICT Expertz Limited is in the Champion of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2016… more
Saturday, 24 September 2016
UPP plans to block Telecommunications Bill
Antigua and Barbuda – The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) said the party is exploring all the options available to block the pending 2016 Telecommunications Bill… more
B.T.L. turning to Guatemalan telecom company for Earl relief
Belize – Belize’s state-run telephone company, Belize Telemedia Limited, has confirmed that it has employed the services of a Guatemalan telecommunication company Ingetelca to assist with their recovery process following the damages to its infrastructure from Hurricane Earl… more
CDB Advises Barbados Government To Sell Caribbean Broadcasting Corp!
Regional – President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Warren Smith today sounded a stern warning that Barbados is not yet out of the proverbial economic woods by a long shot… more
Sunday, 25 September 2016
Digital revolution for hotel sector
Jamaica – Jamaica’s hospitality sector will be introduced to a high-tech digital makeover when executives and developers converge in Montego Bay and Kingston on September 27 and 29, respectively, for an introduction to cutting edge content management software by Appliance Traders Limited (ATL) and partners Aruba… more
AS I SEE THINGS: The knowledge economy
Regional – THE ECONOMICE LITERATURE speaks about the transition that economies go through from heavy dependence on agriculture and subsistence living to a more advanced society in which services and mass consumption dominate… more
Image credits: carterse (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Belize Web
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