A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 2 January to Sunday 8 January 2017.
Monday, 2 January 2017
BTC launches mobile TV service Flow to Go
Bahamas – Bahamas operator BTC has launched a mobile TV service called Flow to Go. Customers with a mobile data subscription will receive free access for the first 30 days… more
EDITORIAL: Careful on the superhighway
Barbados – THANKS TO THE INTERNET, and in particular social media platforms, operators of any business, regardless of its character, can increasingly find themselves managing challenges that result from the fears of customers with as much regularity as they look after routine matters such as stock or staff morale… more
GraceKennedy Brings Mobile Payments To Jamaica
Jamaica – Mobile payments likely doesn’t enter too many thoughts thinking about Jamaica, and that’s actually a surprising omission… more
Marketing Strategies Today: Webinar training pros and cons
Regional – Thanks to improved Internet connectivity, the use of webinars for training employees has become the preferred option for different organizations… more
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
Technology students help provide computers in Belize
Belize – omputer networking and repair students at Eastern Oklahoma Technology Center took the skills they acquired in class and used them to benefit students and teachers in Central America… more
New Public Works radio tech will make toll plazas faster
Dominica Republic – The Dominican Telecom Institute (Indotel) on Monday assigned two new frequencies to the Public Works Ministry, including “special antennas to be used to automate the toll system, so that motorists don’t have to stop to pay because the vehicle will have a prepaid chip that will communicate with the control cabin and they can pass through those plazas quickly… more
GTT lowers cost of high speed residential Internet service
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) on Tuesday announced that it has cut the cost of two of its domestic high-speed rates and upped the price for the lowest speed… more
Caricel Heads To Court In Battle To Keep Cellular Licence
Jamaica – Lawyers for the embattled Symbiote Investments Limited are gearing up for a battle with the Government this Thursday in the company’s bid to keep its cellular licence received in September last year… more
NOTICE OF CANTO’s 33rd Annual General Meeting and Mini Exhibition
Regional – Dear Member, Notice is hereby given that the 33rd Annual General Meeting of Members and supporting events will be held from the 29th – 31st January, 2017 at the Renaissance Resort, Curacao… more
Wednesday, 4 January 2017
Digicel announces unapproved price hike
Antigua and Barbuda – Digicel has announced that as of February 1, customers in Antigua & Barbuda will pay a 5 per cent increase in their postpaid mobile services… more
Communications service providers, URCA butt heads over QoS regulations
Bahamas – Mobile, fixed-line and Internet service providers are at odds with the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) over its proposed recommendations for quality of service (QoS) regulations and network performance metrics for electronic communications networks, chiefly because the companies consider existing consumer protection regulations (CPR) adequate… more
BTL Launches Region’s First LTE Advanced Network
Belize – more
GTT cuts cost of Gold and Silver Internet plans
Guyana – Effective January 1, 2017 GTT says it is offering significant reductions in the cost of the company’s residential Internet service rates for Gold and Silver customers… more
Caricel licence dispute taken to court
Jamaica – The controversial domestic mobile spectrum licence (DMSL) granted to Symbiote Investments last September is now headed to the courts… more
Digicel Foundation appoints new CEO
Jamaica – The Digicel Foundation has appointed Dane Richardson as its new chief executive officer, following the recent resignation of Samantha Chantrelle… more
EduFocal expanding to Nigeria
Jamaica – Described as the ‘gamification’ of education, EduFocal’s conceptualiser and Chief Executive Officer Gordon Swaby says the company is specifically focused on offering its service to the city of Lagos which is estimated to have a population of 21 million people, in a country of about 185 million… more
Montague Reprimands Digicel Over National Security Concern
Jamaica – There are reports this afternoon that officials at the telecommunications company Digicel have been reprimanded by the Government for failing to address specific national security concerns that were identified from as far back as last August… more
Revoking Caricel’s Licence Could Cost Taxpayers Millions
Jamaica – Jamaican taxpayers could be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to telecommunications company Symbiote Investments Limited if the Government goes through with plans to revoke its cellular licence… more
Whatsapp Most Popular Social Media App Among Jamaican Diaspora
Jamaica – As many as 60 per cent of Jamaicans residing overseas are opting to utilise instant messaging application WhatsApp over other means of communicating with loved ones… more
CANTO Welcomes Caribbean ICT Collaboration Committee
Regional – In a move to shape and align the strategic ICT agenda in the region, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) brought several regional ICT stakeholders together at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain, Trinidad on 5th and 6th December 2016… more
Thursday, 5 January 2017
eRAD Donates PACS to Hospital in Grenada
Grenada – eRAD announced today that it has successfully deployed its PACS at St. George’s General Hospital in Grenada as part of a philanthropic effort by the company to bring the benefits of digital imaging to Grenadians… more
No justification given by GTT for raise in bronze plan rates
Guyana – Dear Editor, It seems like daily in Guyana we are being subjected to increasing in prices every way you turn, the latest shock and downright disrespect for citizen comes from GTT… more
Broadcast Commission appoints new chairman
Jamaica – Professor Anthony Clayton has been appointed chairman of the Broadcasting Commission with effect from November 1, 2016… more
Caricel Woes Grow – US Turns Up Heat, Allegedly Provides Evidence To Gov’t
Jamaica – The United States government, through its embassy here, has reportedly turned over ‘hard evidence’ to the Andrew Holness administration on why it should revoke the spectrum licence to Symbiote Investments Limited, the Jamaican company that wants to become a provider of telecoms services… more
UK grants GBP 5 mln for broadband in Montserrat
Montserrat – The UK Department for International Development (DFID) said it will give GBP 4.94 million to deploy superfast (24 Mbps+) broadband on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, ISPreview reported… more
Digicel announces local postpaid hike
Saint Lucia – Digicel has announced a ‘small’ increase in postpaid plan subscriptions in Saint Lucia effective February 1, 2017… more
TSTT shows appreciation for partnership with govt agencies
Trinidad and Tobago – As a government-owned business and the lone national telecommunications company in T&T serving both citizens and government agencies, TSTT has fostered a strong collaborative partnership with the various state ministries across the country, as it continues to do its part to provide necessary technological support to the public sector… more
Friday, 6 January 2017
FNMs no-show at BTC probe meeting
Bahamas – Members of the Official Opposition appointed to the select committee set to probe the controversial 2011 sale of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) were no-shows at the committee’s first meeting yesterday, according to its chairman, Golden Isles MP Shane Gibson… more
Select Committee Into BTC Sale Holds First Meeting
Bahamas – THE first meeting of the select committee established to probe the sale of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company Ltd resulted in a no show from Official Opposition members yesterday… more
Dominican regulator to assign frequencies for airport security
Dominican Republic – Dominican Republic telecom regulator Indotel is expected to assign new spectrum frequencies to airport security agency Cesac… more
Caricel Hearing Continues Today
Jamaica – Lawyers involved in the court challenge brought by Symbiote Investments Limited against the Andrew Holness administration yesterday declined to comment on the case after nearly four hours of legal arguments before the Supreme Court… more
Gag order on Caricel court hearing
Jamaica – ATTORNEYS in the legal battle brewing between the Government and local mobile phone provider Symbiote (Caricel) have been ordered not to make any further public pronouncements on the matter… more
Jamaica’s Caricel to take legal action over licence award
Jamaica – Jamaica’s Symbiote Investments, the holding company for the Caricel brand, has taken the country’s Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) to court in an attempt to secure the mobile operating concession it was awarded back in September 2016, reports the Jamaica Gleaner… more
Ruling on Caricel injunction bid expected on January 24
Jamaica – It will be known later this month if an injunction will be granted blocking the revocation or suspension of the telecommunications licence issued to Symbiote Investments. The Supreme Court will hand down its decision on January 24… more
Symbiote still pushing for third licence award
Jamaica – Jamaica’s prospective third mobile licensee Symbiote Investments has launched a legal battle to allow it to retain the operating concession it was awarded in September. According to a report from the Jamaica Gleaner, the country’s Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) has called for an investigation to be launched into the licensing of the firm, but Symbiote is challenging the move in a court case which is due to begin today (Thursday 5 January 2017)… more
US telecoms boss pleads guilty to fraud charges which involve Jamaica
Regional – The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is reporting that the owner and operator of a Florida-based telecommunications company has pleaded guilty in relation to a global cellphone fraud scheme linked to the Caribbean, including Jamaica… more
UWI, Caribbean CaribVision launch UWI-TV
Regional – The University of the West Indies (UWI) in partnership with CaribVision, the regional cable service of the Caribbean Media Corporation, and the RJR Group have launched UWI-TV, a new multimedia public information and education service… more
Major call centre investment for Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia – A major US-based call centre will be launched in Saint Lucia creating hundreds of jobs, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has announced… more
Saturday, 7 January 2017
Commentary: The View from Europe: The US should respect the WTO ruling on Antigua
Antigua and Barbuda – Late last November, the government of Antigua gave notice to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) that, if the United States did not reach “an appropriate and beneficial settlement” in relation to a legal adjudication made previously in its favour, it would act to recover the revenue it has lost… more
Guyana internet users blacklisted by Google and several US banks over IP security concerns
Guyana – Guyanese who rely on the internet to handle online banking and online payment processing with a number of US banks and payment gateways, may soon be unable to do so after several US based payment processors have decided to blacklist a number of Internet Protocol (IP) ranges that are being used by Guyanese to handle online transactions and general internet usage… more
Data-driven procurement process to tackle drugs shortage – Minister Norton
Guyana – Without admitting that the Ministry of Public Health was, during the past year, plagued with issues of drugs shortage and even struggled with complete unavailability in some cases, Ministry officials are assuring that this trend will be reversed in 2017… more
Court to hand down Caricel ruling Jan 24
Jamaica – THE Supreme Court is to rule January 24 on the application from telecoms provider Symbiote Investments Limited seeking to block the Government from taking back the domestic mobile spectrum licence which it issued to the company last September… more
Digicel to fast-track blocking cell phones in prisons
Jamaica – Telecommunications company Digicel has said it has expedited a process to come up with a solution for the installation of mobile phone-jamming equipment in prisons, confirming a report that it was reprimanded by National Security Minister Robert Montague for taking too long to complete the process… more
Telecom company owner jailed for involvement in fraud link to Caribbean
Jamaica – The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) says the owner and operator of a Florida-based telecommunications company has been sentenced to 52 months in prison in connection with a sophisticated global cellphone fraud scheme linked to the Caribbean… more
C-SAFE app by PLOTT being utilized
Trinidad and Tobago – A MERE two weeks after its launch, C-SAFE; the free anti- crime app from the group, Powerful Ladies of Trinidad and Tobago (PLOTT), has already been downloaded more than 3,000 times and is used on a regular basis daily… more
Sunday, 8 January 2017
CCTV capture bare-faced bandits breaking into goods van
Guyana – About three men in a black Toyota Raum were seen shortly after noon, yesterday, breaking into and emptying a grocery can which was parked just off the high bridge at the La Penitence Market, Georgetown… more
CONSUMER CONCERNS…YOU CAN GET YOUR LANDLINE PHONE NOW
Guyana – Since last December, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) under its Chairman former High Court Judge, Justice (retd) Prem Persaud CCH has been conducting Hearings to consider GTT’s request to increase landline rates. The Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) has been opposing such increases, and later in this article we will outline the respective positions of GTT and GCA and the consumer community… more
Operation of a broadcasting station
Haiti – Jean Marie Altema, Director General of the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) reminded everyone that “in accordance with the provisions of Article 13 of the Decree of 12 October 1977 granting the Haitian State a monopoly on telecommunications services, the establishment and operation of a broadcasting station (radio or TV) on Haitian territory, are subject to obtaining a broadcasting concession issued by the Haitian State via CONATEL, following the authorization issued by the Ministry of the Interior and Local Authorities (MICT).” … more
Image credits: Yukio Matsuoka (flickr); The West Indian News; Wikimedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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