A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 5 June to Sunday 11 June 2017.
Monday, 5 June 2017
Few UG student loan borrowers repaying under Jubilee offer; govt turns to different payment methods
Guyana – A less than satisfactory number of University of Guyana (UG) students and former students have taken advantage of the Independence Jubilee reduced tuition fee repayments, resulting in the Guyana government being still saddled with a huge number of outstanding student loans, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said Monday… more
Jamaica a sitting duck!
Jamaica – KPMG, the highly regarded global auditing firm, has warned that only a paltry 20 per cent of Jamaican companies are paying attention to the serious business of cyber security, leaving the country at the mercy of cyber attackers… more
Digicel refinanced by two major Irish Financial institutions
Regional – RJR News understands that two major Irish financial institutions – AIB and Bank of Ireland – are among the syndicate of 10 lenders that backed Digicel’s U$1.25 billion refinancing in May… more
Tuesday, 6 June 2017
RENEWED CALL TO KEEP BAN ON CELLPHONES
Barbados – The Barbados National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (BNCPTA) is reiterating its call for the ban on cellphones in schools across this country to be upheld, at least for the time being… more
SALT adds spice after tech win
Cayman Islands – A Cayman technology company has won a top IT award from Microsoft… more
SALT Technology Group honored
Cayman Islands – SALT Technology Group has won the 2017 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award for the Cayman Islands… more
Dominican Republic to strengthen telecom users rights
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic’s telecom regulator (Indotel) launched a 30-day public consultation on a recently passed resolution which looks to bolster the… more
GTT’s Mobile Money service adds UG student loan repayment option
Guyana – Past and current students of the University of Guyana (UG) can now repay their student loans using GTT’s Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) service… more
New UG teleconferencing suite to widen access to education
Guyana – University of Guyana (UG) students will now be able to access local and international courses without having to leave either the Turkeyen or Tain campuses due to the institution’s new teleconferencing platform… more
A Haiti reboot? Country welcomes Google, Facebook, Silicon Valley to tech summit
Haiti – Social entrepreneurs, influencers and startup innovators kicked off a two-day technology summit in Haiti on Tuesday, hoping to help transform the poverty-stricken nation into a hub of innovation… more
CANTO, Bmobile and UTT Host North Eastern Secondary Schools ICT Expo
Trinidad and Tobago – CANTO in collaboration with the Hon. Maxie Cuffie, MP La Horqueatta/ Talpora, partnered with Bmobile and the University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT) to host the North Eastern Secondary Schools ICT Expo on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at the UTT, O’Meara Campus… more
Wednesday, 7 June 2017
Bahamas Tops Caribbean On Data Centre Expansion
Bahamas – The Bahamas has been ranked among the top six nations in the Latin American and Caribbean region for the development of data centres, although high electricity costs remain a major obstacle to further growth… more
BTC to invest USD 8 mln in Bahamas mobile network upgrade
Bahamas – Bahamas operator BTC has announced plans to inject USD 8.1 million to further upgrade its mobile network this year… more
Cable ‘Creates Path’ For Caribbean Cross-Listing
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas yesterday expressed optimism that it had “created a path” for other Bahamian firms to follow by becoming the first local company to cross-list on another Caribbean stock exchange… more
How I doubled my Instagram
Regional – One may notice that many social media professionals are not as active on social media as they encourage their clients to be. This is for a plethora of reasons, which we will discuss in another article… more
Miiddle Reaffirms its Commitment to LATAM and the Caribbean and confirms its Participation in CANTO 2017
Regional – miiddle™ comes to the region to revolutionize the mobile carrier industry, with a service that has a positive impact on business and creates a better experience between the operator and its users. That’s why miiddle is joining one of the most important Associations in the Caribbean and the Americas – CANTO… more
TSTT Matters— Transparency Issues*
Trinidad and Tobago – TELECOMMUNICATIONS Services of Trinidad and Tobago’s (TSTT’s) share purchase agreement, announced on May 2, to buy Massy Communications Ltd has provoked a great deal of sceptical or negative public comment… more
Thursday, 8 June 2017
Cable Bahamas lists on Jamaica Stock Exchange
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas has become the first Bahamian-owned company to list on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), raising USD 14.6 million after selling two classes of preference shares… more
Powerful Tech Influencers Descend Upon Haiti
Haiti – The Haiti Tech Summit jumped off to a flawless start June 6, at the Royal Decameron Indigo Beach Resort & Spa… more
Gov’t Invests Over US$4.7 Million to Expand BPO Space
Jamaica – The Government is continuing work to expand the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector through investment of US$4,721,988.88 on further infrastructure buildout… more
Improving Local Government Services in Jamaica
Jamaica – In developing countries worldwide, governments and citizens hold massive amounts of real property and unmovable assets that are hidden or underutilized… more
bmobile partners with CANTO
Regional – “ICT is like seasoning in food because you must have it. ICT plays in every aspect of everything we do in every industry,” said Dr Joseph Jacob, manager Student Recruitment, University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT)… more
New Flow Kids App Delivers Anytime/Anywhere Content To Caribbean Children
Regional – Flow’s younger viewers now have a kid-friendly service that delivers children’s content anytime, anywhere, on any device via the new “Flow Kids” app specially developed by Toon Goggles, the top kids’ on-demand entertainment service… more
PRESS RELEASE: RedBarrel launches the Caribbean’s online marketplace
Regional – RedBarrel, the business and domain of the Caribbean’s online marketplace, has officially opened its doors in The Bahamas, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, allowing anyone with an internet connection to buy virtually anything online… more
Role of new technologies in tourism
Trinidad and Tobago – Over the years, the advancement of technology has significantly improved the quality of service delivery in the tourism sector… more
Friday, 9 June 2017
$70m Gov’t Windfall If It ‘Pulls The Trigger’
Bahamas – The Government can generate a desperately needed $70 million revenue windfall by “pulling the trigger” on its sale-ready majority interest in the Aliv mobile operator, Tribune Business was told yesterday… more
Guyana expands ICT hubs, partners with Digicel
Guyana – Guyana’s public telecommunications ministry, through the eGovernment unit, has to date created 55 so-called ICT connectivity hubs across the country, mostly… more
Govt. to source internet from GTT for ICT hubs
Guyana – After some US$6M (G$1.3B) was wasted under the People’s Progressive Party Civic government on the eGovernment Fibre Optic Cable Project, the current administration is now forced to source its internet facilities from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT)… more
July deadline eyed for telecoms liberalization, Hughes says
Guyana – The Ministry of Public Telecom-munications is working towards a July deadline for the liberalization of the telecommunications sector in Guyana, which would allow new players in and hopefully lower rates, according to Minister Catherine Hughes… more
Tech Giants Want To Make Haiti An Information Technology Hub
Haiti – A major upgrade is in the works for Haiti to position the country as a hub for information and technology… more
BGLC to Fast-Track Internet Gaming
Jamaica – The Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), has indicated that it intends to fast-track the roll-out of Internet gaming in Jamaica… more
Telecoms To Cut Fixed-Line Termination Rates By Up To 90%
Jamaica – Termination charges for phone calls that connect to fixed-line phones, or wholesale rates, are to be cut by 70-90 per cent, starting next month… more
OECS hosts computer assisted survey training
Regional – Computer surveys improve efficiency by enabling electronic data collection… more
Online CXC testing will be costly
Regional – A decision by the Caribbean Examination Council to offer examinations online will be costly to Dominica, Finance Minister, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said… more
Saturday, 10 June 2017
Increased Job Prospects in ICT- Dr. Wheatley
Jamaica – The Government is optimistic about increased job prospects for Jamaicans in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)… more
No restrictions on allocation of toll free numbers – OUR
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it has not placed restrictions on the allocation of toll free numbers… more
Bolt’s final home run live on Digicel PlayGo
Regional – As Usain Bolt prepares for his final race at the upcoming Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica, Digicel has announced that it will be ensuring that Bolt’s fans across the region will be able to get a front row stadium view of his final home run on SportsMax channel via its streaming app, PlayGo… more
New App Will Allow Public to Report, Commend Customs and Excise officials
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Timothy Harris announced last week that a new phone app will allow the public to alert officials on possible illegal activity within the Customs and Excise Department… more
Sunday, 11 June 2017
More ICT Hubs for Berbice
Guyana – As Guyana forges its way to a vastly developing Information Technology Sector and to an era where almost everyone at some point will be technologically savvy, the government of the day has made it its priority to ensure this is a reality. As such the county of Berbice is no exception when it comes to soaking up development to such an extent… more
Cyber Gambling Fears – Updated Law Needed To Deal With Illegal Online Betting
Jamaica – With the explosion in the digital world in recent years, the local entity tasked with preventing illegal gambling, the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), is finding it even more difficult to clamp down on persons who run illicit operations… more
Data Protection Act coming end of June
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Dr Andrew Wheatley has said that the Data Protection Act will be tabled in Parliament by the end of June… more
Weaknesses, but Jamaica’s cyber system not in trouble — Wheatley
Jamaica – A recent audit conducted to examine government websites has found some weaknesses, according to the Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Dr Andrew Wheatley… more
Image credits: (Mick Baker)rooster (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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