A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 4 September to Sunday 10 September 2017.
Monday, 4 September 2017
Digicel kicks hurricane preparation into ‘high gear’
British Virgin Islands – With the potential threat of Hurricane Irma bearing down on the BVI, Digicel has put its hurricane contingency plan into high gear and has ensured that everything is in place to best manage the events of the coming days… more
Digicel ready for Hurricane Irma
Dominica – With the potential threat of Hurricane Irma bearing down on Dominica, Digicel has put its hurricane contingency plan into high gear and has ensured that everything is in place to best manage the events of the coming days… more
Flow rates to increase from October
Trinidad and Tobago – From October 1, Flow Trinidad will be increasing the price of their digital and AVS cable television packages… more
Tuesday, 5 September 2017
C&W ups already stringent security standards
Cayman Islands – Don’t let the nondescript appearance fool you: The gray, three-story Flow building on the corner of Eastern Avenue and Shedden Road is a crucial cog in Cayman’s economic engine… more
Samsung’s comeback phablet
Jamaica – Start the fanfare, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is here! … more
MTV carrying out tests transmissions
Guyana – The Eccles-based studios of MTV 14/Cable 65 were expected to start test transmissions last evening, after successfully erecting a temporary tower again.
In the meantime, police are continuing their search for the perpetuators who on Saturday, under the cover of darkness, used a nipper to cut one of the guide lines of the tower… more
Digicel ready for Hurricane Irma
Regional – With the potential threat of Hurricane Irma bearing down on the Leeward Islands and northern Caribbean over the next couple of days, Digicel has put its hurricane contingency plan into high gear and has ensured that everything is in place to best manage the events of the coming days… more
Flow Initiates Credit Facility For Markets Impacted By Hurricane Irma
Regional – In light of the potential impact of Hurricane Irma, Flowis proactively providing free local on net credit of $10 to all customers for 48 hours… more
Local start-up touts cashless payments
Trinidad and Tobago – Local e-commerce start-up WiPay hosted a formal launch event yesterday at the Digicel IMAX Theater in Port-Of-Spain to showcase its suite of cashless payment offerings and payment processing technology… more
Wednesday, 6 September 2017
My Digicel App is going tribal in Barbados
Barbados – Digicel wants you to join their ‘My Digicel App Tribe’… more
Digicel Dominica prepared to help sister islands after Hurricane Irma
Dominica – Digicel Dominica is prepared to help islands in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Irma’s passage… more
Jamaica Broilers To Replace IT Systems, Link Divisions Under Three-Year Restructuring Plan
Jamaica – Poultry company Jamaica Broilers Group, led by the Levy family, is executing a three-year plan to restructure its management and operations… more
Digicel gives customers free “anywhere minutes” for Irma
Regional – With the potential threat of Hurricane Irma on several islands across the Caribbean, Digicel announced on Wednesday that it is providing its customers in the affected markets with free call credit to communicate with their loved ones throughout the hurricane… more
Flow and CaribbeanTales Present World Premiere of Caribbean Television Pilots at CaribbeanTales International Film Festival 2017
Regional – Three new, original Caribbean TV pilots will have their world premiere screenings at the 12th CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF)1 in Toronto, Canada, this September. BattleDream Chronicles2, HEAT3, and CaribbeanGrlNYC4 are the result of an ongoing partnership between the CaribbeanTales Media Group, the world’s largest distributor of Caribbean audio-visual content, and Flow, the Caribbean’s leading telecoms and media content provider… more
Hurricane Irma: Digicel committed to keeping customers connected
Regional – Telecommunications giant, Digicel, is committed to keeping its customers connected as Hurricane Irma ravages parts of the Caribbean… more
Beware of e-mail fraudsters*
Trinidad and Tobago – The Bankers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (BATT) has warned bank customers that unauthorised text messages are being circulated asking them to release confidential banking information.BATT says these fraudulent messages are considered “phishing”—a type of identity theftmore
Should NEL purchase CWC’s 49% stake in TSTT?*
Trinidad and Tobago – ONE of the major uncertainties in the local telecommunications space is the fate of the 49 per cent stake in TSTT held by Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC)… more
Wipay – payment made easy
Trinidad and Tobago – WIPAY, a payment platform tailored to one’s needs, has been designed in Trinidad and Tobago for online stores. They facility was launched at the Digicel Imax Cinema in Woodbrook on Monday… more
Thursday, 7 September 2017
Digicel, Ministry of Education partnering on mobile technology
Barbados – With 9,000 tablets having been distributed to locals schools, the Ministry of Education is partnering with regional telecommunications company, Digicel, to roll out software which ensures the technology is being used are being used safely and effectively… more
Ministry not ‘rushing’ cell phone policy
Barbados – No group or person will prevent the Ministry of Education from implementing the pending cell phone policy – nor will there be any rush in bringing it to fruition… more
SAFE TABLETS
Barbados – THE 9 000 tablets disseminated to schools across the island will allow students to have the world at their fingertips, but they won’t have free rein over the devices… more
San Pedro High Is First School To Receive New DigiNet Fiber Optic Internet
Belize – San Pedro High School and Belize Telemedia (BTL) celebrated in a brief ceremony after classes esterday, Wednesday, September 6, 2017, the installation to the school of DigiNet, the fastest internet service in the country… more
SPHS; the first in Belize to get free Diginet High Speed Service
Belize – On Wednesday September 6th, a ceremony was held at the San Pedro High School (SPHS), organized by Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL). With the aim to officially launch the Diginet program at the school, SPHS becomes the first secondary institution to receive this program across the country. Attending the ceremony were BTL staff, San Pedro Town council members and the media, along with school staff and students… more
PUC hearing GTT’s request to review order on landlines installation, fault response
Guyana – The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) yesterday began hearing a request by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) to review the terms of the PUC Order requiring the company to install 1,000 landlines per quarter and to remedy the timeframe of its fault repairs… more
Wireless carriers offer free calls and texts in parts of Caribbean
Regional – T-Mobile is offering free calls and texts, as well as unlimited data, to all T-Mobile and MetroPCS customers in affected areas of Puerto Rico… more
Friday, 8 September 2017
BTC: Final checks and reviews completed; fully prepared for Irma
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) said yesterday that it has “completed its final checks and reviews” and is fully prepared for Hurricane Irma… more
No cells in my class
Barbados – LONG-TIME EDUCATOR Sybil Leacock is saying yes to cellphones at schools, but not in the classroom… more
NTRC’s Internet of Things project wins FRIDA Award for Digital Innovation
Dominica – Schools’ Internet of Things Weather Monitoring Station emerged winner of this year’s FRIDA Award in the technical category – Innovation for Internet Development. The NTRC’s proposal was selected from 312 submissions from across the Latin America and the Caribbean and won USD$18,500 towards its implementation… more
Still No Answers On Mandatory Offer For C&WJ Minority Owners
Jamaica – Garfield Sinclair, president of the Caribbean operations for Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), acknowledged that parent company Liberty Global will acquire minority shares in C&W Barbados, but remained silent on parallel implications for the Jamaica operations… more
Digicel working to get services back up quickly after Irma – Slowey
Regional – Digicel, the largest mobile telephone service provider in the Caribbean, is working assiduously to get services back up in the islands it operates in affected by Hurricane Irma… more
Digicel Launches “Smile With Digicel Programme”
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – In the spirit of rewarding and thanking customers for their support and loyalty, Digicel last Friday, September 1, launched its SMILE programme – an initiative which saw a number of its customers and Vincentians on a whole, being surprised and rewarded with random acts of kindness… more
Digicel deploys 200 workers to restore networ
Trinidad and Tobago – As Hurricane Irma continues its devastating track across the Caribbean and on to Florida, Digicel has mobilised its 200 plus fleet of engineers, technicians and riggers to undertake the required network restoration work in the shortest time possible… more
Saturday, 9 September 2017
BTC Hurricane Irma updates island by island
Bahamas – BTC advises that its network has been resilient and has fared well during the passage of Hurricane Irma… more
BTC NETWORK – “HURRICANE IRMA UPDATES”
Bahamas – BTC advises that its network has been resilient and has fared well during the passage of Hurricane Irma… more
Flow: Access to telephone services available in parts of the BVI
British Virgin Islands – Telecommunications provider, Flow BVI, has announced that while a number of its cell towers were damaged during the passage of Hurricane Irma, some are still functional, allowing customers to access telephone services… more
The eerie online silence from the tiny Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma
British Virgin Islands – The last message Michelle Pickering heard from her mother on Tortola terrified her: “The porch roof fly off,” she said in a text. It was 12:58 p.m. on Wednesday, and the worst of Irma was about to hit the island where she grew up… more
Consumer Association wants GTT to refund customers for increased rates
Guyana – The Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) in a letter to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) dated August 31, 2017, has stated firmly that GTT should be ordered to return the money it would have collected from applying increased rates for landline calls… more
GTT CEO promises reduced fault reports with new fibre optic cable
Guyana – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), Justin Nedd has said that the implementation of its new fibre optic cable will reduce the amount of fault reports received by the company… more
Flow Supports Markets Impacted By Hurricane Irma And Begins Preparations for Hurricane Jose
Regional – Hurricane Irma – the most powerful Hurricane to form in the Atlantic in over ten years – has left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean and is on track to make landfall in Florida as a Category 4 over the weekend… more
Sunday, 10 September 2017
BTC: network fared well
Bahamas – BTC advises that its network has been resilient and has fared well during the passage of Hurricane Irma… more
Education ministry sets up ICT steering committee
Jamaica – The education, youth and information ministry has established a steering committee to examine and develop an information and communications technology (ICT) plan for the education sector… more
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