A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 18 September 2017 to Sunday 24 September 2017.
Monday, 18 September 2017
ALIV Assists in Aftermath of Hurricane Irma
Bahamas – ALIV, The Bahamas’ newest mobile network, has begun assisting those throughout the county affected by Hurricane Irma… more
BTC launches national text-to-donate campaign
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) will launch a national text-to-donate campaign drive, allowing all Bahamians to participate in fundraising efforts to assist those most affected by Hurricane Irma… more
Dominican Channel Seeks Restoration on DirecTV, U-Verse
Dominican Republic – Televisión Dominicana, as its name suggests a channel targeted to Americans with ties to that country, held a rally in New York Monday to try and get AT&T to put it back on co-owned DirecTV and AT&T’s U-Verse MVPD… more
Efforts moving apace to establish regulatory unit for operating drones
Guyana – The Guyana Cvil Aviation Authority, (GCAA) is moving to establish a regulatory unit for the operations of drones, across the country… more
C&W Communications Joins Relief Effort for Markets Affected by Hurricane Irma
Regional – C&W Communications (C&W) has announced its latest involvement in joining the vast relief effort underway for those impacted by Hurricane Irma, the company said… more
Digicel sends crucial supplies to islands hit by Irma
Trinidad and Tobago – The Digicel team in Trinidad & Tobago is working feverishly to load a 210 ft barge with crucial supplies to send to Caribbean countries severely affected by Hurricane Irma, a release said… more
Tuesday, 19 September 2017
Digicel BVI sites offline to ensure fast recovery after Maria
British Virgin Islands – Communications leader Digicel advised customers, ahead of the passage of Hurricane Maria in the British Virgin Islands, that all its BVI sites would be going offline at 10:00 am on Tuesday, September 19, with the exception of sites in Road Town… more
Digicel’s network in Anguilla, TCI suffers storm damage
Dominica – A significant portion of Digicel’s network in Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in the Caribbean has suffered “extensive damage” after the passage of Hurricane Irma… more
BlackBerry KEYone will be available in the Dominican Republic in the coming weeks!
Dominican Republic – The BlackBerry KEYone continues to make its way into new markets, and this time around, TCL has announced the device will be available in the Dominican Republic in the coming weeks, unlocked for approximately $600 and from local carriers on their competitive plans… more
Flow Launches 4GLTE in Grand Fashion
Saint Lucia – aint Lucia joined other Flow territories in the Caribbean, including Barbados, Cayman, Antigua, St Kitts, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Turks and Caicos, in launching the latest, fastest mobile data – 4GLTE on Thursday evening with a launch event at Flow Saint Lucia’s Bay Walk branch… more
iQor creates 600 local jobs
Trinidad and Tobago – Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) firm iQor has created 600 jobs in Trinidad and Tobago since commencing operations last year… more
Digicel TCI readies for Hurricane Maria
Turks and Caicos Islands – The large contingent of Digicel network restoration teams already on the ground in the Turks and Caicos Islands are now turning their attention towards preparing for the potential threat of Hurricane Maria bearing down on the area over the next couple of days… more
Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Barbadian Alan Emtage inducted into Internet Hall of Fame
Barbados – Alan Emtage has become the first person from Barbados and the Caribbean to be inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame… more
Power play
Barbados – IT’S ALL AT YOU to keep your landline phone up and running during a power outage… more
My Beef With FLOW
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: I reside overseas and pay the family home utility bills for my mother, who is in her 90s. I have been doing this since having left the island not so long ago and was careful to request all service providers – the Jamaica Public Service Company, National Water Commission, and FLOW – to email me their bill each month… more
Cuba, Dominica Top Internet Innovation Awards
Regional – When Dr. Gustavo Cervantes Montero got the good news, he didn’t celebrate, not at first… more
The internet and economic development
Regional – The Internet has revolutionised the way we all work, socialise, create and share information. Despite its growing presence in society, many parts of the Caribbean are not able to make the full use of internet connectivity… more
Thursday, 21 September 2017
Digicel Barbados staff give to hurricane-ravaged neighbours
Barbados – The staff of Digicel Barbados Limited have been touched by the impact of severe weather systems on their Caribbean neighbours and have mobilised to help in whatever way they can… more
Another person arrested for stealing GTT’s cable
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) Thursday said another person was arrested for theft of its cable, this time at a scrap-metal dealer in Albouystown, Georgetown… more
C&W launches charitable foundation
Regional – One of the biggest telecommunications and entertainment providers in the region has launched a charitable foundation to help Caribbean islands impacted by catastrophic hurricanes this season… more
C&W’s reaches out to hurricane-ravaged countries
Regional – Cable & Wireless, the parent company of Flow Barbados, today launched the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation with seed funding of BDS$1 million to help support humanitarian efforts across the region following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria… more
Mobile networks to refund customers calling Mexico and the Caribbean
Regional – Virgin Media, O2, Three, EE and Vodafone have all tweeted their support for those with loved ones in the Caribbean and Mexico affected by Hurricane Maria and the earthquake… more
Court orders cellular dealer to pay $9m debt *
Trinidad and Tobago – LOLLABEE Cellular Ltd, which was up until recently an authorised Digicel dealer, has been ordered by the High Court to clear an almost $9 million debt owed to the telecommunications giant from in-store bill payments, or risk the chance of having its assets seized… more
E-testing only after CXC house is in order
Trinidad and Tobago – THE EDITOR: I commend the Ministry of Education for not running headlong into e-testing, just because CXC is requesting such a step… more
TSTT and e-idcot sign joint venture agreement for data centre in Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – This hurricane season has been the most active in several years, and many Caribbean islands are suffering, in some cases total devastation, as a consequence of growing weather systems… more
Friday, 22 September 2017
C&W ANNOUNCES PARTIAL RESTORATION OF MOBILE NETWORK IN DOMINICA
Dominica – Caribbean telecoms leader Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W) today announced that it has begun the successful restoration of mobile services to Dominica… more
Flow offers free credit in Dominica
Dominica – Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W), the parent company of Flow, says it has begun the successful restoration of mobile services to Dominica and has extended free credit to help mobile customers communicate with family and friends… more
Purchaser of stolen GTT cable held in scrap yard
Guyana – A purchaser of stolen Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) cable was apprehended by law enforcement officers at Pasha’s Scrap Yard in Albouystown on Wednesday night… more
GK Capital Rolls Out First Phase Of BPO Project – Working On Financing For Gas Power Plant, Solar Farm
Jamaica – In June, GraceKennedy Limited commissioned space under a business process outsourcing project that it began working on two years ago in downtown Kingston… more
Flow Saint Lucia Supports Dominica
Saint Lucia – In the past few weeks, the Caribbean region has been rocked by two of the strongest hurricanes ever in this part of the world, striking within days of one another, and visiting still untold devastation on more than half a dozen territories… more
All TelEm Group personnel asked to report for work 9:00 a.m. Monday morning.
Sint Maarten – TelEm Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, is instructing all company personnel to report for work 9.00 a.m. Monday September 25th, to begin the process of normal work routines following the passage of Hurricane Irma and Tropical Storm Maria… more
Poor customer service just the norm in T&T
Trinidad and Tobago – I must vent a little about an ongoing problem with one of our mobile service providers. First to begin with, when you visit their head office to make a complaint, your name is taken and you are asked to wait in an area until a customer care representative calls you…. more
Saturday, 23 September 2017
A broadcaster without a home
Antigua and Barbuda – “I can say I’m homeless,” Pastor Clifton Francois, owner and operator of Barbuda’s lone radio/television outfit Abundant Life Radio and The Barbuda Channel said… more
Businessman, Digicel square off over payments
Trinidad and Tobago – Businessman Sheldon Stephen is assuring telecommunications giant Digicel that they will be paid all outstanding monies owed to them… more
CWU official slams Elias performance
Trinidad and Tobago – Clyde Elder, Secretary General of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) described Emile Elias’s tenure as Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT’s) chairman as “dismal.” … more
Digicel still owed nearly $9M in customer payments by cellular dealer
Trinidad and Tobago – Almost two months following a Trinidad High Court order, Lollabee Cellular Limited is reportedly yet to pay a sum of almost $9 million debt to telecommunication company Digicel… more
After Hurricane Maria, Digicel making full network restoration in TCI
Turks and Caicos Islands – Multiple teams of engineers and technicians are now working across the Turks and Caicos Islands to deliver full restoration of service to Digicel customers following the passage of Hurricane Maria… more
Sunday, 24 September 2017
Advancement of E- Governance project…Three new ICT hubs commissioned in September
Guyana – Efforts by the Ministry of Public Telecommunications to implement components of the E-governance project are moving apace with the launching of at least three Information Communications Technology (ICT) hubs in locations across Guyana… more
Conduent To Hold Invitation-Only Job Fair
Jamaica – Business process outsourcing firm Conduent Jamaica says it needs 300 workers and will be holding a job fair for pre-selected applicants, in a departure from its open-door invitations last year that resulted in the company’s complex being swamped with jobseekers during that recruitment drive… more
Image credits: Megan Trace (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikimedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
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