A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 30 April to Sunday 6 May 2018.
Monday, 30 April 2018
Minister Dames: New Bill Needed to Meet Current Communications Technology
Bahamas – Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames, noted, on April 25, 2018, that the Interception of Communications Act of 1969, applicable to old technologies, was limited to only antiquated forms of communication… more
Flow opens new City store
Barbados – Flow customers will now have an enhanced experience when conducting business in The City… more
PHOTOS: Digicel Barbados connecting LTE network islandwide
Barbados – Digicel took its celebrations to the north of the island recenlty, with a motorcade and after party… more
Section 18 of the Cybercrime Bill does not restrict criticisms of the government
Guyana – We are getting ahead of ourselves in the debate over Section 18 of the Cybercrime Bill. It seems that most of those persons who are up in arms (no pun intended) over this Bill have not read Section 18 in its entirety… more
Sedition clause was inserted by Govt. – Former AG Anil Nandlall
Guyana– “Sedition has been abolished in England and no one has been charged for sedition for nearly 130 years prior to its abolition… more
Western Union online platform now live in Jamaica
Jamaica– Western Union’s digital money transfer platform, is now live in Jamaica. This marks Western Union and GraceKennedy Money Services (GKMS) pioneering 24/7 online money transfer services in the Caribbean… more
Women test digital skills to mark Girls in ICT Day
Jamaica – Dozens of girls and young women from across Jamaica came together to test their digital skills as they marked the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Girls in ICT Day on 26 April… more
ICT future in good hands
Trinidad and Tobago – THE first leg of the Telecommunications Authority’s (TATT) forum on Girls in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), saw over 60 girls from secondary schools in and around San Juan and Laventille attending an interactive symposium on information technology at the authority’s Eighth Avenue, Barataria headquarters… more
Tuesday, 1 May 2018
Blockchain expert Ken Bodnar returns to Armour Expo
Cayman Islands – Ken Bodnar, principal consultant at Blockchain Associates, will deliver the keynote presentation at the Armour Expo 2018 on Sept. 12 at the Marriott Beach Resort… more
E-Government infrastructure to be managed by local engineers
Guyana – The National Data Management Authority is conducting a series of training and capacity building exercises in keeping with its long-term goal of having the Government’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure managed exclusively by an experienced pool of local engineers… more
Girls discuss careers in ICT
Jamaica – FEMALE students from selected schools in the Corporate Area last Thursday participated in activities to mark Girls in ICT Day 2018… more
Jamaica third largest Internet user base in the Caribbean
Jamaica – With more than half of Jamaica’s population having access to the Internet, the country is currently the third largest Internet user base in the Caribbean — a position which Sales Enablement Manager at Google Daniel O’Hara is urging Jamaican businesses to capitalise on…more
Beware tech-addiction in children
Trinidad and Tobago – A PUNDIT and educator is warning parents to be on the lookout for danger signs of technology addiction in children, especially “NoMo phobia,” which in extreme cases can lead to irrational and violent behaviour… more
MATT: More talks needed on Cyber Crime Bill
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Media Association (MATT) says this country’s five-place drop in the World Press Freedom Index is a reminder of how essential press freedom is, and again called for more consultations on the Cyber Crime Bill… more
Putting an edge to cloud computing
Trinidad and Tobago – European multinational corporation, Schneider Electric, has launched Edge computing technology in Trinidad and Tobago. Referred to as the evolution of cloud computing, edge computing basically allows massive amounts of data to be processed closer to the source of the data (hence the term edge) instead of sending that data to a cloud server or central data centre for processing… more
Wednesday, 2 May 2018
Mobile Data Usage Up 30% Pts In 2017
Bahamas – Mobile broadband penetration jumped by 30 percentage points inside one year, it was revealed yesterday, with four out of every five Bahamians using the product by year-end 2017… more
Telecom agency to auction off US$30.0M bandwidth
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Telecom Institute (Indotel) starts Wed. the final phase of the tender for 30 megahertz of the radio spectrum, for use by telecommunication service providers… more
Jamaica Broilers installs modern IT infrastructure in three markets
Jamaica – Future-focused Jamaican IT leaders – such as chief technology officers (CTOs) and chief information officers (CIOs) – are looking to Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) to design the modern data centre for their companies… more
RJRGleaner group partners with E-Commerce company
Jamaica – The RJRGLEANER Communications Group has signed an agreement to acquire a significant stake in the popular e-commerce platform Gustazos Jamaica… more
Caribbean policymakers to discuss data privacy at regional Internet Governance Forum
Regional – Data privacy will be among the items topping the agenda at an upcoming Caribbean Internet Governance Forum to be held by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in Suriname this month… more
Briefing | Blockchain Technology Can Improve The Efficiency Of The Micro Stock Market
Regional – Last year, it was proposed that the Government assist the stock exchange to develop a stock platform for micro, small and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs), which would enable them to source equity funding needed to expand and to benefit from economies of scale… more
Create and innovate in technology
Trinidad and Tobago – RIA KARIM, the brains behind mobile app D’Junction, is encouraging women to be creative and innovative in the ever expanding field of technology… more
Thursday, 3 May 2018
Bahamas central bank upgrades IT to defend against cyber risk
Bahamas– The Central Bank of Bahamas made upgrades to its security and threat management capabilities in 2017, to ensure its IT systems would be able to withstand a cyber attack… more
New tech company to hire 50 in Grand Bahama
Bahamas– Minister of State for Grand Bahama in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator the Hon. J. Kwasi Thompson, on Thursday, May 3, welcomed GIBC Digital, a new company to the island, and their contribution to making the island the technology hub of the region… more
AFC will not support sedition clause in Cybercrime Bill – Trotman
Guyana – Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman said the party’s Parliamentarians are prepared to vote against the sedition clause if it remains part of the Cybercrime Bill when it is returned to Parliament for passage… more
RISE rejects section 18 of the Cybercrime Bill in its entirety
Guyana – Dear Editor, If social media and the letters section of the free press is anything to go by Guyanese have no desire to be silenced… more
Youth Can Do IT launches mentorship program for girls in technology
Jamaica – It really was a case of “Who Run the World? GIRLS!” when Youth Can Do I.T. (YCDI) launched its inaugural Women in IT Mentorship Program last week, in partnership with Seprod Foundation… more
Technology The Only Way To Fight Crime
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: The murder tally continues to rise for one reason: the perpetrators know that they can get away with it because of two reasons: no one is willing to talk to the police and no one is willing to give ‘I see you’ evidence in court… more
Caribbean Business – 5 Caribbean Nations With The Most Internet Users
Regional – Which Caribbean nations have the most Internet users? Here are the Top 5 as of the latest data available… more
Data Privacy Tops Caribbean Internet Governance Agenda
Regional – Data privacy will be among the items topping the agenda at the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum to be held by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) in Suriname this month… more
Google eyes Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen digital capacity
Trinidad and Tobago – Camille Robinson-Regis, Minister of Planning and Development announced on Wednesday that the Latin America and the Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC) and Google have selected Trinidad and Tobago as one of three countries to kick off training initiatives aimed at strengthening digital capabilities in the region… more
The 4th industrial revolution
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri) in collaboration with the Centre for Enterprise Development created a space for discussion on how TT can be an active part of what is known as the 4th industrial revolution… more
Friday, 4 May 2018
Interventions coming to tackle cyber bullying
Barbados – The Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development will be rolling out a new initiative to tackle cyber bullying and cyber abuse and their negative impacts on children… more
Belize to Host Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum
Belize – Belize will host the fourth Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum, known as CarPIF, on June 13 and 14… more
Viva only bidder for Dominican Republic AWS spectrum
Dominican Republic – Viva Dominica was the only bidder for a 30MHz block of spectrum in the 1700-2100MHz (AWS) band auctioned by the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), reports news website Servicios Informativos Nacionales… more
AFC divided on contentious Cybercrime Bill
Guyana – The Alliance For Change (AFC) appears to have divided positions on the Cybercrime Bill… more
Computerised system to enhance security of police records – Crime Chief
Guyana– Although its storage capacity may not currently be the most modernized, the Guyana Police Force [GPF] is an entity that has been known to keep its case records well secured… more
GCCI joins chorus against sedition clause in Cybercrime Bill
Guyana – The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) has joined the growing list of groups and individuals who oppose the inclusion of the sedition clause in the Cybercrime Bill (2016) which is currently before the National Assembly… more
Special Report reveals…Govt. agencies face major challenge in adopting electronic means for payments
Guyana – Government agencies and quasi-government entities face significant challenges in their efforts to adopt electronic means to disburse and collect payments… more
NCB Backs Women in Technology with Girls in ICT Day Sponsorship
Jamaica– Jamaica’s largest financial institution, National Commercial Bank (NCB) Jamaica Limited, was one of the platinum sponsors of the 2018 Girls in Information Communication Technology (ICT) Day Hackathon held at the UWI Mona Visitors’ Lodge in St. Andrew, on Thursday, April 26… more
Freedom of Informational Bill receives second reading in National Assembly
Saint Kitts and Nevis– The Freedom of Information Bill, a bill to promote maximum disclosure of information in the public interest, to guarantee the right of everyone to access to information, to provide for effective mechanisms to secure that right and for related matters, was presented for the second time in the Honourable House May 3… more
St. Kitts and Nevis’ legislators pass Data Protection Bill 2018
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Just hours after the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill 2018, the Data Protection Bill 2018 passed May 4 to promote the protection of personal data processed by public and private bodies… more
Flow Launches Prepaid Star Plan For Young Users
Saint Lucia – The latest prepaid combo offer from Saint Lucia and the Caribbean’s leading telecommunications service provider is a perfect fit for students and individuals just entering the world of work… more
FLOW celebrates International Girls In ICT
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – PROMOTING WOMEN’S growth as well as emphasizing the importance of diversity in the ICT sector in SVG, Telecommunications company Flow on Thursday, April 26, celebrated International Girls In ICT Day… more
Saturday, 5 May 2018
ARIN and Antigua & Barbuda Government to Hold Workshop on Internet Resilience
Antigua and Barbuda – The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) is collaborating with the government of Antigua and Barbuda to strengthen the technical capacity of local network operators… more
Gov’t earmarks US$950m for BPO and tourism projects
Jamaica – Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Audley Shaw says approximately US$950 million in capital expenditure has been earmarked for business process outsourcing (BPO) and tourism projects, through Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), for the 2018/19 fiscal year… more
Sunday, 6 May 2018
Judith Forbes | Are Millennials Suffering From Cyber Addiction?
Jamaica – In the book Connecting to the Net. Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today’s Students, a survey of 7,705 college students in the United States revealed the following… more
NCB invests in Girls in ICT Hackathon to seek tech talent
Jamaica – As it builds out its technology edge, the largest and most profitable bank on the island now invests in the idea of girls as a force in information technology. National Commercial Bank (NCB) Jamaica Ltd, was one of the platinum sponsors of the 2018 Girls in Information Communication Technology (ICT) Day Hackathon held at The UWI Mona Visitors’ Lodge and Conference Centre in St Andrew, on Thursday, April 26… more
Image credits: carterse (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
