A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 23 July to Sunday 29 July 2018.
Monday, 23 July 2018
BTB Digital Marketing Summit 2018
Belize – On Friday July 13th, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) held its annual 4th Digital Marketing Summit at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City… more
OfReg’s 2018 budget is larger than last year’s
Cayman Islands – The Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, budgeted roughly $5.6 million in operating expenses for 2018, which is some $1 million more than the regulator spent last year… more
Cybercrime Bill toughens fight against sexual predators
Guyana – The Cybercrime Bill of 2016 which was passed in the National Assembly on Friday is just the beginning of Guyana’s battle against criminals operating in cyberspace… more
Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Pay taxes or leave, Antigua-Barbuda PM tells telecommunications firms
Antigua and Barbuda – Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister (PM) Gaston Browne gave notice to telecommunications providers Digicel and FLOW that his government would no longer honour tax concession agreements signed by the former United Progressive Party (UPP) administration… more
Leach: Bahamas must pioneer cryptocurrency exchanges framework
Bahamas – The Bahamas has to be the first to pioneer and pilot a palatable framework for cryptocurrency exchanges in order to leap ahead of the global market… more
BTL requesting shareholders to update contact information
Belize – The Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) is informing all shareholders that they are currently updating all contact information contained in the BTL Registry of Shareholders… more
Digital financial services bank launches in British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands – Last week, the British Virgin Islands held a grand opening for the Bank of Asia, an institution that offers banking services to the territory’s roughly 200,000 BVI-registered businesses with ties to Asia…more
Cayman Islands: Structuring Crypto-Focused Investment Funds And Token Issuance Vehicles
Cayman Islands – A significant number of crypto-focused private investment funds have launched during the first half of 2018, with investment managers continuing to structure many of these through the Cayman Islands… more
Cayman tech company to launch securitized coin offering
Cayman Islands – The Cayman-based tech company Ronco Metrics announced on Tuesday that it has been awarded a contract to launch an asset-backed securitized token offering for an international shipping company based in Greece… more
OfReg aims to be self-sufficient
Cayman Islands – The new Cayman Islands utilities regulator has received a cash injection from government coffers to help with the goal of the relatively new watchdog to train staff and eventually become a self-funding body committed to ensuring the safe and fair provision of power, water, communication and fuel… more
Future proofing the Caribbean
Regional – If like me, you listen regularly to the BBC World Service, you may have heard a recent item about an extraordinary leap forward in technology, which, over time, could lead to clothes and even shoes being produced using a domestic 3D printer… more
Yello Media and CPL partner to push Caribbean cricket into the digital age
Regional – Yello Media, the Caribbean’s foremost digital and print advertiser, and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have announced the formation of a new partnership designed to create community support, commerce, and engagement through cricket… more
Wednesday, 25 July 2018
C&W sponsors BVI FinTech conference
British Virgin Islands – Cable & Wireless (C&W) Business partnered with BVI Finance to host the first British Virgin Islands FinTech Immersion Conference that attracted some 150 participants comprised of students, along with public and private sector stakeholders… more
Electronic platform for CARICOM exporters unveiled
Guyana – A CARICOM Market Access Facilitation System – the Caribbean Exporter Gateway – has come on stream for regional exporters… more
eGov Jamaica testing electronic verification system for NIDS
Jamaica – Work is advanced in developing the technology architecture that will be utilised for the electronic verification of people under the National Identification System (NIDS)… more
Wheatley, US’s FCC Chairman Hold Talks On Jamaica’s ICT Sector
Jamaica– Minister of Science and Technology Dr Andrew Wheatley this week met with the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai during the ongoing CANTO 34th Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition in Panama City, Panama… more
FCC Chairman calls for more digital opportunities for Caribbean people
Regional – The chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is calling on Caribbean stakeholders to work together to advance the development of the Internet so that the region is not left on the wrong side of the digital divide… more
Drone used in recovery of stolen Gov’t vehicle
Trinidad and Tobago – With the used of drone technology deployed by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s Air Support Unit, officers successfully recovered a Ministry of Works and Transport vehicle which was reported stolen on Monday… more
So … who wants to be a billionaire?
Trinidad and Tobago – SHELDON O POWELL wants you to make money as an investor… more
TSTT profits collapse 79%
Trinidad and Tobago – MAJORITY State-owned telecommunications provider, TSTT, yesterday reported an audited 79.5 per cent decline in its after-tax profits for the year ending March 31, 2018, with the company’s chairman describing employee costs as its “greatest challenge… more
Thursday, 26 July 2018
Aliv staff attends 34th annual CANTO Conference
Bahamas – Aliv is committed to continued education and the professional development and training of its staff; as a result, it sent a team of five women, led by Chief Aliv Commercial Officer Gravette Brown, to the 34th annual CANTO Conference and Trade Exhibition held in Panama… more
Barbados Telecoms Company Drowning in Debt
Barbados – Barbados’ newest telecommunications provider has revealed it is sending home 80 per cent of its workforce and will suspend all debt payments in a bid to survive a multi-million-dollar debt… more
McBean Defends Decision To Shut Out Warren At Spectrum Agency
Jamaica – Former managing director of Spectrum Management Limited (SMA) Dr David McBean resisted attempts by chairman of the entity, Trevor Forrest, to belatedly insert Carolyn Warren on a shortlist of persons to be interviewed for the position of manager – administration in 2016… more
Caribbean Elections in the Age of Cambridge Analytica: SCL, Cambridge Analytica’s Caribbean History
Regional – These revelations — by well-placed persons definitely in the know — clearly show that SCL has been active in the Caribbean for longer than earlier thought… more
FCC Chairman speaks on closing the Digital Divide at CANTO 2018
Regional – The CANTO conference and exhibition was held in Panama City, Panama from 22nd to 25th July 2018. The Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai provided the feature address at the opening ceremony… more
How Piedata is cracking the Caribbean code
Regional – Four years ago, a group called Piedata came together with CANTO, a trade association of Caribbean telecommunications service providers, to hold a hackathon… more
Liberty Latin America, C&W’s parent company reaffirms commitment to the Caribbean region
Regional – The CEO of the recently established Liberty Latin America, Balan Nair, and CEO of its subsidiary company, Cable & Wireless Communications (C&W), Inge Smidts, underscored their continued commitment to drive the region’s technological advancement so that the Caribbean can firmly take its place at the forefront of today’s digital revolution… more
InvesTT welcomes Hacker Hostel to Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – Software Design and Development took centre stage on Thursday at the Hacker Hostel Demo Day 2018, with live demonstrations of locally developed software solutions… more
Friday, 27 July 2018
Government to launch blockchain committee in September
Bahamas – The first meeting of a steering committee to plot the future of blockchain technology for The Bahamas is set to take place in early September, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said yesterday… more
Flow rolls out advanced mobile technology in Dominica
Dominica – The infrastructure has been laid out, the testing is completed, and as promised, the roll-out of the most advanced 4G LTE mobile network in Dominica has commenced… more
New cybercrime offences contradict whistleblower protections
Guyana – The Cybercrime Bill, which was passed last week by the National Assembly, negates the benefits and protections which were granted to citizens by the law to protect whistleblowers, according to attorney and opposition parliamentarian Priya Manickchand… more
Digicel spearheads 100% internet penetration with LTE in more places
Jamaica – Kingston, Jamaica: As part of its mission to drive 100% internet penetration in Jamaica, Digicel is connecting communities across Jamaica to the very latest LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile internet technology as it rolls out the service into the deeper reaches of rural Jamaica… more
JUTC Wi-Fi Pilot Has Passengers Smiling Already
Jamaica – Some Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) passengers in the Corporate Area have started to enjoy free Wi-Fi service on four of the state-run buses… more
New Information System To Improve Service At UHWI
Jamaica – Pointing to rapid technological advances globally, Professor Archibald McDonald, principal of the University of the West Indies, Mona, expects that the new Hospital Information Management Systems (HIMS) will transform the operations and service delivery of the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI)… more
Opposition Wants Spectrum Agency Chairman Trevor Forrest Removed
Jamaica – Opposition Spokesman on Science and Technology Julian Robinson says the position of the Chairman of the Spectrum Management Authority Trevor Forrest is untenable and he should resign or be relieved of his position with immediate effect… more
The UWI Helping to Engineer the Region’s Future
Regional – Thirty-one students from The University of the West Indies (The UWI) are expected to leave for China this September to continue their studies in Software Engineering with a focus on mobile application technologies for both Android and iOS, thanks to a specialised four-year degree programme being offered by The UWI and its strategic partner, the Global Institute of Software Technology (GIST)… more
Saturday, 28 July 2018
Could Community Networks Strengthen the Caribbean Internet?
Regional– By some estimates, only 3.58 billion people have Internet access, leaving more than half the global population facing a sizeable competitive disadvantage… more
Sunday, 29 July 2018
ICT developments highlighted as Region Three’s top NGSA performers are awarded
Guyana – There have been some significant developments in Information and Communication Technology [ICT] in Region Three [(Essequibo-Islands – West Demerara]… more
Cyber Breaches Down, Profits Up At NCB
Jamaica – NCB Financial Group Limited is reporting that its defences against cyber criminals are more robust, resulting in to a decline in successful hackings attempts of its network and customers… more
Forrest Fires Back – SMA Chairman Rejects Claims That He Was Trying To Get Warren On To Employment Shortlist Through Back Door
Jamaica – Chairman of the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) Trevor Forrest has finally broken his silence on the exchange of emails with Dr David McBean, in which he appeared to be trying to belatedly insert Carolyn Warren on a shortlist of persons to be interviewed for the position of manager – administration, in 2016… more
Forrest: I am not the bad guy
Jamaica – Chairman of Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) Trevor Forrest yesterday responded to calls from the People’s National Party (PNP) for his dismissal, in a release in which he insisted that he was not the “bad guy” being portrayed in the media… more
Economics and social media addiction
Regional – We have seen the European Union impose fines on Google on two separate occasions, one of US$1.7billion for unfairly favouring its own price comparison on is shopping service, depriving rivals of traffic and recently of some US$5billion for abuse of its Android operating system… more
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