A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 20 August to Sunday 26 August 2018.
Monday, 20 August 2018
Personal MiFi now becoming more regular to Barbadians, perhaps saving bell for Ozone Wireless?
Barbados – I’m sure many readers are familiar to how Ozone Wireless has not turned out as potent an alternative against Flow or Digicel except in an area probably both thought they cornered… more
Digicel increase network capacity with upgrade of new LTE sites
British Virgin Islands – Digicel, total communications and entertainment provider, is cementing its position as the go-to place for all things data by increasing the network capacity on a number of its newly built LTE sites in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)… more
President assents to Cybercrime Bill
Guyana – President David Granger has assented to the Cybercrime Bill.
The President gave his assent to the Bill on August 13, 2018 making it law, according to a publication in the Official Gazette… more
Yaneek Page | Earning Online: Inspiring Jamaican Success Stories
Jamaica – Last week, I received an interesting message from a young woman on Twitter, which, to my amazement and absolute joy, would trigger a string of inspiring success stories from social media from Jamaicans earning online… more
Regional Data Security Conference for Jamaica
Regional– With the reigns tightening on big technology companies and countries to address security and privacy concerns on massive data breaches, the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica, AMCHAM Jamaica, in partnership with member company e-Biz ProTrain will, be hosting its first ‘Regional Data Security Conference’ under the theme: ‘Your Data Your Rights — What Individuals and Companies should know… more
Tuesday, 21 August 2018
FLOW opens Super Store state-of-the-art retail outlet
Anguilla – FLOW’s Country Manager, Desmond Byron welcomed invited guests to the official opening of its retail customer service Super Store on Monday, August 20… more
BTC Revenue Revival After 10k Client Loss
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) owner is targeting a 2018 second half turnaround for its slumping top line, after it lost another 10,400 mobile customers due to “competitive intensity”… more
NTRC releases results of mobile service customer satisfaction survey
Dominica – The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) has finalized the compilation and analysis of the data collected during the first external mobile service customer satisfaction survey… more
Telecoms liberalisation in govt’s court- GTT’s CEO ; US$5 million set aside for tax dispute
Guyana– The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) on Tuesday said it was ready to end its contractual monopoly on international voice and data, a move it hoped would end the discriminatory corporate tax law that sees it paying 45 percent and competitors 17.5 percent less… more
Jamaica Tourist Board Developing New Website
Jamaica – The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is developing a new and fully integrated website as part of efforts to fulfil the needs of emerging tourism market sources globally…more
An ICT strategy to diversify economy
Trinidad and Tobago – THE EDITOR: With crude oil approaching US$70 a barrel, a price last seen in late 2014 and the recent slippage in the innovation index, local economists are advising TT to diversify its economy as it may risk contracting the “Dutch disease syndrome… more
Wednesday, 22 August 2018
Call centre closure hits small business owners in the pocket
Antigua and Barbuda – Business operators along the Sir George Walter Highway in the vicinity of Coolidge are reportedly feeling the negative financial impact of the closure of ALORICA… more
Open Government Ecosystem; Will It Happen for Belize?
Belize – The Open Government Ecosystem in Belize is a system that encourages direct and constant communication between governments and citizens so as to promote transparency and democracy… more
ISACA Organizes Its Annual IT Conference
Curaçao – The IT platform ISACA Curaçao Chapter is organizing its annual conference on 4 and 5 September 2018 entitled ‘Mastering digital transformation-Building a Robust Future’ at the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten… more
Cybercrime law in effect, but State Prosecutors still untrained
Guyana – With the cybercrime legislation in effect, training for law enforcement personnel is integral to ensuring that there is capacity to prosecute perpetrators of online crimes… more
GTT reports faults down to 2% in first half of year
Guyana – For the first half of the year, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has been able to keep 98% of its connections to landline and DSL services working at any given time, Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd said yesterday… more
BPO Rebuke Over ‘Low-Paying’ Jobs – Major Player Rubbishes Byles’ Claims
Jamaica – Stakeholders in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector are in agreement with businessman Richard Byles that more should be done to achieve greater economic growth, but has rubbished the notion that outsourcing only offers low paying jobs to Jamaicans… more
Give Me Back My Money, Digicel
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: On August 17 at 10:28 p.m., I activated the plan to watch the Caribbean T20 cricket league on my old, perfectly functioning Note5 at a cost of $1,350. Digicel took the money, and sent me a message that the app does not work on jailbreak device! … more
ICT Council chair says data protection legislation crucial for investors
Jamaica – CHAIRMAN of the National ICT Advisory Council Trevor Forrest says stakeholders must be mindful that effective data protection legislation is one of the factors which will help influence foreign investors about where to put their money… more
Jamaica Customs encourages online feedback
Jamaica – The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) is encouraging its customers to utilise its Customer Relationship and Feedback Form (CRFF) online platform. The form can be accessed at: www.jacustoms.gov.jm… more
Puerto Rican IT Provider Invid Expands into Virginia and Florida
Puerto Rico – Puerto Rican IT services company Invid has expanded to the United States, opening two delivery centers simultaneously in Arlington, Virginia and Miami, Florida… more
Thursday, 23 August 2018
50 JITNEYS TO BE WI-FI COMPATIBLE
Bahamas – The Bahamas Unified Bus Drivers Union found an innovative solution to bridging the digital divide between the country and the twenty-first century by equipping at least 50 public buses with free wi-fi by the end of the week… more
‘App’solutely amazing
Barbados – The Community Development Department believes the ITS For Teens programme can help provide some of the talents and skills needed to combat several of the ills hindering Barbados’ development… more
Guyana: GTT employees record high mercury levels; Public Health Ministry to meet with company
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), whose headquarters are located near the old Guyana Gold Board (GGB) location, says an undisclosed number of its employees have been tested with high levels of mercury, a problem that the Ministry of Public Health has since been called in to address… more
Lab tests reveal high mercury levels in some GTT employees
Guyana – Alarming levels of mercury have been detected in blood samples of a number of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) employees… more
We are not involved in tax evasion – GTT’s CEO
Guyana – US-owned Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has denied using ingenious accounting to evade taxes in Guyana… more
Digicel: 40 nouveaux kiosques Mon Cash inaugurés à Canaan
Haiti – La Digicel, de concert avec plusieurs partenaires dont l’USAID et la Croix rouge Américaine, a inauguré ce jeudi 23 août 2018 quarante (40) kiosques Mon Cash dans le quartier de Canaan… more
Friday, 24 August 2018
B.T.L. is Expanding Services, but even to Cable TV?
Belize – With the upgrade of its infrastructure and network, B.T.L. is also looking at becoming a cable service provider… more
BTL rebrands
Belize – Belize Telemedia Ltd. is undergoing a rebranding exercise. The launch of the rebranding of the company’s services is being done under the new name Digi. CEO Rochus Schreiber spoke of the new strategy… more
Ed ministry chief moves to OfReg
Cayman Islands – The government has added a new senior position to the Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) and is transferring the chief officer of the education ministry, Christen Suckoo, to the new post… more
Cubans Get Early Taste Of Mobile Internet In System Test
Cuba – One of the world’s least-wired countries was a little more connected on Wednesday… more
Digicel Refunds PlayGo Customer
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: Digicel writes in response to a complaint from customer Erica Virtue that was published in The Gleaner on Wednesday, August 22, 2018, titled ‘Give me back my money, Digicel’… more
FLOW Regrets Service Disruption
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Sir: We write in response to a letter to the editor titled ‘FLOW is a disaster’ and published in your newspaper on August 18, 2018… more
21st Century Government and other activities for ICT – St Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The United Nation’s 2016 e-Government Development Index (EGDI) survey offers a snapshot of trends in the development of e-Government in countries across the globe… more
Flow Continues Support Of The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) MyApp Program
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Telecommunications company Flow continues to extend unwavering support towards the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) MyApp programme… more
TelEm maintenance work on Sat. to affect Cay Hill clients
Sint Maarten – TelEm Group technicians will be carrying out maintenance work on a telecommunication cabinet in the Cay Hill area this Saturday affecting a number of roads in that area… more
Saturday, 25 August 2018
AMCHAM Jamaica to host Regional Data Security Conference
Jamaica – Some of the leading experts dealing in cybersecurity and data and privacy are among a diverse set of speakers, who will be expounding the topic at the Regional Data Security Conference, which is being hosted for the first time by AMCHAM Jamaica and member company, e-Biz ProTrain… more
Operators: BPO Industry Employs Many High-Level Professionals
Jamaica – Leading operators in local outsourcing claim that the remuneration being offered to its Jamaican workers is comparable to or betters any of the other industries in Jamaica… more
Sunday, 26 August 2018
Why GTT has to get better
Guyana – The world of communications has changed so rapidly. The older folks will tell you of a time using the telephone of a neighbour or someone in the village to make an overseas call. Very few people had landlines back in the 1980s… more
Image credits: Bernard Goldbach (flickr); The Eleutheran; The West Indian News; Belize Web
