A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 30 July to Sunday 5 August 2018.
Monday, 30 July 2018
Bahamas government to launch blockchain committee in Sept.
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 last week… more
Bahamas Unblocks Education Qualifications With Blockchain
Bahamas– The Bahamas has become the first country in the Caribbean and Latin American region to implement a national credentialing system using blockchain technology… more
Govt calls for Small Business Centre website
Bahamas– The government has called for proposals to build a website for its Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) and, in the request for proposals (RFP) document, has outlined the pillars of the government’s proposed micro-, small- and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) policy framework… more
The Bahamas releases national platform for digital certificates using blockchain technology
Bahamas– The Bahamas is the first country in the Caribbean and Latin America to implement a national credentialing system using blockchain technology… more
BVI: Digicel, DDM launches emergency alert app
British Virgin Islands– A mobile application that will allow smart device users to receive real-time alerts when a disaster/hazard will affect the territory has been launched… more
Digicel aims for LTE in more places
Jamaica – As part of its mission to drive 100 per cent 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
UWI Helping To Engineer The Region’s Future
Regional– Thirty-one students from the University of the West Indies (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 UWI and its strategic partner, the Global Institute of Software Technology (GIST)… more
TSTT suffers sharp decline in profits
Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunications Service of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) has recorded an after tax profit of $8.5 million, a near 80 percent drop in profits when compared to 2017… more
Tuesday, 31 July 2018
Airbnb Bookings Soar 37% In June
Bahamas – Airbnb bookings in the Bahamas soared by 37.3 percent for June 2018, with occupancy rates exceeding comparable hotel listings as the sector’s popularity continued to grow… more
RCIPS warns of lottery scam making the rounds on Facebook
Cayman Islands – The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Financial Crime Unit has advised the public to be aware of a scam that is being circulated through Facebook Messenger and possibly other social media platforms… more
Challenges and Opportunities for Digital Businesses in Guyana, Where Paper is King
Guyana – While consumers in much of the US are enjoying the convenience of digital payments, digital contracts, and digital…well, everything…many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are still 100% operating with paper-based processes… more
FLOW helps FRC
Saint Lucia – SAINT Lucia and the Caribbean’s leading telecommunications service provider added another layer to its long-term support for national culture and patrimony this week… more
NOTICE: Internet degradation
Saint Lucia– Please be advised that due to damaged infrastructure off island, some Flow internet and digital TV users may experience higher than normal congestion and drops in service… more
Prepare for massive job cuts at TSTT, CWU says
Trinidad and Tobago – Claims by Chairman of the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TSTT), Robert Mayers regarding profits made by the company in the past financial year is laying the foundation for massive retrenchment to come… more
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Half of Dominicans ‘very satisfied’ with telecom services
Dominican Republic – Only about half of Dominican Republic users are “very satisfied” with the telecom services provided by operators, according to a poll… more
Telecoms regulator user satisfaction survey
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) carried out a user satisfaction survey on clients of public telecommunications services, with the aim of finding out consumers’ opinions… more
E-Networks blocked from landing submarine cable
Guyana – Cable network provider, E-Networks Inc. has found itself in some trouble with a submarine internet cable that it wants to land… more
E-Networks has no licence to permit laying of subsea cable – ministry
Guyana – Local cable TV company E-Networks appears to have been granted permission by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) to engage in preparatory works for the laying of a subsea cable but the Ministry of Public Telecommunications is maintaining that the company has not been licensed to lay and land a subsea cable system… more
Are you operating within the right domain?
Jamaica – Domain names are defined as the human-friendly forms of i nternet addresses, and are commonly used by companies to promote, market and advertise the company’s website or online store… more
Telemedicine To Ease Healthcare Strain
Jamaica – Describing as “ridiculous” the overcrowding in the accident and emergency (A&E) departments at local hospitals, chief medical officer of MDLink, Dr Che Bowen, is contending that the take-up of telemedicine services can greatly ease the current strain on the healthcare system… more
Thursday, 2 August 2018
New Macbook Pro brings the heat
Regional – I’VE BEEN waiting to replace my Macbook Pro for six years now… more
Digital transformation
Trinidad and Tobago – Cloud computing is transforming the way companies work, allowing them to efficiently and cost-effectively scale up or scale down services as needed… more
IT companies launch Cloud Emancipation Day
Trinidad and Tobago – Digital transformation has created a surge in Cloud adoption as organisations seek the benefits of new technologies such as mobile, social and big data… more
Friday, 3 August 2018
APUA employees threaten to take industrial action
Antigua and Barbuda– Workers at the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) have warned the management of the statutory corporation that they will take industrial action if a dispute over salary negotiations is not resolved today… more
Central Bank releases EOI for digital currency
Bahamas – The Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBOB) is searching for a qualified company to produce technology that would be able to house a Central Bank-issued digital currency system… more
Diginet, one year later
Belize– The internet has transformed the way in which business is done and it has turned the world into a global village… more
SMART Technology – Can it withstand the test of time?
Belize– Six years ago, Marine Protected Areas managers in Belize tested and gave the nod of approval for use of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, SMART in our country… more
Cabinet approves mobile number portability
Dominica – Minister responsible for Information, Science, Telecommunications and Technology Kelver Darroux revealed that Cabinet has approved mobile number portability for Dominica… more
Digicel wins bid to provide telecommunications service to G’ovt
Dominica – The bidding process for the provision of telecommunications service to the government of Dominica has been won by Digicel… more
Big Data Boosts Tourism
Regional – The era of the travel agent is all but over. Today’s tourist is more likely to select his destination based on something she read on Facebook or a photo he liked on Instagram… more
Caribbean Builds Resilience Through Enhanced Data Collection
Regional – By the end of September 2018, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) would have installed the last of five new data buoys in the Eastern Caribbean, extending the regional Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) network as it continues to build resilience to climate change in the Caribbean… more
Meet Digicel’s new CEO
Trinidad and Tobago – Russian national, Jabbor Kayumov is Digicel Trinidad and Tobago’s new chief executive officer… more
Saturday, 4 August 2018
Digicell apologizes for SMS issue
Belize– Many Digicell users took to social media to rant about not being able to use their SMS/ text service today… more
Digicell text services restored
Belize– Earlier today, Digicell users were not able to send or receive SMS/ text messages… more
Sunday, 5 August 2018
Telephone lines at Oistins Police Station out of order
Barbados– The main telephone lines at the Oistins Police Station are currently out of order… more
La Parfaite Harmonie Blazing with GTT
Guyana – Blaze technology is the most anticipated internet service in Guyana… more
History or Here We Go Again?
Regional– Recent months have seen Washington DC the subject of intense political attention domestically in the United States and around the world…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
Image credits: GotCredit (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
