A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 25 March to Sunday 31 March 2019.
Monday, 25 March 2019
Police investigating “suspicious death” of BTC technician
Bahamas – Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an adult male whose body was discovered on Thursday, March 21, 2019… more
Cayman Islands: A Brave New Crypto World
Cayman Islands – Blockchain technology. has provided us with new creative opportunities… more
World Bank blockchain pilot sows fresh narrative for Haiti’s farmers
Haiti – AgriLedger, an agricultural-focused blockchain systems provider, is working on a World Bank-backed pilot that offers end-to-end full traceability through their platform to enable transparency along the value chain… more
Mandatory 10-digit dialling for all local calls begins on March 31
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) had extended the period of permissive dialling by five (5) months to March 30, 2019, after receiving requests for an extension from service providers and some of their large business customers, to address challenges relating to systems employing machine-to-machine communications and PBX telephone systems… more
Jet Blue adds wifi to Caribbean flights as upgraded planes roll out
Regional – Caribbean travelers on Jet Blue will soon be able to enjoy the airline’s recent upgrades which include free wifi connectivity… more
Hackathon to the rescue
Trinidad and Tobago – THE National Information and Communication Technology Company, iGovTT, has mounted a unique competitive event among tertiary level students, tagged HackTT, to address ICT challenges and needs faced by government ministries, divisions and agencies… more
INTERNET USERS URGED TO DESIST FROM ONLINE HARASSMENT
Trinidad and Tobago – The Cyber Crime Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) wishes to advise members of the public against engaging in conduct which could be defined as ‘online harassment’, as such actions are not only unlawful, but also causes great distress to the victims of such incidents… more
Samsung launches Galaxy S10 in Sando
Trinidad and Tobago – A year after the Samsung Galaxy S9 phone was released, Samsung has raised the stakes with its latest phone the Samsung Galaxy S10… more
Tuesday, 26 March 2019
Bahamas Urged: ‘Seize’ Blockchain Opportunity
Bahamas – BLOCKCHAIN and crypto currency assets have the potential to revolutionise “the way we do business”, a local advocate said yesterday, urging The Bahamas to “seize the opportunity”… more
2019 Future Of Belize Telecommunications Market-Trends, Outlook and Growth Opportunities of Mobile, Fixed Landline and Broadband Markets
Belize – The future value proposition for telecommunications market in Belize to 2025 is detailed in the report… more
Technology M&A in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic – What are the key laws and regulations implicated in technology M&A transactions that may not be relevant to other types of M&A transactions? Are there particular government approvals required, and how are those addressed in the definitive documentation… more
GTT sets up oil and gas “big data” unit
Guyana – Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has established an oil and gas unit that is serving oil companies in the secure transmission of data through its submarine fibre optic cable, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd said… more
Growth & Jobs | Tech Talent Solves Insurance Challenge
Jamaica – Okari Banton might not look like one, but the software developer at JN General Insurance Company (JNGI) is a revolutionary… more
C&W expands capabilities in Dutch Caribbean through combination with UTS
Regional – Cable & Wireless Communications’ (“C&W”) parent company, Liberty Latin America Ltd. (LLA), today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with the Government of Curaçao to acquire 87.5% of United Telecommunication Services (UTS) which provides video, broadband, fixed-line telephony and mobile LTE services to both residential and business customers across the island nations of Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Bonaire, St. Barths, St. Eustatius and Saba… more
Wednesday, 27 March 2019
Daktronics wins its first LED display contract in Bahamas
Bahamas – Fusion Superplex is a 1000,000 sq ft, $42 million dollar entertainment facility in the Bahamas, founded by Bahamians and invested in by Bahamians, offering entertainment options never before seen in the country… more
Caricel provides free 4G LTE service to seven schools
Jamaica – Caricel Jamaica is making a contribution to nation-building by providing its 4G LTE services to five schools in the corporate area and two in St Catherine… more
Phone Scam Culprit Still at Large
Saint Lucia – A local businessman is speaking out after a wave of distress mobile calls from a local impersonator threatened his personal and professional life… more
BPTT opens IT doors for Carenage seniors
Trinidad and Tobago – THIRTY senior citizens from northwest Trinidad were given an exciting introduction to information technology through an intensive five-day workshop at the Carenage Homework Centre. Sponsored by BPTT, the workshop covered the fundamentals of computer literacy… more
Thursday, 28 March 2019
Digital Building Plan Submission To Come In 2019
Bahamas – A Cabinet minister yesterday pledged that the electronic submission and approval of building plans “will happen this year” once the necessary funding is in place… more
Work Visa Reform To ‘Jumpstart’ Tech Hub
Bahamas – Immigration reforms tabled by the government in parliament yesterday were hailed as “a way to jumpstart” ambitions for Grand Bahama to become a “technology hub”… more
Senators Clash over B.T.L.’s Investments
Belize – During his budget presentation, Private Sector Senate Mark Lizarraga touched on Belize Telemedia Limited and Belize Electricity Limited, both companies nationalized by the government… more
Cuba, Google move to improve island’s connectivity
Cuba – Cuba and Google signed a deal Thursday moving the island one step closer to having a state-of-the-art connection to the modern Internet… more
CAC urges consumers to protect themselves from cybercrime
Jamaica – The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is advising individuals and businesses to exercise due diligence to reduce the likelihood of being affected by cybercrime… more
CAC Urges Parents to Monitor Children’s Online Use
Jamaica – The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is advising parents and guardians to pay careful attention to their children’s online activities… more
C&W Business targets SMEs with new technology
Jamaica – C&W Business Jamaica has rolled out a range of specialised technology services and a comprehensive support framework targeted at small business operators islandwide… more
FLOW concerned
Jamaica – TELECOMMUNICATIONS Company FLOW says it is ready for the March 30 switch to mandatory 10-digit dialling after more than a year of preparation, a public awareness campaign and numerous technical tests… more
iGovTT, UWI sign MOU for Hackathon
Trinidad and Tobago – The National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited (branded iGovTT) and the University of the West Indies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday, to host iGovTT’s first Hackathon. iGovTT focuses on government Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects that support the movement toward e-Government and Trinidad and Tobago’s overall ICT development… more
Friday, 29 March 2019
Digitalization of AML laws in BVI
British Virgin Islands – There is a saying that “time and tide wait for no man”, and the same is true for the ever-changing ecosystem of the financial services industry – you simply cannot stop the wheels of commerce from turning… more
Getting ready for the crypto spring
British Virgin Islands– With flexible and commercially minded legislation, an innovative approach to anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, political stability and an internationally recognised securities regulatory regime, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has established itself as the jurisdiction of choice for a number of initial coin offerings (ICOs)… more
More details emerge on purchase of UTS
Curaçao – Curaçao’s Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning VVRP further explained its role as shareholder in the sale of United Telecommunications Services (UTS). It said the challenges facing UTS and its subsidiaries were not unknown… more
Guadeloupe moves to set up internet exchange point
Guadeloupe – Developments in the Caribbean digital space are fuelling initiatives to strengthen the internet infrastructure in the region. In Guadeloupe, a recent agreement among three internet service providers has cleared the way for the island to establish its first internet exchange point… more
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti is looking for young leaders
Haiti – The United States Embassy in Haiti has announced that it is providing financial support for the organization of the Haiti Tech Summit 2019 to be held from June 20 to 22, 2019… more
Local BPO itelbpo in new global top-20 list
Jamaica – JAMAICAN-owned itelbpo has been named among an elite group of business process outsourcers (BPOs) around the globe providing superior front-office contact centre experiences… more
Internet Safety Campaign To Be Launched In Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia – Get Safe Online a non-profit organization in the UK is launching two
campaigns to get the Commonwealth safe online… more
Saturday, 30 March 2019
Small shareholders battling C&W
Barbados – Minority shareholders in Barbados are gearing up for a big legal battle against telecommunications company Cable & Wireless (C&W) and its parent Liberty Global… more
Digicel Ready to Sail Above and Beyond
Saint Lucia – TOTAL telecommunications and entertainment provider, Digicel is looking to the seas as it launches a brand new concierge service in the Caribbean… more
Sunday, 31 March 2019
Towards the use of Blockchain technology in agribusiness
Haiti – Within the framework of the Business and Investment Development Project (PDAI), implemented since 2013 and financed by the World Bank to the tune of 20 million dollars, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MCI) intends to boost the agribusiness in the country, using Blockchain technology to provide an innovative solution to the actors of the agricultural chain… more
Caricel Not Authorised To Operate In Jamaica, Must Cease Operations – OUR
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says Symbiote Investments, which trades as Caricel, is not authorised to operate in Jamaica… more
FLOW Forced To Rescue Non-Compliant Entities As 10-Digit Dialling Takes Effect In Jamaica
Jamaica – With 10-digit dialling now mandatory in Jamaica, telecommunications firm FLOW says it has been forced to step in to facilitate an exemption to a number of non-compliant entities… more
Flow to temporarily facilitate non-compliant point-of-sale terminals in ten-digit dialling
Jamaica – With less than 24 hours to go until the country switches to mandatory ten-digit dialling, Flow Jamaica says it will be facilitating a temporary exception for machine to machine communication which will cover the non-compliant point-of-sale terminals as well as alarm systems… more
Be alert for cybercrime
Sint Maarten – Lately, there have been reports of cybercrime in Sint Maarten. This may include simple scams via the internet or carefully executed BEC fraud, as well as other forms of cybercrime also occur… more
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