A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 6 May to Sunday 12 May 2019.
Monday, 6 May 2019
IXP Plan Signals Bahamas ‘Serious Technology Player’
Bahamas – The Bahamas will send the signal that it is “a really serious technology player” if it develops its own Internet Exchange Point (IXP), the head of its technology hub committee believes… more
‘ONWARDS AND UPWARDS’ IS NOW A PATRIOTIC WAY TO SHOW YOUR TELECOMS SUBSCRIPTION IS 21ST CENTURY COMPLIANT
Barbados – A local telecoms provider is making sure they stay relevant in a growing market with customer oriented innovations… more
Good news, Haiti authorized to use the satellite resources of the «Disasters Charter»
Haiti – Good news, thanks to the support of the National Center for Geo-Spatial Information (CNIGS – Haiti) and the National Center for Space Studies (CNES, France) Haiti has finalized the process of accession as authorized user of the “Disasters Charter”… more
Flow stepping!
Jamaica – Dancers, smiling faces and giveaways were a familiar scene in towns and communities across central parishes recently as telecoms network Flow launched their new mobile plans… more
Antigua-Barbuda to host CaribNOG 18 this year
Regional– Antigua and Barbuda will host the 18th regional meeting of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) from September 25 to 27… more
C&W Communications and Digicel Group Joint Venture Awarded Exclusive Rights to Premier League for the Caribbean
Regional– C&W Communications (“C&W”) and Digicel Group announced that their new sports broadcasting joint venture, Caribbean Premier Sports Limited (CPSL), has won the exclusive rights to broadcast Premier League football in the Caribbean for the three seasons 2019/20 to 2021/22, which includes every match broadcast LIVE, via streaming and on-demand… more
Caribbean Telecoms, Mobile And Broadband Market 2019 – SETAR N.V., BVI Cable TV, Ltd., Choice Cable TV, Innovative Cable TV St. Thomas-St. John, Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico, Ltd.
Regional – Report represents a comprehensive study of the Caribbean Telecoms, Mobile And Broadband Market. It consists of growth rate for the forecast period…more
Experts call for Caribbean to make its voice heard on global Internet governance
Regional – The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) is joining up with the non-profit American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) to connect regional governments to be at the table for important decisions on the future of the Internet – technical specifications, security of technology and rules for governance… more
TSTT wage bill declining
Trinidad and Tobago – MAJORITY State-owned telecommunications provider TSTT says its wage bill has been reduced from over 30 per cent of revenue to 20 per cent of revenue, as a result of last year’s job cuts… more
Tuesday, 7 May 2019
BITT SIGNS MOU WITH THE E-GOVERNANCE ACADEMY OF ESTONIA
Barbados – Bitt, the Barbados-based financial technology company, has signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the e-Governance Academy (eGA) in Estonia on Tuesday, April 30, 2019… more
SMARTPHONE USERS MAY SOON BE ABLE TO CHANGE PROVIDERS WITHOUT LOSING THEIR NUMBER
Barbados – It seems Barbados will soon be like other countries who are consumer oriented in allowing number portability… more
COMMENTARY — Crypto deal draws distrust
British Virgin Islands – Somebody please tell me this is a joke? Over the years we have seen sensible investors such as the Rockefellers, Dr. Henry Jarecki and Sir Richard Branson… more
ICT course aims to expand tech field for women
Cayman Islands – To help reduce the gender gap in the ICT/digital sector, the Gender Affairs Unit (GAU) has partnered with Cartan Group, Cayman Enterprise City (CEC), and Walkers to offer the first course under the Women Code Cayman programme… more
Grenada PM advocates for single Caribbean ICT space
Regional – GRENADA Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has expressed support for regional collaboration to address regional ICT issues… more
TSTT execs justify staff cuts
Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) is well on the path to achieving significant growth by the year 2021… more
Vexatious and spurious
Trinidad and Tobago – MAJORITY state-owned TSTT has hit back at a letter last month from Cable & Wireless (C&W), in which the 49 per cent minority shareholder of the local telecommunications provider threatened to bring a claim of oppressive conduct against TSTT and demanded access to the local company’s books and records… more
Wednesday, 8 May 2019
Why BVI is your perfect Caribbean crypto-hub
British Virgin Islands – As crypto and blockchain continue to take the world by storm, a number of offshore financial centres have sought to position themselves as jurisdictions of choice for those looking to operate within the sector. The British Virgin Islands is no exception… more
Epstein reveals plans to boost itelbpo’s productivity through new technology
Jamaica –YONI Epstein, the chairman of itelbpo, revealed that his company plans to boost productivity by investing in new technology that better prepares and equips agents to immediately and efficiently address the needs of customers, therefore making it easier for them to connect on an emotional, or human, level… more
Greater Caribbean cooperation needed to combat cyber crimes
Regional – The Caribbean is under virtual siege as incidents of cyber-attacks and cyber-crimes surge across the region… more
How to make LinkedIn work for you! Part 2
Regional – On April 24th we looked at how as a professional, you can use Linkedin to use it to your advantage. Here is the second part which enumerates some additional recommendations to further get you closer to your goal of LinkedIn networking star… more
Le Hunte slams Mark’s TSTT bid rigging claim
Trinidad and Tobago – Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte yesterday shot down claims by Opposition Senator Wade Mark that the Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT) has been involved in bid-rigging, favouritism, nepotism and corruption in the award of a janitorial contract to an executive member of the People’s National Movement (PNM)… more
TATT given ultimatum to retract Radio Jaagriti warning
Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunications Authority of T&T (TATT) has been given until the end of the week to retract its position on controversial statements made by Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) secretary general Satnarayan Maharaj on his organisation’s television station, last month… more
Thursday, 9 May 2019
BTC Is Owner’s ‘Most Inefficient’ Subsidiary
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) was yesterday branded “our most inefficient business” by its owner despite mobile customer losses dropping to a record quarterly low… more
DevCa 2019 brings ‘Smart Communities, Smarter People’ to the table
Jamaica – The fifth staging of the Developing the Caribbean Open Data Conference & Code sprint (DevCA) scheduled for May 16, 2019 at the Regional Headquarters, University of the West Indies, will explore the theme ‘Smart Communities, Smarter People’… more
Expect Disruptions – NCB To Embark On Major Technology Upgrades
Jamaica – Starting May 17, the National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCB) will embark on a major upgrade and modernisation programme for its core banking and online banking platforms… more
Gov’t looks to complete Data Protection Bill, ICT Act this year
Jamaica– The Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology is targeting the completion of the Data Protection Bill and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Act as key as priorities to be completed in the financial year…more
KM2 Solutions joins the Global Impact Sourcing Coalition
Regional – KM2 Solutions is proud to announce that it has joined the Global Impact Sourcing Coalition (GISC)… more
Friday, 10 May 2019
URCA issues RFP for solar canopy at its parking lot
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is putting its money where its mouth is and has put out a request for proposals (RFP) for a solar canopy to be built at its parking lot, to produce energy that will supplement its consumption from Bahamas Power and Light… more
Air BnB property owners now required to pay hotel accommodation tax
British Virgin Islands – Local property owners who temporarily lease their homes through online booking agents, Air BnB, are now required to pay hotel accommodation tax in the BVI… more
Technology pioneershonoured for contribution to Caribbean internet governance
Regional – Seven of the region’s leading technology advocates were formally recognised for their outstanding service to the Caribbean at a special awards ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF)… more
Hackers challenging integrity of Jamaica’s banking system
Jamaica – The Jamaica banking sector is reportedly under pressure to roll back what has become a surfeit of hacking incidents targeting local commercial banks which is reportedly costing the banking sector around J$4 million per month… more
Jamaican diaspora attracts tTech to Atlanta market
Jamaica – MANAGED IT services provider tTech Limited hopes to have at least 10 per cent of overall revenue coming from markets outside of Jamaica by 2024… more
Digicel Foundation partners with CISCO to host Girls Power Tech
Trinidad and Tobago – In its commitment to supporting programmes that advocate for education and capacity building, Digicel Foundation has partnered with CISCO to host its inaugural Girls Power Tech event… more
Saturday, 11 May 2019
The future of work: opportunity or threat for Barbados?
Barbados – There is no longer any doubt that we are facing what some scholars have called the fourth industrial revolution, characterized by new technologies that are transforming the world of work… more
Sunday, 12 May 2019
NIS offers mobile money platform for self-employed
Guyana – The National Insurance Scheme on Friday, hosted a Compliance Workshop for Senior Managers, Office Managers and Compliance officers from its 14 offices across the country… more
Hailcloud Publishing introduces digital publishing to St. Lucian book authors
Saint Lucia – Locally owned company, Hailcloud Publishing announces that it is now providing the online platform for St. Lucian authors to publish novels, short stories, poetry and more digitally on big-name retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and iTunes as well as on the company’s own online store… more
Image credits: filipe ferreira (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Bahamas Weekly
