A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 15 July to Sunday 21 July 2019.
Monday, 15 July 2019
BTC: No plans to ‘involuntarily separate’ from any employees
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), in the midst of widespread rumors that it will have to lay off staff, denied in a statement that it is planning to “involuntarily separate” from any of its employees… more
DRONE DELIVERY PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHED INTHE BAHAMAS
Bahamas – Volans-i, an on-demand drone delivery business has reportedly entered into a strategic partnership with Fli Drone, to provide on-demand drone delivery services in The Bahamas, reports Commercial Drone Professional… more
FLOW gets thumbs up for paternity leave
Jamaica – The Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica (HRMAJ) has welcomed the announcement by telecommunications company, FLOW, that last month the company implemented a policy which sees fathers now being entitled to paternity leave… more
UWI Open Campus, JDF To Host Cybersecurity Workshop
Jamaica – The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) have partnered to boost basic cybercrime investigative knowledge and raise awareness about the increase in cybersecurity breaches globally and their impact on the region… more
Blow to Digicel
Regional – Digicel is struggling to climb out of a deep financial hole, with debt on its books now estimated to be seven times more than earnings… more
Tuesday, 16 July 2019
Liberty CEO laments the performance of BTC subsidiary
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is one of Liberty Latin America’s lowest performing subsidiaries, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Balan Nair said at a recent Liberty Global town hall meeting in Jamaica… more
Bitt approved for legislation by Barbados regulators
Barbados – Bitt has become the first fintech to complete and exit Barbados’ Regulatory Sandbox Framework, reports Jane Connolly… more
Grenadian integrity Commission hints at probing telephone scandal
Grenada – CANA is reporting that the Integrity Commission has hinted at the possibility of conducting an investigation into allegations that that some former legislators were still using government funded mobile phones after reports surfaced of an EC$70,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) bill… more
Upgrading of ICT Infrastructure Will Boost Productivity – Senator Morgan
Jamaica – Parliamentary Secretary, Senator Robert Morgan, says upgrading of the Government’s information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure will improve productivity as persons will be able to transact more business online… more
Flow TV replaces Flow Sports Premier with new channel EPL rights holder RUSH
Regional – English Premier League rights holder RUSH has launched on Flow TV in the Caribbean… more
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
Comments by Liberty chief executive inappropriate, notes former BTC CEO
Bahamas – Former chief executive officer of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) Leon Williams condemned as inappropriate recent comments made by Liberty Latin America’s Chief Executive Officer Balan Nair during a recent Liberty Global town hall meeting in Jamaica, where Balan criticized the performance of BTC’s employees, saying the difference between the performances of The Bahamas and Jamaica are like “night and day”… more
Govt Urged: Reclaim BTC For Bahamians
Bahamas – Trade union leaders yesterday urged the government “to part ways” with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) controlling owner after its top executive “insulted” the company’s workforce… more
Liberty CEO bemoans performance of BTC employees
Bahamas – As the bargaining agent of Bahamas Telecommunication Company (BTC) employees labelled Liberty Latin America Ltd. CEO Balan Nair’s disparaging remarks of the company and its associates as misplaced and “improper”, BTC said yesterday that those comments were “taken out of context”… more
Cyber security a real threat, says Bostic
Barbados – The security of our borders is critical in order for Government to keep its citizens safe. Now, special focus has to be paid to cyber security… more
Digicel to probe how talk show host came to possess bill of ex-public official in Grenada
Grenada – Telecoms firm Digicel which has an arrangement with the Government in Grenada to service its telecommunications needs, on Wednesday announced plans for an internal investigation into how the bill of a former public official came into the possession of a radio talk show host… more
Ramlogan: E-mailgate ‘shameless fiction’
Trinidad and Tobago – “SHAMELESS political fiction.” That was how former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, described the infamous e-mails read out in Parliament in May 2013 by Dr Keith Rowley… more
Thursday, 18 July 2019
‘Don’t Be Tempted’ On BTC Buy-Out Proposal
Bahamas – A Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) union leader last night urged the government “not to be tempted” by any Liberty Latin America offer to acquire its stake in the company… more
KPMG Hires Digital And It Team Leader
Bahamas – KPMG (Bahamas) has announced the appointment of Nico Maritz as a director in its advisory services team… more
Liberty CEO: “I am sorry”
Bahamas – Liberty Latin America President and CEO Balan Nair yesterday issued a public apology to Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, the Office of the Prime Minister and the people of The Bahamas, amid widespread public rebuke of his recent disparaging of Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) employees and the prime minister… more
Ministry Of Tourism Hit By Computer Virus
Bahamas – TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar is calling for computer security at the Ministry of Tourism to be beefed up following the discovery of a virus on a ministry server on Tuesday… more
Bitt Meets Standard As Mover of Digital Money
Barbados – Financial technology firm Bitt Digital Inc. has become the first company to pass stress tests to meet the standard as a mover of digital money, under a regulatory model set up by the Central Bank of Barbados and the Financial Services Commission (FSC)… more
‘Smart Bridgetown’
Barbados – A ‘Smart Bridgetown’, involving free Internet access, computer-controlled parking and a mobile guide for tourists, is “a few months away”, the Minister for Smart Technology has declared… more
Jamaica Telecommunications Market 2019-2025 Size, Segmentation, Strategy, Share, Growth Factors, Analysis and Regional Opportunity
Jamaica – Jamaica Telecom outlook report is a comprehensive analytical research on the Jamaica’s cellular, fixed telephone and fixed broadband segments… more
Cloud Carib Ranked Among top third World’s Most Elite 501 Managed Service Providers
Regional – Cloud Carib has been named as one of the world’s premier managed service providers on the prestigious 12th-annual Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings… more
CariGamers’ got game
Trinidad and Tobago – THE MARVEL that is virtual reality (VR) technology can take users from the depths of the ocean to the stellar heights of space… more
Flow introduces public Wi-Fi
Trinidad and Tobago – TODAY, in a series of meetings with the media, newly appointed Flow country manager Kurleigh Prescod will introduce its new community Wi-Fi product… more
Friday, 19 July 2019
Aliv Calls On BTC: ‘Work With Us For Good Of Bahamas’
Bahamas – Aliv yesterday called for greater co-operation from the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) in developing “a more resilient interconnection regime” following several recent service disruptions that impacted both carriers’ clients…. more
Aliv takes the lead as first corporate sponsor of plastic ban campaign
Bahamas – The Ministry of Environment & Housing announced today that telecommunications network provider, ALIV, is leading the charge as the first corporate sponsor of the Plastic Free 242 campaign… more
BTC Unions: BTC expat bosses must go
Bahamas – Less than 24 hours after Liberty Latin America President and CEO, Balan Nair, issued an apology for his comments made about BTC employees and the prime minister, representatives for BTC’s line staff and managers’ unions not only rejected the apology, but have called for his resignation… more
Cable: $442m Debt Slash Top ‘Priority’
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas’ chief executive yesterday pledged that slashing the company’s $442m debt and “reinstating” shareholder dividends are among the top priorities in its new financial year… more
New Gaming Act allows Internet shutdown of non-compliant gaming operators
Bahamas – Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday that the amendments to the Gaming Act passed in the House of Assembly yesterday, will allow the Gaming Board, through a special investigative unit, to render gaming houses inoperable by shutting down access to their websites in instances when operators are non-compliant with the new tax regime… more
Barbados Telecommunications Market to incur Rapid Extension during 2019-2025
Barbados – Telecom operators in Barbados are witnessing wide range of challenges including rapidly changing customer patterns, financial and technological challenges… more
Passport scanning, e-visas, ‘people tracking’ part of govt’s 2020 border management system
British Virgin Islands – The new border management system announced by the government last month is expected to be fully implemented by June 2020 and will consist of a number of components never seen in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) before… more
Police digital records system launched
Guyana – The Police Records Management Information System (PRMIS), which is expected to move the Guyana Police Force away from paper-based crime recording, was yesterday officially launched at the Guyana Police Force Training Centre, in Georgetown… more
NCB ‘contactless’ card payment taps into Sumfest
Jamaica – Contactless card technology is being rolled out across Jamaica’s shores as financial powerhouse, NCB, encourages persons to “tap and pay” just in time for Sumfest… more
Teachers to Receive Tablets Beginning December
Jamaica – Fifteen thousand teachers will benefit from the roll-out of the Tablets for Teachers Programme, which should begin in December 2019… more
Ultra TV Introduction to Give Subscribers to The Cable an Upgrade
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Subscribers to services/products provided by The Cable in St. Kitts will soon benefit from the telecommunication company’s introduction of Ultra TV, a new one-tier TV service with new content that replaces the current packages and eliminated the need for outdated technology… more
Raspberry Pi Summer Workshop Concludes
Saint Lucia – The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Caribbean Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics organisation (CariSTEM) this month hosted a week-long series of workshops in the use of raspberry Pi devices for STEM learning and education… more
St. Lucia Telecommunications Market 2019 is set for Expansion by 2025
Saint Lucia – Telecom operators in St. Lucia are witnessing wide range of challenges including rapidly changing customer patterns, financial and technological challenges. Identifying the emerging trends and converting them into actionable strategies is vital for sustaining profitability… more
ePayment solutions global provider expands in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – PaySett Corporation, a global provider of ePayment solutions and JMMB Group, is expanding their partnership to drive up electronic payments adoption in the Caribbean region… more
Former PM happy with decision to end e-mail probe
Trinidad and Tobago – Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar Wednesday welcomed the decision by the police to end the investigations into the so-called “e-mailgate” scandal that sought to link her and several other senior members of her then People’s Partnership government to a sinister plot to undermine the judiciary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the media a few years ago… more
Saturday, 20 July 2019
RGD Digitising Business Processes
Jamaica – The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is digitising its business processes, through the implementation of an image management system… more
ECCB to launch pilot digital currency project
Regional – The Governor of the St Kitts-based Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Timothy Antoine, Friday announced plans to launch a digital currency pilot programme of the Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollar… more
The Cable Launches Ultra TV Plan
Saint Kitts and Nevis – The Cable St. Kitts is pushing to giving its customers a more customer-friendly TV experience with their new Ultra TV plan… more
Sunday, 21 July 2019
More GINet Wi-Fi for Saint Lucians
Saint Lucia – The Government of Saint Lucia and the Republic of China (Taiwan) Thursday launched Phase Two of the island-wide GINet Wi-Fi project… more
Image credits: Bernard Goldbach (flickr); StickPNG; The Eleutheran; Facebook; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
