A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 24 June to Sunday 30 June 2019.
Monday, 24 June 2019
Grenada Regulatory Commission, Internet Exchange back CarPIF conference
Grenada – The Government of Grenada has congratulated the Caribbean Network Operators Group for successfully hosting the Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum in Grenada earlier this month… more
Haiti mulls blockchain-based digital currency pilot with Bitt to promote financial inclusion
Haiti – Bitt Inc., a Barbados-based fintech, said that the Bank of the Republic of Haiti is considering a pilot program to test a blockchain-based digital currency… more
Digicel wants US case over Haitian alleged fraud thrown out
Haiti – Several companies, including Denis O’Brien’s Caribbean telecoms group Digicel, are expected to file a motion this week to try and get a Haiti-linked case against them thrown out of a New York court… more
Jamaica Urged to Tap Into E-Sport
Jamaica – Chief Executive Officer of tTech, Christopher Reckord, has cited e-sport as a lucrative global industry that offers opportunity for investment locally… more
JAMPRO pushing Jamaica’s BPO sector at Customer Contact Week in Las Vegas
Jamaica – Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) will be participating in Customer Contact Week (CCW) in Las Vegas, United States, from today thorough to Friday as part of efforts to diversify Jamaica’s business process outsourcing (BPO) sector… more
Labour Ministry Continues To Warn Against Suspicious Web-Links
Jamaica – The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is again warning Jamaicans about suspicious links to websites which are being circulated by dishonest persons… more
UWI open campus and JDF to host cybersecurity workshop in July
Jamaica – The University of the West Indies (The UWI), open campus in collaboration with the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), will host a two-day cybersecurity Workshop entitled “Cybersecurity: Pathways to Managing Cyber Vulnerabilities” July 24 and 25, 2019… more
Digital safety over the summer
Regional – Summer is here once again with long days and short nights, and parents are once again scrambling to find ways to occupy their children… more
Flow grants leave for men at child’s birth
Regional – Men working at Flow are now entitled to paternity leave, while women would be getting an extra month of maternity leave… more
Tuesday, 25 June 2019
Antigua & Barbuda government proposes to buy out Digicel as dispute over spectrum sharing continues
Antigua and Barbuda – The war between telecommunications company Digicel and the Antigua and Barbuda government is continuing with new pronouncements by Gaston Browne to now buy out the operations of the Irish owned company in St johns… more
APUA to benefit from changes to Telecommunications Bill
Antigua and Barbuda – The battle over the digital spectrum is far from being resolved as the Government is now proposing to make changes to the proposed Telecommunications Bill that will benefit the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA)… more
Minister Touts Other Tech Hub Investors
Bahamas – A government minister yesterday replied to concerns raised by the original Grand Bahama technology hub investor by pointing to other companies attracted to the island… more
Bahamas Telecommunications Market 2019, Analysis of Bahamas Mobile, Fixed Telephone and Broadband Markets
Bahamas– Bahamas Telecom outlook report is a comprehensive analytical research on the Bahamas’s cellular, fixed telephone and fixed broadband segments… more
Inland Revenue computer system “outdated and corrupt”
British Virgin Islands – The deputy commissioner of inland revenue, Orris Thomas, has called his department’s computer system “outdated, corrupt, unstable and [likely to] crash at any time,” according to a report on the recent deliberations of the House of Assembly’s Standing Finance Committee… more
Cayman’s blockchain entrepreneurs unite
Cayman Islands – The Cayman Islands tech community has its sights set on blockchain and positioning the jurisdiction as a leader in the burgeoning sector… more
First group completes women’s tech programme
Cayman Islands – The first 33 students to complete the Women Code Cayman introductory computer-programming course were celebrated at an event Wednesday, 12 June… more
Gov’t to Continue Consultations on NIDS
Jamaica– Parliamentary Secretary, Senator Robert Morgan, says the Government will continue consultations and education about the benefits of the National Identification System (NIDS)… more
Aegis and IQor Confirm Trinidad is On the Right Track
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago has been making moves to promote itself as a business process outsourcing destination (BPO) for several years, as the country looks to diversify away from its dependency on falling oil revenues and create high-value jobs for its population… more
Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Antigua and Barbuda proposes pro-APUA regulatory changes
Antigua and Barbuda– The news comes after the local units of Digicel and Flow, the two largest mobile network operators in Antigua and Barbuda, managed to block the government from confiscating any of their 850 MHz spectrum allocation following a court action… more
Digicel refutes claims of Antigua & Barbuda Govt
Antigua and Barbuda– For clarity, TechNewsTT has combined two separate press statements issued by Digicel regarding a legal challenge it is pursuing against the Government of Antigua and Barbuda… more
Online testing to come onstream for driver’s licence
Antigua and Barbuda– A software system to facilitate online testing for prospective drivers is in the works at the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board (ABTB)… more
Aliv To ‘Kick On’ Via Latest $15m Raise
Bahamas – Aliv’s top executive last night said it was “very confident” of hitting its latest $15m capital raising target as it bids “to kick on to the next level” of its growth strategy… more
B.T.L. Owes Millions of Dollars in GST
Belize – We take a break from crime and go to Belmopan where the Senate today dealt with an amendment to the Tax Laws which was passed and place criminal liability against anyone in the chain of management in any company not paying taxes… more
Digital Cayman to advocate for the tech industry
Cayman Islands – A new digital sector industry body, called Digital Cayman, was launched last week with the aim of developing and growing Cayman’s digital economy… more
Jamaica can benefit more from BPO sector — Yoni Epstein
Jamaica – Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of itelBPO Solutions, Yoni Epstein, says Jamaica has made significant strides in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, and can benefit even more by expanding its service offerings and upskilling workers within the industry… more
Scotia working to resolve in-branch transaction software glitch
Jamaica– Scotiabank Jamaica has sought to assure customers that a software glitch that has been affecting customers since Tuesday is being sorted out…more
Technology In Focus | ICT Authority To Improve Gov’t Efficiency
Jamaica – For many Jamaicans, renewal of one’s motor vehicle registration or certificate of fitness can take up to an hour or more, because of long lines at the offices of Tax Administration Jamaica… more
Digicel faces Caribbean headwinds
Regional – Caribbean telco Digicel is facing legal challenges in Antigua & Barbuda and Haiti… more
Engaging millennials and Generation Z
Trinidad and Tobago – The following is the first part of an excerpt from Leo Lee’s presentation at the 37th Annual Caribbean Conference of Accountants held last week in Jamaica. Leo Lee is the immediate past president of ACCA. Part 2 would follow next week… more
Thursday, 27 June 2019
PM Browne tells Digicel to shape up or ship out
Antigua and Barbuda – Less than 24 hours after Digicel’s outright denial that talks have begun over a possible buyout of the company, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has advised the Irish owned company to “shape up or ship out”… more
Concerns about Data Protection Bill
Barbados – AS BARBADOS MOVES speedily to protect the privacy of citizens and visitors, some small entrepreneurs are concerned about whether they will be able to stay in business… more
G.S.T. Auditing B.T.L.’s Financial Accounts
Belize – The General Sales Tax Department is conducting an audit of B.T.L.’s accounts… more
TelEm Group TelTV Open House Special all set for July.
Sint Maarten – TelEm Group will be opening the month of July with a special Open House viewing of the company’s rapidly expanding TelTV service at the TelEm Group main building on Pond Island… more
Friday, 28 June 2019
Digicel & Antigua talks are ‘complete fiction’
Antigua and Barbuda – A blistering row between Denis O’Brien’s Digicel and Antigua & Barbuda’s prime minister, Gaston Browne, has been reignited by the politician’s claims that the twin island state is still in talks to buy the telecom company’s operations there… more
BTC’s operations in the Family Islands close; employees did not report to work
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) operations in the Family Islands, “with the exception of Andros”, were closed yesterday because employees did not report to work… more
Union Leaders ‘Unaware’ Of Btc Family Island Sick-Out
Bahamas – TRADE union leaders yesterday denied knowledge of a sick-out that resulted in the closure of most of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) self-owned Out Island retail stores… more
A Closer Look at Documents which Shows B.T.L.’s Purported GST Debt
Belize – Still on B.T.L., records obtained by our newsroom, show that Belize Telemedia Limited owes the Government of Belize tens of millions of dollars in unpaid General Sales Tax… more
B.T.L. C.E.O. Rochus Schreiber Resigns
Belize – There is a huge development tonight regarding the top job at Belize Telemedia Limited… more
Does BTL Owe $29M in Taxes? FinSec Says Not a ‘Live Matter’
Belize – In a press release issued this evening, Belize Telemedia Limited has denied allegations that it owes $29M in outstanding payments to the General Sales Tax Department, stating that it pays and continues to pay the ‘appropriate GST’ on a monthly basis… more
Summer Coding Camp for Girls
Belize – The Directorate General for Foreign Trade (DGFT) has partnered with the Belize Coalition of Service Providers (BCSP) and the Belize Association of ICT Professionals (BAICTP) to host the first Society of Women Coders (SOW) Camp for Girls… more
Haiti Telecommunications Market 2019 Analysis of Haiti Mobile, Fixed Telephone and Broadband Markets
Haiti – Haiti Telecom outlook report is a comprehensive analytical research on the Haiti’s cellular, fixed telephone and fixed broadband segments… more
Digicel bonds slip as debt burden ramps up pressure on company
Regional – The price of bonds for Denis O’Brien’s Caribbean telecoms group, Digicel, slipped on Friday as it emerged that the burden of its $6.7 billion debt pile is increasing, ramping up pressure on the company… more
Local Call Centre Under Scrutiny
Saint Lucia– It was reported in a local newspaper dated June 22nd that former and current employees of a local call centre, located in the north of the island…more
Entrepreneur overcomes stigma, creates income with online store
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – After completing studies at the St Joseph Convent Kingstown (SJCK), followed by accounting and business studies at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC), Chelsea Strough needed to be able to provide for herself… more
Saturday, 29 June 2019
Call records of murdered taxi driver provided to police within days – GTT
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) on Friday revealed that the company has been in full compliance with the Guyana Police Force, with efforts to solve the investigation of murdered female taxi driver, Indira Bipat…more
NCB working to resolve online platform woes
Jamaica – National Commercial Bank (NCB) says all the problems resulting from its online platform upgrade should be resolved by the end of next month… more
Digicel’s earnings slide underline need for its transformation
Regional – Digicel’s ongoing scrap with the government of the tiny island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, which wants to confiscate some of its mobile spectrum, is but a sideshow compared to the real issues facing Denis O’Brien’s mobile group… more
Sunday, 30 June 2019
Judiciary condemns use of judges’ photos in social media campaign
Guyana – The Supreme Court of Judicature condemns the use of photographs of two Puisne Judges that have been published in a social media post captioned “Confidence in Youth Leadership-Promised Delivered”… more
Artificial Intelligence on the rise in Jamaica — Fayval Williams
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Fayval Williams says research is indicating that by 2020, 30 per cent of all day-to-day businesses will implement artificial intelligence as a part of their digital transformation strategy… more
Digital transformation vital to boost competitiveness – Mona School of Business, Management
Jamaica – Director of the Professional Services Unit of the University of the West Indies Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM), Dr William Lawrence, says it is going to take a collective effort from the Government and the private sector to lead digital transformation towards Vision 2030 Jamaica… more
Flow Says Steps To Simplify Bills Already Under Way
Jamaica – Telecom provider F LOW Jamaica says that the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has given the sector another week to formally respond to the ‘shock bill’ concerns highlighted by its regulator and that it fully intends to comply… more
WiPay is here Trinidad-based e-commerce payment platform officially launched in Jamaica
Jamaica– WiPay, an e-commerce platform which allows users to make, accept and process digital payments, was officially launched in Jamaica last Thursday at the AC Hotel in Kingston… more
WiPay Partners With Lasco Financial For Jamaican Roll-Out
Jamaica – Trinidadian company WiPay has partnered with Lasco Financial Services for the roll-out of a payment platform across Jamaica next month… more
WiPay ready to take Jamaica’s e-commerce market by storm
Jamaica – ONE of the senior officials of Trinidad & Tobago-based software company WiPay believes that Jamaicans will be better off working with the latest e-commerce technology that he insists will make things much easier for their small, medium, and large companies in their daily commercial activities… more
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