A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 23 November to Sunday 29 November 2020.
Monday, 23 November 2020
Tech solutions provider urges greater support for local developers
Bahamas – A Bahamian technology solutions provider is urging greater support for local developers, with his company having recently added two additional features to its offering… more
Dominican Republic to Implement New Electronic Ticket Portal for Inbound and Outbound Travel
Dominican Republic – In an effort to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, starting November 29, 2020, the Dominican Republic will adopt a new electronic system providing digital versions of the Traveler’s Health Affidavit, Customs Declaration and International Boarding/Disembarking forms, combined in a single digital form… more
887 Students From Nine West Kingston Schools Get Tablets
Jamaica – A total of 887 students from nine primary schools in Western Kingston have been provided with tablet computers as the Government continues the distribution of devices under the Tablets in Schools programme… more
Aspiring teacher wins inaugural PATH tertiary ICT scholarship
Jamaica – Shantel Williams, an aspiring information and communications technology (ICT) teacher, is the first successful recipient of the inaugural Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) tertiary ICT scholarship… more
‘GOJ building technology infrastructure to develop home-grown talent’
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Information and Technology, Daryl Vaz, is confident that the technology initiatives being implemented by the Government will help to lift the island’s economic fortunes and develop home-grown talent… more
IMA launches lionfish app
Trinidad and Tobago – THOSE with an avid interest in environmental matters will be able to “sea” their environmental reports using mobile technology… more
TSTT and DIGICEL Collaborate for the Nation’s Children’s Education
Trinidad and Tobago – The first of 10,000 electronic tablets were handed over by the two major telecommunications companies in Trinidad and Tobago recently signaling the new era of collaboration required in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic… more
Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Aliv Addresses 50% Data Demand Growth
Bahamas – Aliv’s top executive says the COVID-19 pandemic has driven a 50 percent increase in data demand as it works on finalising a $70m loan from its controlling shareholder… more
Prices slashed for BTC Blue Friday
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has turned its traditional annual ‘Black Friday’ sale into ‘Blue Fridays’. Customers can purchase an 8” Samsung tablet at the deeply discounted price of $89.00 and will receive a free SIM card and a free ‘Always On’ mobile prepaid combo plan with double data, providing over $200.00 in savings… more
Dominican Republic prisons install technology for humane-centered approach to searches
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic has, since 2003, developed a “New Prison Management Model” which aims to apply the international principles of human rights and the United Nations Mandela Rules – the focus of which is human rights and rehabilitation rather than repression… more
itelbpo continues strong growth trajectory in Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia – itelbpo, the Caribbean’s largest homegrown contact center, launched operations in Saint Lucia in July of this year with 30 full-time staff members. Less than six months later, there are now 450 employees onsite with the aim to reach a total of 750 employees by Q1 2021….more
Penny Pinch launches mobile digital wallet
Saint Lucia – St Lucians can now make cashless payments every time they shop thanks to Penny Pinch Inc, an award-winning, St Lucia-based financial technology startup… more
C&W Business launches Data Centre in Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad has become the seventh country to house a state-of-the-art Data Centre for leading telecoms operator, C&W Business… more
Digital economy: QKYC by CariPay offers tech solutions for businesses
Trinidad and Tobago – QKYC by CariPay is working to empower Caribbean people to participate in the digital economy… more
Huawei Supports the Adopt-a-School Programme
Trinidad and Tobago – Huawei Technologies (T&T) Limited has launched its own boost to the children of Trinidad and Tobago with the first in a series of presentations of tablets planned for schools across the country… more
Wednesday, 25 November 2020
BTC closes one of its offices in cost saving move
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has permanently closed one of its offices, a move Chief Executive Officer Garry Sinclair says has led to huge cost savings… more
BTC hits revenue targets despite COVID-19
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has hit and, in some cases, exceeded all of its revenue targets in the company’s 2020 budget, which was adjusted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic… more
BTC’s JFK building empty, firm wants to make work from home permanent
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has moved out of its iconic blue and white, multi-story office building on John F. Kennedy Drive, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Garry Sinclair told Guardian Business yesterday, explaining that the move has led to huge cost savings for the company… more
INSIDE TECHNOLOGY
Barbados – COVID-19 has showcased the need for technology and has exposed the unavoidable interconnectivity which has engulfed the world… more
Suffering BTL employees vexed about Net Vasquez’s spending spree
Belize – Two months ago, reports of the misuse of Belize Telemedia Ltd. (BTL)’s corporate credit card by the company’s former chairman, Nestor Vasquez, Sr., made headlines, and the company’s Board of Trustees had pledged to launch a full investigation into his spending… more
HoA moving towards more technology & less paper
British Virgin Islands – The Virgin Islands (VI) House of Assembly (HoA) is looking to implement more technology in its day-to-day business while using less paper… more
500,000 free Microsoft licences to boost Jamaica’s digital footprint
Jamaica – Jamaica will become more digitally equipped to take on the challenges of the 21st century, thanks to a partnership between Microsoft Corporation and the Ministry of Education in a deal worth US$15 million (J$2.1 billion) annually and which will see the tech firm providing 500,000 Microsoft Office 365 Education Software licences to students in local educational institutions free of cost… more
ADVERTORIAL | Start Up Companies Opt For Digital Payment Solutions
Jamaica – The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the loss of jobs; however, it has also presented business opportunities for some budding entrepreneurs, who are using the convenience of digital payment solutions to facilitate their business… more
First Angels urges small firms to ‘go digital’ for business continuity
Jamaica – “Go digital or die”; that was the message that Gregory Peart, Leader of NCB Merchant Sales and Relationship team, had for start-up and early-stage businesses aiming to stay relevant in today’s reality… more
FarmLinkr – bringing consumers closer to local farmers
Jamaica – The novel coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted Jamaica’s agricultural sector. The sudden shutdown of the tourism industry in March left thousands of pounds of produce with no market… more
Four more Wi-Fi hot spots for town centres by year-end
Jamaica – MINISTER of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz says with nine public Wi-Fi hotspots established in major town centres across the island, Jamaica is on its way to becoming a digital society… more
Jamaica govt will distribute tablets to students
Jamaica – In the ceremony, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz stated that the Government of Jamaica had spent $1.5 billion so far to present tablets to students and teachers under the Tablets in Schools and Tablet for Teachers programmes… more
Privacy ironman: Chukwuemeka Cameron
Jamaica – The Ironman Triathlon calls for training and endurance and a determination to stay the course to finish a gruelling series of events in one day. Chukwuemeka Cameron participated in one in 2019 and a parallel can be drawn between the event and his nearly two decades long gargantuan efforts on the cutting edge of the technology revolution… more
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce donates 50 tablets, printer to national online education initiative
Jamaica – In a time of national crises stemming from the eight-month old global pandemic, two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce continues to come to the rescue of many of those in need… more
Young entrepreneur of the year Gilroy Gordon has an innate passion to innovate
Jamaica – In times of uncertainty when no one really has the right answers Young Entrepreneur of the Year Gilroy Gordon likes to find solutions for his clients. Through his company IGonics Limited, he dedicates himself to technological innovation in a bid to add value whenever and wherever he can… more
Enterprise computing: Leveraging BRAINPOWER
Regional – Digital transformation is not only about technology. Instead, it is more about how organisations leverage technology to empower their employees and optimise business processes, all while enhancing customer experiences and creating greater value for all stakeholders. In other words, leveraging the intellectual capital in a company… more
St Lucian teachers, students to receive eLearning devices
Saint Lucia – Education Minister Dr Gale Rigobert has said that hundreds of students and teachers will benefit from the government’s distribution of content-ready E-books, laptops and various E-learning devices… more
Printree wins TSTT business tech award
Trinidad and Tobago – Printree Powered by the DocuCentre won the 2020 bmobile Business Technology Award on November 20… more
Thursday, 26 November 2020
BTC, Cable Bahamas team up to bury systems cables on Abaco
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) in collaboration with Cable Bahamas is burying some of its systems cables on Abaco in expectation of even worse storms in the future… more
BTC eyes 50% fiber penetration in 2021
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is targeting a 50 percent penetration of its fiber network on New Providence in 2021, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Garry Sinclair told Guardian Business on Tuesday, adding that the company now has the budget for the expansion… more
Barbados and Scotland launch three-day cyber event
Barbados – The first-ever virtual trade mission between Barbados and Scotland was launched today… more
Belfield police assist students with Internet access
Jamaica – COPS at Belfield Police Station in St Mary are responding to the needs of students in their tight-knit, rural community who have been hindered by a lack of Internet access in the area… more
Delivery Deliverance For Offline Schools
Jamaica – Alecia Sterling is almost at breaking point. The 28-year-old mother lives in the hilly reaches of Mavis Bank where two of her three children attend Mount Fletcher Primary School in rural St Andrew… more
Gov’t spends $1.5b on tablets programmes
Jamaica – Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz says the Government has spent $1.5 billion to provide tablets to students and teachers under the Tablets in Schools and Tablet for Teachers programmes… more
For good or ill this Trini is ushering in a new age of AI
Trinidad and Tobago – Mandela Patrick is terrifying. This south Trinidad born and raised software engineer has been working on transformative artificial intelligence research. But in the wrong hands, his work could help usher in a new age of totalitarian surveillance… more
UN, Digicel using big data to develop the economy
Trinidad and Tobago – Technology is quickly changing the landscape of the Caribbean economy and the global pandemic has only served to expedite the process. As a regional player in technological advancement, telecommunications giant Digicel was approached by the United Nations (UN) to be part of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda… more
Friday, 27 November 2020
Cloud Carib returns as BETA Camp silver sponsor
Bahamas – Local tech company Cloud Carib pledged to support students in the field of STEM with its continued partnership with BETA Camp Bahamas… more
Rotary donates $102K to digital divide initiative
Bahamas – A donation of $102,000 by the Rotary Clubs of Nassau, in partnership with Aliv and REV, pushed the Ministry of Education closer to its goal to ensure every child in The Bahamas has access to an electronic device for the 2020/2021 school year… more
URCA: Disaster management regs for telecoms in first half of 2021
Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority’s (URCA) regulations that will ensure critical infrastructure is available before, during and after disasters in The Bahamas should come into effect within the first half of 2021, URCA Regulatory Technical Advisor Charles Kemp said yesterday… more
URCA Unveils Changes To Its Pricing Structures
Bahamas – The Bahamas’ communications regulator yesterday said pricing structure changes for satellite services and FM spectrum bands will take place within the next few months… more
Master plan needed for digital transformation in public sector
Barbados – Any digital transformation within the public sector should have a master plan that focuses on creating efficiency and transparency and ensuring easy access for individuals and businesses… more
Belize Communications Workers Union Wants Net Vasquez to Repay Every Single Cent
Belize – Former BTL Chairman Net Vasquez has reportedly begun paying his eight hundred and fifty-nine thousand one hundred and ninety-seven dollars and eighty-seven cents bill which he racked up while at the helm of the company… more
CEO explains quarantine tracking tech
British Virgin Islands – When the Jamaica-based Amber Group began to develop software to provide solutions to Covid-19 problems in its home country, it started with a “lightweight” module, founder and CEO Dushyant Savadia said… more
Scotiabank Undertaking Special Initiatives To Help Seniors With Digital Banking
Jamaica – Scotiabank Jamaica says it is to undertake a raft of new initiatives designed to help senior citizens to get more comfortable with its digital banking channels… more
Telecoms Call For Infrastructure PPP And Tax Breaks
Jamaica – Jamaica’s big two telecommunications companies are calling for a public-private partnership, PPP, to build out a resilient backbone for the country’s digital infrastructure… more
Digicel reports decline in earnings for second quarter
Regional – The Irish Times is reporting that Digicel’s earnings dropped in its second quarter to the end of September as the coronavirus pandemic continued to weigh on business… more
Regional telecommunication firms delisting from stock exchanges
Regional – Following Cable and Wireless (C&W) Jamaica’s delisting from the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) in March 2018 and C&W Barbados delisting from the Barbados Stock Exchange (BSE) in late October, Cable Bahamas Limited (CAB) will become the latest firm to delist from the JSE in January once its series 11 preference shares are redeemed… more
The Cable St. Kitts Announces Free Platinum Loyalty Card For Customers
Saint Kitts and Nevis – To continue to encourage loyalty and long-term business, the Cable St. Kitts has taken the initiative to reward customers with a free Platinum Loyalty Card… more
bmobile joins CANTO to bring e-commerce learning to local communities
Trinidad and Tobago – The EQUALS Tech4Girls Workshop was held at venues across the country, as well as online via Zoom, recently… more
Heritage donates two refurbished servers to St Mary’s College
Trinidad and Tobago – The Heritage Petroleum Company Limited (Heritage) has handed over two refurbished servers to St Mary’s College (CIC)… more
Shoppers shift online
Trinidad and Tobago – The raging coronavirus pandemic kept crowds thin at malls and stores across the US on Black Friday, but a surge in online shopping offered a small beacon of hope for struggling retailers after months of slumping sales and businesses toppling into bankruptcy… more
Saturday, 28 November 2020
Digital banking driving savings for local businesses, says banker
Bahamas – Local businesses could save up to 75 percent in banking fees should they embrace more digital banking capabilities, according to Director of Corporate and Commercial Banking at Scotiabank Gregory Stuart… more
Patterson Foundation Donates Computer Tablets To Church Hill Primary
Jamaica – The Patterson Family Foundation has stepped in to assist young learners of a small Hanover community by donating 30 tablets to students of the Church Hill Primary School… more
Sunday, 29 November 2020
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Image credits: Gerd Altmann (Pixabay); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; The Eleutheran; Wikimedia Commons; Wikipedia; Bahamas Weekly; Wikipedia
