A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 8 February to Sunday 14 February 2021.
Monday, 8 February 2021
US$17.4M to improve internet in 200 communities
Guyana – Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips on Monday told members of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO) that the government would be investing US$17.4M to improve the ICT capabilities of more than 200 communities in Guyana… more
100 tablets donated to MOE under KFC Add Hope programme
Jamaica – Quick-service food company Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ) has donated 100 tablets to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s (MoEYI) ‘One Laptop or Tablet per Child’ initiative… more
Tuesday, 9 February 2021
Mobile Commerce Provider At 100,000 Download Mark
Bahamas – A Bahamian mobile commerce provider says its app has hit the 100,000 download mark through local businesses increasingly using the platform to drive digital sales… more
Liberty Latin America highlights the need for safe Internet access for all
Jamaica – Liberty Latin America (LLA) is observing Safer Internet Day today, February 9, as its subsidiaries across Latin America and the Caribbean promote the need for safe access for all. The day is being observed internationally under the theme, “Together for a better Internet”… more
CANTO CONNECT 2- 37th AGM & Mini Exhibition Day 1 Recap
Regional – CANTO CONNECT 2- 37th AGM & Mini Exhibition delivered all that was promised and more, from virtual start to finish on day 1, Monday 8th February 2021… more
Cybercrime: How to protect yourself
Regional – You may think that hackers stealing your financial information is the only form of cybercrime you have to worry about but sadly this isn’t the case… more
Wednesday, 10 February 2021
FTC warns that Jamaica’s mobile telecoms market is susceptible to coordinated conduct
Jamaica – The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is warning that Jamaica’s mobile telecommunications market is susceptible to coordinated conduct by the dominant mobile players… more
CHE-ANDRE GORDON, Brainboxx’s brain
Jamaica – CHE-ANDRE Gordon is a 28-year-old computer scientist and chief executive officer of Brainboxx Solutions Limited, a Jamaica-based technology company specialising in delivering high-quality software solutions… more
Enterprise: Digital mastery
Jamaica – WE have now reached the last component in our series on the road map to digital transformation – digital mastery. It must be the goal of any organisation that embarks on the journey to ultimately become a digital master… more
PBS Tech Group bond gets investment grade credit rating
Jamaica – A bond issue by PBS Technology Group Limited (PBSTGL) has been assigned ratings of CariA (local currency) and CariA- (foreign currency) by the Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited (CariCRIS) on its regional scale… more
Telegram rules in Jamaica
Jamaica – TELEGRAM Messenger jumped to number one in Jamaica as the app became the most downloaded on mobiles around the world for January 2021… more
Social media for business
Regional – WELCOME to Digital Life and a whole new service for businesses that want to use social media… more
The 6G fight is not for us
Regional – WHILE we are waiting for full deployment of 5G in our markets there is a fight going on over 6G, the next roll-out of the industrial revolution… more
Digital transformation and COVID-19
Regional – Inevitably, in any discussion about technological trends, the term digital transformation pops up, as companies discuss efforts to take advantage of new paradigms within business, technology, and culture… more
Probe into contraband electronic devices continue at BCF
Saint Lucia – Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Senator the Honourable Hermangild Francis has confirmed that going forward the smuggling of contraband including cellphones… more
Digital device addiction
Trinidad and Tobago – Imagine that you’re a typical middle school student having dinner with your family. Your mother takes your smartphone away and puts it in a lock-box that won’t open for an hour… more
Thursday, 11 February 2021
$400,000 Cybersecurity Project To Include Response Team
Bahamas – THE government launched the National Cybersecurity Project yesterday that will establish a national computer incident response team… more
National Cybersecurity Project launched
Bahamas – The government launched the National Cybersecurity Project yesterday, pledging to have a national cybersecurity strategy and Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) established by the third quarter of the year… more
URCA Plans To Study Third Mobile Operator Feasibility
Bahamas – The Bahamian electronic communications sector faces a comprehensive market review that could possibly pave the way for the introduction of a third mobile phone operator… more
Dominican Republic officially launches 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz tenders
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) has officially launched the country’s tender of 5G-compatible frequencies in the 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz bands at an event attended by president Luis Abinader… more
Dominican Republic’s digital banking arena receives boost
Dominican Republic – With a wealth of experience from 80 years in the banking industry Banreservas knew that a digital revolution was taking place so they were already prepared and well positioned to serve its clients when the world closed down in 2020… more
Dominican Republic starts 5G network services
Dominican Republic – The Government started today the 5G network as part of the present administration’s broadband plan… more
46% of Caribbean business behind on training workers for digital era
Regional – Over a quarter of businesses in the Caribbean have not been able to meet their digitisation goals… more
Liberty Latin America Highlights the Need for Safe Internet Access for All
Regional – : Connectivity is at the heart of Liberty Latin America’s business with a focus on ensuring as many people as possible can access the digital world… more
TELEM main office closes at noon on Thursday due to positive COVID-19.
Sint Maarten – Dear Valued Customers, Please be informed that due to one of our staff members testing positive for COVID-19 and out an abundance of caution, our Main Branch will be closing at 12:00 PM today… more
Digicel’s identity crisis
Trinidad and Tobago – Digicel wanted to talk about BiP, their absurdly named communications tool, but what I kept hearing was a company that knew what it was, knew it needed to become something else, and wasn’t sure how it would get there… more
Friday, 12 February 2021
Cable’s $70m Loan Remedies ‘Breaches’ With Aliv Bond Terms
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas’ $70m long-term loan to its Aliv affiliate was yesterday said to have remedied the mobile operator’s non-compliance with conditions attached to $60m in previously-issued bonds… more
Flow joins BUT to give online safety tips
Barbados – Barbados’ leading telecommunication provider is encouraging teachers, parents and students to think about internet safety as it relates to online classes… more
E-Networks thanks GCCI for Business of the Year award
Guyana – E-Networks Inc, Guyana’s only local internet and TV services provider, today expressed its appreciation to the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for naming the company as its 2020 “Large Business of the Year… more
E-Networks welcomes removal of VAT on residential and individual data
Guyana – E-Networks, a 100% Guyanese owned and managed telecoms provider, today lauded the Government of Guyana on removing Value Added Tax (VAT) from residential and individual data services… more
Saturday, 13 February 2021
Be responsible online, say social media influencers
Jamaica – Social media influencers encouraged internet users to be responsible online, during the ‘Influencers’ Roundtable’ segment of Flow Foundation’s Safer Internet Day (SID) Virtual Teen Summit earlier this week… more
Coding programme offers hope for youth
Jamaica – Janeil Weir is one of the few females in the coding programme being offered through the HEART/NSTA Trust by the Amber Group Limited, and the 21-year-old is determined to do her best given the prospects of securing a full-time job in the industry and her own desire to make her mother proud… more
TTMA ready to go digital for 2021 trade and investment conference
Trinidad and Tobago – As much as it hopes to host a hybrid physical and virtual event for this year’s Trade and Investment Convention (TIC), the TT Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) is prepared to go completely digital if necessary… more
Sunday, 14 February 2021
Digicel Jamaica CEO inspired by company owner O’Brien
Jamaica – IT did not take long to know the main inspiration behind the success of Digicel Jamaica’s new man in charge: He is Denis O’Brien, the billionaire Irishman who decided to invest in the local economy 20 years ago… more
itelbpo builds COVID-19-designed contact centres in Jamaica, St Lucia
Jamaica – One of the Caribbean’s largest business process outsourcing firm (BPO), itelbpo, has designed a COVID-19-ready facility in Jamaica, and will further upgrade its St Lucia location… more
Stepping up Jamaica’s telecoms pace with Digicel
Jamaica – HE was born in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, specifically that mountainous section called Tajikstan, Central Asia, which became an independent nation in September 1991, a mere three months after the USSR was dissolved… more
160 tablets donated to help children access education
Trinidad and Tobago – A total of 160 electronic tablets were distributed to primary schools and other organisations recently as part of the programme to provide vulnerable children with equipment to access to remote education… more
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (Pixabay); Logo UK; Wikipedia; Brands of the World; e-Neworks; itelbpo smart solutions;
