A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 8 March to Sunday 14 March 2021.
Monday, 8 March 2021
Sir Franklyn: Is Data Protection Up To Challenge?
Bahamas – A prominent businessman is questioning whether the government and private sector are doing enough to protect Bahamians’ personal financial data from employee theft in a growing digital economy… more
Belize embarks on digital transformation with Apex
Belize – Digital transformation has come to Belize… more
House to tackle digital data bills
British Virgin Islands – The first House of Assembly sitting of 2021 is scheduled to kick off this week with a packed agenda that includes a slew of bills in the digital sphere up for debate… more
OfReg moves to regulate local IXPs
Cayman Islands – Following a public and industry consultation on the lack of internet exchange points (IXPs) in the Cayman Islands, OfReg, the utilities regulator, has revealed that it is creating a regulatory framework to pave the way for these local exchanges. OfReg said that it is in the public interest to regulate IXPs to protect local internet traffic and cut costs… more
Ansord Hewitt | New perspectives on information and communication technology in the COVID-19 era
Jamaica – A significant positive correlation between a country’s information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and its economic growth has long been the received wisdom… more
Half of smallbiz yet to log on to e-commerce
Jamaica – The few small enterprises that pivoted to online commerce since the pandemic, riding the wave of increased digital payments, are also finding it a more convenient way to do business, according to participants at ‘Let’s Go Digital’, a virtual conference put on by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, PSOJ… more
Is the Jamaican government giving BPO investors the “green light to disregard labour laws”?
Jamaica – With tens of thousands of jobs linked to the tourism sector lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Jamaican government has heralded the island’s fast-expanding business process outsourcing (BPO) sector as a much-needed source of jobs… more
SMA Request for Proposal Extended Until March 23
Jamaica – The Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) has extended the deadline for submission of the Requests for Proposal (RFPs) for licence in the 700 MHz Spectrum (Band 13) to March 23, 2021 at 1:00 p.m… more
Secretary General’s Message International Women’s Day 2021
Regional – International Women’s Day 2021 continues to build on last year’s theme of Generation Equality. This year, woman across the world stand in solidarity, raising ours hands to assert the right to #ChooseToChallenge gender inequality… more
Digicel customers get to access TTPS app for free
Trinidad and Tobago – Local Digicel customers will be able to access the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s (TTPS) feature on their app without depleting their data plans… more
Tuesday, 9 March 2021
RVIPF rolls out crime-mapping technology
British Virgin Islands – The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) has rolled out a system in which crime in the British Virgin Islands is mapped based on the geographical location where it occurs… more
UWI webinar to focus on online teaching
Jamaica – DEPUTY principal of The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus Dr Francis Severin says, “Regional development is set to face a significant setback with a recent UNICEF [United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund] report highlighting school closures affecting 98 million children throughout Latin America and the Caribbean… more
Growth after the storms across the Caribbean
Regional – Life has been challenging for Digicel, with earthquakes, hurricanes, financial troubles and now Covid. New CEO Oliver Coughlan tells Alan Burkitt-Gray that the company has a new strategy to build growth… more
Digicel SVG to celebrate 18 years as a telecoms company in SVG
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Come March 24, 2021, Digicel SVG will celebrate 18 years as a telecommunications company here in St Vincent and the Grenadines… more
Digicel zero-rates TTPS app
Trinidad and Tobago – The Police Service mobile app has now been zero-rated by Digicel which means Digicel customers can use the app without data, credit or a wireless connection… more
DIGITAL AGE
Trinidad and Tobago – MAKEDA Antoine-Cambridge brings unique experience, skills and perspective to her new role as business coach through Genesis International Ltd, which she founded and leads… more
Wednesday, 10 March 2021
CASHLESS PUSH: Digital payments provider calls for more education on digital wallets
Bahamas – A Bahamian digital payments provider yesterday acknowledged that more must be done to educate Bahamians on the use of digital wallets as this nation moves aggressively towards a cashless environment… more
Fintech Broker/Dealers Expected To ‘Proliferate’
Bahamas – A Bahamian financial services executive yesterday said he expects a “proliferation” of new locally-owned broker/dealers and investment advisers operating in the fintech (financial technology) space… more
Parents urged to stop bashing teachers online
British Virgin Islands – President of the BVI Teachers’ Union, Tammy Henry has cautioned parents to refrain from bashing educators online as this negatively affects children’s behaviour in the classroom… more
A new BPO in Montego Bay — Segoso Caribbean
Jamaica – Sequium Asset Solutions LLC, a privately held firm based in Marietta, Georgia, recently launched Segoso Caribbean, a business process outsourcing (BPO) nearshore outsourcing firm in Montego Bay… more
BOJ upgrading bank-watch IT platform
Jamaica – The creation of a new integrated IT platform for the safe sharing of bank supervision information between the Bank of Jamaica, BOJ, and the deposit-takers that it regulates will get under way later this year… more
Businesses urged to leverage technology in business transformation
Jamaica – Chief digital and marketing officer of NCB Group Nadeen Matthews Blair has challenged businesses to leverage the technologies implemented in their digital transformations to create a positive change in their business models and enhance customer experience… more
Digital currency by next year
Jamaica – The Government says Jamaicans will have access to digital currency by next year as the Holness Administration advances on strategies to transform the nation into a digital society… more
Of coins and chains — Pt 1
Jamaica – Over the past couple of weeks, local dialogue about the phenomenon that is bitcoin and, by extension, cryptocurrency and blockchain has seemingly escalated… more
Social $ense: Rules of engagement
Jamaica – If you are into social media, then there’s no question that you’ve heard the word ‘engagement’ before. No, it’s not the time for a wedding cake… more
Stacy Kirk, BRAND JAMAICA BELIEVER
Jamaica – Stacy Kirk believes that a country like Jamaica with a well-known reputation and brand can and should produce technology to enhance the strength of Brand Jamaica… more
TBR Lab aims to enhance growth potential of Caribbean startups
Regional – The online application process for TBR LAB is now open, bringing Caribbean startups one step closer to gaining unprecedented access to world-class instructors, seasoned mentors and potential investors… more
Regional fintech WiPay Caribbean recruits former deputy BOJ governor as chairman
Trinidad and Tobago – Regional fintech company WiPay Caribbean has recruited, with immediate effect, former Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Deputy Governor Livingstone Morrison as chairman of its board of directors… more
Thursday, 11 March 2021
House passes data protection legislation
British Virgin Islands – A bill that legislators said will help bring government services into the 21st Century while protecting users’ privacy passed the House of Assembly on March 5… more
New bill passed to boost electronic transfers
British Virgin Islands – A bill that would boost mobile commerce by regulating the electronic transfer of funds for both the public and private sectors passed unanimously Tuesday in the House of Assembly… more
Dominica’s education minister weighs in on drone controversy
Dominica – Minister for Education, Octavia Alfred, has strongly condemned the actions of two men who it is alleged were flying a drone over the Prime Minister’s residence in Morne Daniel last week… more
Jamaica to Pilot CBDC Later This Year
Jamaica – Jamaica is planning to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in 2022… more
10 IT jobs available in T&T now
Trinidad and Tobago – Information Technology (IT) has to do with the use of computers, networks and systems to create, process, secure, store, and transfer information… more
TSTT reneges on early retirement offer: Clerk seeks $1M from employer
Trinidad and Tobago – A Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT) payroll clerk will learn the fate of her almost $1 million lawsuit against her employer, over it reneging on an offer of early retirement… more
Friday, 12 March 2021
URCA and the ITU Partner to Provide Mobile Telecommunications Services to Islands impacted by Hurricane Dorian
Bahamas – Chief Executive Officer of the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), Carlton Smith said URCA and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) each donated $30,000 for a combined total of $60,000 to provide complimentary mobile telecommunication services to residents impacted by the deadly Hurricane Dorian in Abaco and Grand Bahama… more
HOA passes promised suite of e-legislation
British Virgin Islands – A long-promised update to the legislative framework governing how the Virgin Islands conducts business online came through the House of Assembly over the past week as five related bills got the thumbs-up from legislators… more
Bank of Jamaica set to roll out digital currency by early 2022
Jamaica – Minister of Finance and the Public Service Dr Nigel Clarke says that the Bank of Jamaica’s new Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will be rolled out by early 2022… more
BOJ hires outside tech services to assist with bank monitoring
Jamaica – It’s been three years since the International Monetary Fund, IMF, recommended that Jamaica devise a more thorough risk-based method of supervising the banking system for a better picture of its financial health, detection of potential or… more
Concerns over data purge of NIDS database
Jamaica – The Jamaican Bar Association has raised concern that there is no provision in the current National Identification and Registration Act (NIRA) for an individual’s data to be purged from the database if a cancellation is requested… more
Cyber risks, tax policies, top concerns for Caribbean CEOs — PwC survey
Jamaica – Following the acceleration in digital transformation to offset the impact of novel coronavirus pandemic, coupled with the significant increase in cybersecurity incidents in 2020, cyber threats have become a major source of anxiety for Caribbean businesses… more
Digicel boost for SMEs
Jamaica – In an effort to improve Jamaica’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prospects, Digicel has launched a package of measures to boost business recovery and help them take full advantage of fresh opportunities in e-commerce… more
Joel Allen | Enabling innovation critical for Jamaica’s socio-economic development
Jamaica – It is time for Jamaica to focus on enabling innovation that significantly increases its economic output, permitting deeper cross-sector collaboration and increased high-value job creation… more
Robinson blasts Gov’t for upside-down logic in USF Wi-Fi spending cuts
Jamaica – Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson railed against a plan by the Universal Service Fund (USF) to outfit only two sites in each of the 63 constituencies across the island with Internet access in the 2021-2022 fiscal year… more
680 household to benefit from subsidized Internet
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Six-hundred and eighty households and 2,900 students who received digital tablets from the government are expected to benefit from an initiative by the NTRC… more
Internet service at physical classrooms being upgraded
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – When students and teachers in St Vincent and the Grenadines return to physical classrooms, they should experience a faster and more efficient Internet service… more
Fast Internet for the Grenadines delayed
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – The provision of proper broadband services to residents of the Grenadines is being held up, by among other things, negotiations with Digicel over rates for use of the undersea cable that connects St Vincent and Grenada to the Grenadines… more
Saturday, 13 March 2021
Flow may increase landline costs, but not more than 3 per cent
Barbados – Barbadians could end up paying more for their landline service from Cable & Wireless (Barbados) Limited (C&W) in the future… more
Prepaid FLOW calls to cost more
Barbados – Some Flow Barbados customers will have to start paying slightly more for talking on their mobile prepaid phones at the end of this month… more
Homeschooling or remote learning during COVID-19
Jamaica – THE EDITOR, Madam: Through my observations I have realised that there exists a growing demand to establish home schools, due to the COVID-19 pandemic… more
More Tablets Donated to Support Students’ Online Learning Needs
Saint Lucia – The recent call to action by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, Janet Yellen, to the G-20 for a new issue of IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDR)… more
Sunday, 14 March 2021
Mastercard, Dynamics Payments launch financial technology solution
Jamaica – Mastercard has teamed up with payment processing technology compan Dynamics Payments, to launch an application (app) which will increase financial inclusion for the Caribbean region… more
Scotia Group to expand digital offerings
Jamaica – Scotia Group Jamaica, operator of the country’s second largest commercial bank, will deepen its investment in digital services this year and is weighing the prospect of what the virtual currency being developed by the central bank could mean for business… more
Image credits: The Blue Diamond Gallery; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Jamaica Information Service; Trinidad and Tobago Newsday; Wikipedia; Wikipedia;
