A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 21 June to Sunday 27 June 2021.
Monday, 21 June 2021
BTC: 7,000 Homes On Fibre By 2021 End
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) chief executive says 7,000 homes will be added to its new fibre technology network by the end of 2021… more
BTC first in country with fixed mobile convergence; aims for 70K new fiber-to-home connects by year’s end
Bahamas – The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is aiming to have 70,000 new homes connected to its fiber-to-the home infrastructure by year’s end, according to its chief executive, with the company becoming the first communications provider in country to offer fixed mobile convergence (FMC)… more
BTC touts first-of-its-kind bundling option for The Bahamas
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is touting a first-of-its-kind bundle in The Bahamas that includes home and mobile products, with mobile family plans that include four lines… more
Network Upgrade Hits Rev Customers
Bahamas – LOCAL cable and internet provider REV said “unforeseen complications” during a scheduled network upgrade left nearly a quarter of residential customers in New Providence without service for a period yesterday… more
Pay your bills on time
Trinidad and Tobago – I am in agreement with Mr O Wilson’s letter in the Sunday Express, that citizens will splurge on KFC, Carnival costumes and MovieTowne dinners, but will not pay their WASA, T&TEC and TSTT bills on time… more
Tuesday, 22 June 2021
Kanoo defends contract awards
Bahamas – Digital payment solutions provider, Kanoo, yesterday defended its record and award of government contracts, insisting that it “welcomes and embraces the government’s procurement process [and] the record would reflect that we abide by them”… more
BUT head: Teaching online is hard, educators need a break
Barbados – The nation’s four teachers’ trade unions appear to have pulled the rug from under the Ministry of Education in their collective rejection of a Government-mandated summer school programme… more
FLOW RECORDS INCREASED FAULTS FOLLOWING ‘FREAK STORM’
Barbados – Barbados’ leading telecommunications provider has reported an increase in the number of faults recorded since last week’s ‘freak storm’… more
Digicel bringing the power of podcasts to customers with GoLoud
Jamaica – With the global podcast industry growing by 25% last year to reach a value of just over US$1.1 billion against an overall media and entertainment industry growth of just 4%, it’s clear that, in 2021, the ears have it… more
Flow targets small and medium-size businesses in free online webinar
Jamaica – WITH many businesses transitioning to the online space, Flow Business is continuing to empower small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) on their digital journey by helping them to seamlessly make the transition — including arming them with the necessary information to keep their business ahead of the game… more
ECTEL announces winners of its Girls in ICT Day Contest
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – THREE CARIBBEAN girls who took the time to learn more about Information and Communications Technology (ICT) have been rewarded. Malea Antoine, Mataellia Breen and Jasmine Dusauzay each won an Amazon Gift Card valued at US$100 for participating in a recent Girls in ICT Day follow up contest staged by the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL)… more
Wednesday, 23 June 2021
Sun Cash’s digital wallet users top 50,000
Bahamas – More than 50,000 active users now use Sun Cash’s mobile wallet to carry out digital payments, a milestone that means the digital payment provider is getting its platform’s services right, the company’s Head of Business Development Raymond Smith told Guardian Business yesterday… more
Flow records increased faults since ‘freak’ weather system
Barbados – Barbados’ leading telecommunications provider reported an increase in the number of faults recorded since last week’s ‘freak storm’… more
Caribbean tech companies to pitch investors
Caribbean – Tech Beach Retreat (TBR) LAB will host its first virtual Demo Day on June 25 when Caribbean technology start-ups will meet with international investors representing over US$250 million in investment capital… more
Digicel subsidiaries upgraded by Fitch ratings service
Caribbean – Debt restructuring and expectations of improved revenue have led Fitch Ratings to affirm Digicel Group Holdings Limited’s (DGHL) Long-Term (LT) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘CCC’… more
IDB hoping to connect regional firms in digital space to Miami firms
Caribbean – Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Mauricio Claver-Carone is working to remove tourism from the tops of investors’ minds and have them begin to immediately think of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region in terms of the opportunities in the digital space… more
Learning from the Masters with PlayGo Emerge
Caribbean – As part of its commitment to developing the regional film industry, PlayGo, through its film competition PlayGo Emerge, is offering a series of masterclasses with some of the Caribbean’s best film professionals… more
Security road map lock shop (Pt 1)
Caribbean – In our previous articles, we looked at the importance of identifying all an organisation’s critical assets to establish a clear understanding and awareness of associated risks… more
‘Click N Collect’ changing efficiency to sea freight
Jamaica – CHIEF executive officer of Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) Mark Williams is advancing that the company’s ‘Click N Collect’ contactless cargo clearance service is introducing efficiencies normally associated with airfreight to the sea freight industry… more
Grading IT professionals
Jamaica – How can you be assured that your technology expert is an expert? Learning and growth for self-development and learning and growth for employment are two different things… more
Jamaican-born Sarah Cooper who drove Trump crazy is Digital Creator of the Year
Jamaica – Sarah Cooper, the merciless Donald Trump impersonator who almost drove the former United States president to ban TikTok from the US, has won Adweek’s Digital Creator of the Year 2020 award, Hollywood Reporter said Monday… more
Jamaicans ‘teching’ over the world
Jamaica – Jody Simpson emigrated from Jamaica to the United States of America in 2013 while a sixth-form student… more
Productive Business Solutions merging with Trinidad’s Massy Technologies
Jamaica – Documents and information technology (IT) company Productive Business Solutions (PBS) is merging with Massy Technologies (Trinidad and Tobago), which is also in the IT business… more
Views from the bar: Gambling with cryptocurrency
Trinidad and Tobago – In the beginning, there was man, grain and bartering. Since then, human beings have revolutionised the exchange of goods and services by introducing a standard exchange rate, paper currency, and non-precious coinage… more
Thursday, 24 June 2021
SunCash launches new payments card “$martPay”
Bahamas – With banks transitioning to cashless environments or exiting The Bahamas altogether, business owners now have an alternative, secure and transparent option to pay their employees via the new SunCash payroll and $martPay Card… more
Partnership brings Bitt an award
Barbados – For its work on the DCash pilot, global fintech company, Bitt, was awarded as the 2021 Central Bank Digital Currency Partner by the industry’s leading information resource – Central Banking Publications… more
Closing digital gap could create up to 15 million jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Caribbean – Latin America and the Caribbean could dramatically increase employment and kickstart sustainable economic growth if it closed its digital connectivity gap with members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)… more
Enterprise transformation bosses: SMEs are important
Caribbean – Four Caribbean enterprise leaders got together to discuss digital transformation at The Caribbean Innovation Ecosystem – An Enterprise Level Outlook, a virtual seminar last week hosted by Tech Beach Retreat Labs, and the conversation wasn’t only about big business… more
IDB announces ‘Silver Economy’ challenge
Caribbean – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with its innovation laboratory, IDB Lab, has opened the Silver Economy Innovation for Inclusion Challenge, to find and support innovative solutions that facilitate the growing population of seniors to become an engine of social inclusion and economic recovery in the Latin American and the Caribbean region… more
Data-driven decisions will help resolve many human resource management issues
Trinidad and Tobago – The decision to open the borders at this time, with new coronavirus cases still not falling consistently under 300, must not have been an easy one, and should send a message that we are looking past the virus and on to our economic circumstance… more
Friday, 25 June 2021
Barbados gets top marks as new IDB report evaluates broadband development in LAC
Barbados – A new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) suggests that Latin America and the Caribbean could dramatically increase employment and kick-start sustainable economic growth if it closed its digital connectivity gap with members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)… more
5G Americas, GSMA & CANTO to co-host Virtual Summit about 5G in the Caribbean during MWC 2021
Caribbean – 5G Americas, together with GSMA North America and CANTO, will co-host the 5G Caribbean Virtual Summit. This event is scheduled for June 30th and July 1st, 2021. It will take place alongside MWC21 Barcelona… more
PM spearheads CARICOM engagement to eliminate roaming charges
Caribbean – Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dr the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell is spearheading a CARICOM initiative to eliminate roaming charges for Caribbean nationals travelling within the region… more
ECSC Launch of its E-Litigation Portal in Grenada and E-Litigation Documentary
Grenada – The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) hosted a media briefing and launch of its E-Litigation Portal for the Member State of Grenada… more
Govt set to authorise spectrum for 4G, 5G services
Guyana – The Telecommunications Agency (TA) is about to allocate additional frequency spectrum to Guyana’s three major telecommunications providers, according to a publication in the Official Gazette… more
JPS outage tracking system vulnerable to cyberattacks
Jamaica – The Jamaica Public Service Company system used to track power outages is vulnerable to cyberattacks, and needs to be upgraded, the power utility said in its annual filing for a tariff review of electricity rates… more
ECCB to launch Dcash in SVG by month-end
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has partnered with several banks, credit unions, and businesses to provide a new payment option for countries in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU)… more
bmobile allows data-free access for TTPS Reporting and Safety App
Trinidad and Tobago – All bmobile customers now have free access to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) App, and can report an issue or crime and even use the SOS Alert system, without having a data plan or even credit on their account… more
UWI dancers triumph over remote learning
Trinidad and Tobago – Remote learning has upended traditional teaching methods and the manner in which students interact with tutors and even with each other over the past 15 months… more
Saturday, 26 June 2021
Enabling focus on innovation and technology
Barbados – The Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation (BEF) $20 Challenge, has announced that it will be launching a new pilot series in collaboration with the Optimist Clubs of Barbados under the theme Igniting the Entrepreneurial Mindset which will focus on enabling innovation and embracing more technology… more
‘Zombies’ to benefit from online platform
Barbados – Fitness enthusiasts in Barbados and the world can look forward to a unique and exciting workout program called Zombie Fit being launched in early August… more
Belize’s Digitized Transport System
Belize – The Belize Motor Vehicle Registration and License System has been discussed in the media for a number of years to date… more
Sunday, 27 June 2021
E-Governance and Digitalization Unit Supports Belize Motor Vehicle Registration and Licensing System
Belize – On June 23, 2021, the Government of Belize and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) hosted an achievement and handing over ceremony for the Belize Motor Vehicle Licensing and Registration System (BMVRLS)… more
Coding in Schools programme to be expanded
Jamaica – The Coding in Schools programme, which is now in its pilot phase in 20 schools, is set to be rolled out in other institutions shortly… more
Global Services Sector Project hosts virtual talent fair
Jamaica – The Global Services Sector (GSS) Project hosted its inaugural GSS Virtual Talent Hub Fair last Thursday with the objective of connecting jobseekers to the more than 4,000 entry- and mid-level positions available in a variety of areas in the global services sector… more
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