A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 16 August to Sunday 22 August 2021.
Monday, 16 August 2021
Public Library receives technological donation
Antigua and Barbuda – The Antigua Public Library is the beneficiary of a donation of six fully functional tablets facilitated by the local organisation Redonda Robots… more
NEW INVESTMENT OPPORTNITIES: Two int’l companies to soon launch on ArawakX crowdfunding platform
Bahamas – Beginning next week, Bahamians will have a chance to have ownership in two international companies that will launch on the ArawakX crowdfunding platform on Monday, August 23… more
The World Leading Sand Dollar
Bahamas – LAST year The Bahamas became a global leader in e-money, after launching its own Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), the Sand Dollar, ranked number one in the PwC Global CBDC Index… more
#BTColumn – Crowdfunding to finance healthcare
Barbados – This week I watched a very moving interview on Mornin’ Barbados with Jaelle Goddard, discussing her journey as she navigates from diagnosis of cervical cancer to commencing her treatment in the United Kingdom… more
BUSINESS MONDAY: DIGITAL PUSH
Caribbean – WHILE the digital revolution in at least one leading Caribbean business enterprise did not start with COVID-19, the pandemic has more or less accelerated the process… more
IICA director examines barriers to digitalisation of agriculture in rural areas
Caribbean – The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, says while potential benefits offered by the digitalisation of agriculture are enormous, its expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean is still in its infancy due to six barriers… more
Boss Revolution to provide no-fee money transfers to Haiti after earthquake
Haiti – IDT said its flagship consumer brand will be providing no-fee money transfers and reduced calling rates to Haiti after the earthquake that struck this pass weekend… more
Freelancers getting a boost from The Hive
Jamaica – Having successfully launched last year, Ingenuity Technologies is reporting that its freelancing website, The Hive, has already grown beyond expectations creating a community of more than 10,000 across the Caribbean, India and the United States… more
Work to start soon on GovNet platform
Jamaica – GovNet is the platform that will provide a secure network for all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs)… more
Coding and Robotics Rock!
Jamaica – The innovative virtual summer programme, the IGT Coding and Robotics Rock Camp for Caribbean students, got underway last week… more
Engineering a remote work reality
Trinidad and Tobago – It takes a human resources professional to rephrase the glamour of Work From Home and its trendy acronym, WFH, into proper HR terms… more
Tuesday, 17 August 2021
2,000 homes in Abaco to be connected to BTC’s fiber network
Bahamas – Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is expanding its fiber to the home network by 2,000 families in Abaco, representing a “massive overhaul” of the island’s network… more
BTC conducts massive fiber upgrade on Abaco
Bahamas – Approximately 2,000 families on Abaco will have access to BTC’s expanding fiber to the home network… more
NTI STARR HUNT LAUNCHED
Barbados – Barbadians not only have a chance to enhance their skillset through the online courses on the National Transforma-tion Initiative (NTI) website, but now they can win prizes through the NTI STARR Hunt with BiP… more
NTUCB President Says GOB’s Switch to Smart was Ridiculous
Belize – And while the United Democratic Party hit the government on one side, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize hit the government on the other… more
Altice and Claro lodge bids for Dominican 5G spectrum auction
Dominican Republic – Altice Dominicana and Claro Dominicana have submitted technical and economic offers to The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) as the regulator prepares to auction 5G spectrum… more
Growth & Jobs | Driva Ja aims to change the food delivery market
Jamaica – THE RISE of food delivery service has become a major trend in Jamaica over the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and positioned to take advantage of the increasing demand for effective and time-sensitive delivery is the new Jamaican tech start-up, Driva Ja… more
Keniel looking to use AI to transform Jamaica’s health sector
Jamaica – IF 25-year-old software developer Keniel Peart has his way upon returning from the United Kingdom with a prestigious master’s degree, then artificial intelligence (AI) will play a major role in revolutionising the Jamaican health sector… more
Flow aids in the fight against COVID-19
Saint Kitts and Nevis – Regional Communications provider Flow implemented a few initiatives in St Kitts and Nevis to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic… more
Wednesday, 18 August 2021
Cable In Revenue Increase Pass Expectations
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas Ltd (CBL) “surpassed expectations” for the 2021 fiscal year with revenue increasing by four percent in the final quarter… more
Island Luck Teams Up on Sports Betting Technology
Bahamas – Kambi Group Plc, a provider in sports betting technology, has teamed up with local gaming house, Island Luck, to provide the latter with premium sports betting technology… more
PM Briceno Elaborates on GOB’s Move to SMART
Belize – Telecommunications company, Speednet SMART this morning responded to recent reports of government ministries switching telephone services to privately owned company Smart from government control company, Belize Telemedia Limited… more
Taiwanese University Students’ Volunteer Group donates laptops to 9 schools
Belize – This week, nine schools received a donation of laptops through the student volunteer group from Taiwan’s National Tsing-Hua University – Belize Educational Service Group (BESG)… more
Bluedot founder and CEO said to be in breach of deal with SSL Venture Capital
Jamaica – Founder of data insights company Bluedot, Larren Peart, has seeminly reneged on a deal with investment outfit SSL Venture Capital in which he would reacquire majority share ownership of his company… more
Cybersecurity Road Map for Business – The Conclusion
Jamaica – AS we conclude with article twelve of our Cybersecurity Road Map for Business series, let’s summarise all of the information we have provided to you… more
Consumers increasingly going online for bill payments
Jamaica – JAMAICANS worried about the novel coronavirus pandemic are logging on to the Internet in droves to make bill payments… more
Jamaica’s Central Bank Says It Would Need Court Order to Track CBDC Transactions
Jamaica – The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), the country’s central bank, said customer protection policies prevent it from being able to trace digital dollar transactions, though it has the technology to do that… more
NCB and Scotiabank’s rivalry transitions to the digital network
Jamaica – Jamaica’s two leading banking groups, National Commercial Bank (NCB) and Scotiabank, have transitioned their rivalry to the digital network with the formation of more digital branches across the island… more
Police dispatch system being upgraded
Jamaica – The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Computer Aided Dispatch System is being upgraded as part of efforts to improve the efficiency of police service delivery… more
Uber Rent Launches in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico – Uber has launched Uber Rent on its app in Puerto Rico, according to a report by Newsismybusiness.com (NimB)… more
Thursday, 19 August 2021
Aliv In Covid-Inspired Demand For Fibre Services
Bahamas – A senior Aliv executive says the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for fibre services, transitioning away from lower bandwidth standard modem services… more
ArawakX sees 100% month-on-month jump in investor sign-ups
Bahamas – ArawakX is seeing 150 potential investors sign on to its platform per day, representing a 100 percent increase month-on-month… more
Procedure for returning VI digital textbooks
British Virgin Islands – Parents of students in the public school system who utilise the Virgin Islands Digital eBook/Textbook (VIDE) are asked to note the following procedures for returning the devices to the Ministry of Education… more
Caribbean – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband – Statistics and Analyses
Caribbean – Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets… more
Cuba Places Tighter Controls on Social Media Sites
Cuba – Cuba introduced tighter controls on the use of social media this week, including a ban on publications that might damage “the country’s prestige,” angering many citizens and international rights activists… more
Dominican Republic – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband – Statistics and Analyses
Dominican Republic – A show of stability in the face of widespread disruption is a sure sign of strength in the sector, yet the Dominican Republic remains behind most of its counterparts in the Latin American region, especially in terms of fixed-line network coverage… more
E-Networks to extend fibre optic submarine cable to Suriname
Guyana – E-Networks has been granted permission by the Guyana Government to connect its fibre optic submarine cable to Suriname to provide for redundancy here… more
Huawei opens call for students for Seeds for the Future programme
Trinidad and Tobago – Huawei will soon open the call for the sixth annual staging of its Seeds for the Future programme, the company’s flagship global corporate social responsibility initiative… more
Friday, 20 August 2021
TVET COUNCIL, WORLDSKILLS RUSSIA TO HOST FUTURE SKILLS CAMP
Barbados – Fourteen- to 18-year-olds in this country will have an opportunity to learn and hone their skills in five areas as WorldSkills Russia and the TVET Council (TVETC) host the upcoming Future Skills Camp… more
Avaya Engage 2021 registration opens for Latin American and Caribbean registrants
Caribbean – Avaya, a world leader in solutions to improve and simplify communications and collaboration, announced the 2021 edition of its Avaya ENGAGE Latin America event, to be held on August 25 and August 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), for the second consecutive year on a digital platform… more
DCash- Making Payments Easier
Caribbean – Timothy Antoine, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s Governor is keen on seeing workers getting their wages more speedily. And the best way of ensuring this is embracing the use of DCash payments… more
WiPay Caribbean moving headquarters to Jamaica
Caribbean – Payment facility WiPay Caribbean is expanding its footprint in Jamaica… more
Guydrones – changing the face of agriculture in Guyana with drone technology
Guyana – Having already established itself in North America, Guydrones – a company headed by a U.S based Guyanese couple – is looking to change the face of agriculture in Guyana with the use of drone technology… more
IICA, SBB to roll out Amazon-type e-commerce platform next month
Guyana – With local entrepreneurial growth, particularly in the agri-foods sector having long been hampered by chronic weaknesses in mechanisms to allow for businesses to access regional, extra-regional and even local markets, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), through its Regional Economic Project Initiative, is seeking to help remove that constraint by working with the state-run Small Business Bureau (SBB) to introduce an e-commerce regime designed to create a new opening for local products to benefit from significantly enhanced market access… more
Companies urged to get sensitised on new Data Protection Act
Jamaica – Companies who fail to adequately protect customers’ data could be fined up to four per cent of their revenue in the next two years… more
WiPay to drive regional expansion from new base in Ja
Jamaica – With three years of operation under its belt, and an estimated US$210 million in annual transactions, payment facilitator WiPay Caribbean is expanding its footprint in Jamaica, with an eye on further market penetration, regionally, including retailing central bank-backed digital currencies, or CBDCs, here and in the Eastern Caribbean… more
Saturday, 21 August 2021
UDP, BCWU condemn switch to SMART
Belize – At a press conference held by the United Democratic Party on Tuesday of this week, area representative for the Albert Division, Tracy Panton, who sat at the UDP head table with UDP leader, Hon. Patrick Faber, and Orange Walk East area representative, Elodio Aragon, Jr., commented on the decision made by several government ministries to procure the telecommunications services of the privately owned Speednet Communications Limited (SMART) — thus replacing the nationally owned Belize Telemedia Limited as their telecom provider… more
Sunday, 22 August 2021
BBS Student receives computer for successful finish in Blockchain Studies
Bahamas – In 2020, the BBS team in The Bahamas presented Anderson with a data-enabled device that she and her sister used to learn remotely during COVID-19 lockdowns– more
CTU To Discuss Internet Governance Priorities in Post-COVID-19 Era
Caribbean – The CIGF will address various work streams of Internet governance necessary to seize this opportunity for accelerated digital transformation in a trusted and secure manner, and position the Caribbean for sustainable, ICT-driven post-COVID recovery… more
Jamaica’s digital currency ‘more secure than Bitcoin’
Jamaica – Founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of eCurrency, Jonathan Dharmapalan, has given the assurance that Jamaica’s digital currency will not be a security headache… more
Using citizen power for the improvement of early warning systems
Jamaica – It was interesting to see and hear the discussion surrounding warnings related to Tropical Storm Grace. The official position is that adequate information was available yet citizens stated that they were not adequately warned… more
Image credits: Andrys Stienstra (Pixabay); Twitter; The Eleutheran; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Trinidad and Tobago Newsday; Facebook
