A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 22 November to Sunday 28 November 2021.
Monday, 22 November 2021
Cable Hails $75m Spend For Record Internet Year
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas says a $75m network investment over the past three years enabled its Internet business to enjoy its “best ever” year during COVID-19’s peak with subscribers hitting 56,000… more
Niche AI Startup and Ambitious Founder Aim to Reverse Brain Drain in Guyana
Guyana – Most recent talk of Guyana has revolved around its oil and gas boom, which, having turned the country’s fortunes on its head, also provided the thrust behind this small slice of South America becoming the fastest growing economy in the world in 2019… more
Power company donates tablets valued at $425K to Old Harbour Primary
Jamaica – South Jamaica Power Company (SJPC) has delivered tablets valued at $425,000 to students enrolled in grades five and six at the Old Harbour Bay Primary School in support of students’ preparations for the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations… more
Sunbeam Boys Home gets free internet upgrade from Flow Foundation
Jamaica – The management and residents of the Sunbeam Boys Home in Spring Village, St Catherine have renewed enthusiasm and excitement about their online schooling thanks to an upgrade of their fixed internet service by the Flow Foundation… more
Huawei’s DigitalTT day delivers fuzzy thinking
Trinidad and Tobago – ON ITS 15th anniversary as a telecommunications infrastructure provider in Trinidad and Tobago, Huawei hosted a discussion on DigitalTT at the Hyatt Regency on Wednesday… more
The changing face of local banking
Trinidad and Tobago – When I was a teenager RBC opened a savings account for me as part of their Young Leaders programme… more
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
Belize – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband – Statistics and Analyses
Belize – Just released, this edition of BuddeComm report outlines the latest developments and key trends in the telecoms markets… more
Analytics in practice
Caribbean – A recent ACCA webinar in the Caribbean featured data analyst professionals from the Big Four firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – as they explained how the finance functions of the future will harness new technologies for the benefit of the whole organisation. But to do so, they will also need to change how they operate… more
Champion Entrepreneur 2021: The award goes to Kyle Maloney of Tech Beach Retreat Ltd
Caribbean – WHEN Kyle Maloney learned that he would be the recipient of the coveted Entrepreneurship award (sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Unit Trust Corporation) in the Chamber’s annual Champions of Business Awards, it did not come entirely as a surprise… more
Entrepreneurship to take centre stage at Future of Caribbean Money conference in December
Caribbean – A greater focus is expected to be placed on entrepreneurs at the upcoming Future of Caribbean Money conference set to take place from December 8-9… more
Altice Group starts 5G deployment in the Dominican Republic based on Innovation
Dominican Republic – Altice Dominicana held the first 5G innovation event in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, where Paulo Pereira, Altice Labs’ Head of Innovation and Technology Strategy, was a speaker and attended the event along with other telecommunication companies and representatives from the public and international sector… more
PM receives 1,000 internet boxes from Huawei
Guyana – Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on Monday received 1,000 internet boxes (LTE/Wifi CPE) from several representatives of Chinese multinational technology corporation, Huawei… more
tTech records steady growth for third quarter
Jamaica – Managed IT services provider tTech Limited is reporting an unaudited after-tax profit of $6.7 million for its third quarter ended September 30, 2021, a 21.8 per cent increase over 2020’s $5.5 million… more
WiPay inks deal with Petcom
Jamaica – WIPAY Jamaica has signed an exclusive payment processing agreement with petrol distributors, Petroleum Company of Jamaica (Petcom)… more
TelEm workers downs tools until the company rectifies November salary
Sint Maarten – Telem employees backed by their union the St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) are calling for management of the company to reverse all the changes made to their November 2021 salary which retract merit increases and merit max bonuses… more
Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Aliv: ‘Honeymoon Period’ Now Over
Bahamas – Aliv’s top executive yesterday warned that “the honeymoon period” is over despite service revenues enjoying four successive month-over-month increases to hit $5m for October… more
Aliv Chief: Mobile Market Too Small For Third Entrant
Bahamas – Aliv’s top executive yesterday said the Bahamian mobile market is too small to “warrant” licensing a third operator to compete with itself and the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC)… more
New Technology improves the BVI Cruise Experience!
British Virgin Islands – The BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA),in collaboration with BVI Now, announced today a major update to the app to serve the needs of cruise ship passengers and improve their onshore experience… more
CXC announces new C-TECH qualification in ‘character building’
Caribbean – The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on Tuesday announced a new qualification – C-TECH – to certify the building of character of secondary school students, in a bid to offer more than just academic qualifications… more
Alliance of Jamaican and British technology bodies
Jamaica – Jamaica Technology and Digital Alliance (JTDA) has announced a partnership with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS), formerly the British Computer Society… more
BPO boom continues
Jamaica – Jamaica has grown to be the most important business process outsourcing (BPO) location in the English-speaking Caribbean with more than 87 operators investing in the sector and the prospects for greater investments in 2022… more
GraceKennedy deems digital agenda successful
Jamaica – HAVING launched its Digital Factory earlier in February of this year as the main driver of its broader digital strategy, GraceKennedy Limited (GK) has made moves to further build out its digital agenda… more
Huawei investing in Jamaica
Jamaica – There is no denying that an utterly technological world is fast approaching, and it’s essential for Jamaica to participate altogether. Technology will be an even more integral part of society in this new era, especially the economy, and Jamaicans must be ready to take part… more
JPL announces Konnexx sponsorship
Jamaica – Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) announced yesterday that it has secured a $10-million club sponsorship from Konnexx Services Limited for the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season that seeks to get under way next January… more
Narda Ventura — Making school fees Ezee
Jamaica – Co-founder and chief executive officer of ezeepayments.com, Narda Ventura, recounts that she wanted a more accessible and more efficient way to pay school fees as a working mom… more
Sagicor Jamaica tech ideas win big
Jamaica – Three teams across Sagicor Group Jamaica walked away with cash and other prizes as the conglomerate hosted its inaugural Data Innovation Challenge finals… more
WiPay bills Prime Trust as a partner
Jamaica – WIPAY is looking to enter the online bill payment space through a partnership deal it inked with Prime Trust Financial Corporation (PTF)… more
Upping the Game: Huawei and QPCC Create First Wi-Fi 6 Park at the Oval
Trinidad and Tobago – Generations of both local and international cricket and sporting fans have enjoyed the Queen’s Park Oval as one of the legendary stadia in the game… more
Thursday, 25 November 2021
Cable Bahamas to invest USD 80 mln in FTTH rollout
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas (CBL) has announced plans to invest USD 80 million over the next two to three years to replace its HFC network with FTTH, reports local news site Tribune 242, citing company CEO Franklyn Butler… more
Payment Provider In Christmas Give Back
Bahamas – A BAHAMIAN electronic payments provider has launched its Win It Back holiday campaign through which 50 customers will receive 100 percent cash back on their purchases… more
Fintech partners with Wall Street company
Barbados – Barbados-headquartered global fintech companies IPay Anywhere and Global Integrated Fintech Solutions (GIFTS), have announced the signing of a partnership agreement with the principals of Soleil Capitale Group, a Wall Street based investment banking firm… more
Seoul, Barbados check into metaverse as governments eye virtual presence
Barbados – The metaverse will soon be a place to not just buy virtual goods and meet avatars, but to also get essential public services, as governments prepare to enter the rapidly expanding digital world despite concerns about privacy and other rights… more
Developing world must move fast to shape the metaverse
Caribbean – The introduction of a blockchain-based metaverse has the potential to level the playing field for small developing countries in a way that no amount of aid or reparations could ever do… more
Essequibo E-learning lecturers are failing in their duties to teachers
Guyana – Dear Editor, Please permit me space in your letter column to highlight the abnormalities myself and other college teachers’ face on a daily basis… more
Diaspora group, Seprod, Digicel connecting students through hotspot
Jamaica – Almost 2 years since the first reported case of COVID-19 on the island, Jamaica continues to feel the impact of COVID-19 in very significant ways with the closure of physical schools and the adaptation of online strategies for student learning… more
Digital boost
Jamaica – Jamaica’s digital community has been bolstered by the forging of a new partnership between the Jamaica Technology and Digital Alliance (JTDA) and the London-based BCS, The Chartered Institute for Information Technology (IT)… more
Jamaica launches free mobile app for tourists
Jamaica – Locals and visitors to the island now have access to a mobile application (app) that provides information on various licensed and coronavirus-compliant tourist entities in the six resort areas… more
RJRGLEANER accelerating digital transformation
Jamaica – Buoyed by big second-quarter bottom-line improvements, Radio Jamaica Limited, which trades as RJRGLEANER Communications Group, is looking to capitalise on the one-two-three ranking of its divisions among media outlets on social media… more
Telecoms providers given until April 1 to allow post-paid users to set spending limits
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has extended the deadline for telecommunications providers to offer post-paid mobile customers the option to set spending limits when roaming… more
TPDCo Launches Free, Mobile Tourism App
Jamaica – Locals and visitors to the island now have access to a mobile application (app) that provides information on various licensed and coronavirus (COVID-19)-compliant tourist entities within the six resort areas… more
Digital Transformation Ministry ‘brimming with projects’
Trinidad and Tobago – THE GOVERNMENT is seeking to treble the number of community information and communications technology (ICT) centres by the end of 2022 as part of its efforts to transform society and the economy into a digital one, says Wayne Nakhid, deputy chief digital officer at the Ministry of Digital Transformation… more
Friday, 26 November 2021
BTC sharing the magic of broadband with 10k customers for Christmas
Bahamas – BTC has announced its latest initiative as part of its “Share the Magic of Christmas Campaign”, a fiber upgrade targeting an additional 10,000 homes in New Providence just before the holidays. BTC plans to light up these homes with up to 600mbps of super-fast broadband connectivity for Christmas… more
How to promote cybersecurity within your company
Caribbean – Consider that you live in the United States and that, after waiting in a long line to buy limited gasoline (the result of a cyberattack), you decided to go to the supermarket for meat for the special weekend meal… more
Managing cybersecurity risks
Caribbean – Earlier this year, there were three instances of cyberattacks which made global headlines… more
Charges laid over threatening social media video
Cayman Islands – Police have charged a Cayman Brac resident over a contentious social media post in which threats were made against government officials… more
Beware of call scams, Digicel warns
Jamaica – Digital operator, Digicel, is warning customers to be wary of a phone scam that tends to resurface at this time of the year… more
Buju Banton creates his first NFT artwork
Jamaica – With this pioneering move Grammy winner, multiple Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping artist, and international reggae icon Buju Banton continues to make history by becoming the first Grammy Award-winning reggae artist from Jamaica to mint an NFT on the OpenSea Marketplace – opensea.io/bujubanton… more
Pandemic Has Accelerated Integration Of Technology – Finance Minister
Jamaica – The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the integration of technology in people’s working lives, says Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke… more
School Leaders Urged To Make Greater Use Of Technology
Jamaica – Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, has called on school leaders to make greater use of technology in order to ensure that students are not left behind amid the rapid technological changes… more
Update: TSTT responds to CWU’s claims of pending retrenchments
Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) has not dismissed or confirmed allegations that hundreds of workers will soon be retrenched… more
Saturday, 27 November 2021
CAIPO digitisation should ‘boost ease of doing business’
Barbados – A project to digitise the documents and processes of the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) is expected to further ease doing business in Barbados, according to the minister with responsibility for the entity… more
FLOW donates laptops to TAMCC
Grenada – The TA Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) received a donation of 5 laptops from FLOW Grenada Ltd. The laptops were donated to the faculty of TAMCC to facilitate virtual instruction… more
Effective management of the Telecom Sector
Guyana – The liberalisation of the telecommunications sector on October 5 2020 was one of the first decisive moves by the current administration albeit a fortunate gift delivered by its predecessor’s protracted negotiations with GTT… more
PICA Launches E-Learning Platform for Staff Development
Jamaica – The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) on Friday (November 26) launched its e-learning digital platform. The software solution is designed to facilitate the delivery of accredited online certification courses to staff as well as local and regional border security officials and law-enforcement agents… more
GOSL Showcases Its Digital Transformation Projects
Saint Lucia – The Department of Public Sector Modernization (DPSM) says it is pleased to be a participant in the 14th Annual Saint Lucia-Taiwan Partnership Trade Show currently which started yesterday and ends today… more
Mixed social media reaction to PM’s address
Trinidad and Tobago – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s address to the nation on Thursday night has been met with mixed reactions across social media… more
Sunday, 28 November 2021
Technology now making it easier for seniors
Caribbean – THE dynamic and expansive nature of the Internet makes it easier for consumers of information and services to communicate and do business… more
Cordel Green | Smart cities through the lens of human rights – technological and ethical dilemmas
Jamaica – The operating systems of society are undergoing profound transformation, including a fast-approaching future when computer chips will be near zero in cost and connected sensor devices will be widely deployed, fuelling exponential ‘datafication’ and the Internet of all things… more
Health+Tech | Data security in an advanced world
Jamaica – Cybersecurity has been an important point of discussion for the last couple of years, and with good reason… more
JTA blames Government for online teaching ills
Jamaica – Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President Winston Smith is asserting that had the Government answered the call to provide educators with technological devices years before the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, online teaching and learning would be more effective… more
Image credits: Bernard Goldbach (flickr); Wikimedia Commons; Wikipedia; CXC; Bahamas Local; Facebook; Wikimedia Commons;
