A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 6 December to Sunday 12 December 2021.
Monday, 6 December 2021
Crypto Isle to host regional digital assets conference ahead of grand launch
Bahamas – Crypto Isle (CI), The Bahamas’ first and only cryptocurrency and blockchain coworking space, knowledge source and membership community, will host SiliconCaribe’s first annual Future of Caribbean Money Conference (FOCMNY), to be held December 8 and 9 at CI’s headquarters on East Bay Street, formerly Luciano’s of Chicago… more
The desk job
Caribbean – A home office is becoming more of a lived-in reality than an unforeseen disruption for more of us… more
Police: Hack can’t be ruled out in child pornography case
Cayman Islands – The trial of Freddy Manuel Diaz-Christian, who has been accused of possession of child pornography, resumed earlier today, 6 Dec., in the Grand Court, after a two-week delay… more
Teleperformance eyes new building to facilitate 1,500+ new jobs in 2022
Guyana – Teleperformance, one of the largest Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies in Guyana, is looking to source a new facility to accommodate more than 1,500 new jobs for locals as it expands services here in the coming year… more
Teleperformance poised to expand to the Caribbean; Finance Minister urges bigger “footprint” in Guyana
Guyana – Teleperformance, Guyana’s largest international call centre, is planning to expand its operations to the Caribbean, but Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh urged the company to expand across Guyana first… more
28 Top PEP Students Receive Laptop Computers
Jamaica – Hard work and diligence have paid off for 28 students, who were recently recognised by the Universal Service Fund (USF) for outstanding performance in the 2021 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations… more
Cedric Stephens | Motor claims in the digital age
Jamaica – The Indian Supreme Court “rejected a request from insurance companies for more time to develop a mobile application for use nationwide by victims of road accidents, police, motor accident claims tribunals and insurance companies for the speedy settlement of compensation claims,” says a November 23 Asia Insurance Review news report… more
Celia Barclay assumes role as Information Commissioner
Jamaica – Attorney-at-law Celia Barclay has assumed duties as Information Commissioner… more
Commissioner says technology has outpaced Jamaica’s laws
Jamaica – NOTING that the police have been flayed for seemingly ignoring some acts which shock the public’s conscience, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson says the blame cannot be laid at the feet of law enforcers but rather on laws which have not kept pace with technology… more
Tuesday, 7 December 2021
DIGITAL UPGRADE: Online platform to be developed for Registrar General’s Department
Bahamas – Attorney General Ryan Pinder said yesterday that the government has retained a firm to develop an online platform for the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) that will be modeled after the Cayman Island’s RGD platform… more
Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Takes E-Money to Two More Nations
Caribbean – The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank on Tuesday will begin rolling out its DCash digital currency to Dominica and Montserrat — making the e-money available in seven nations that are part of the economic bloc… more
CX Pay BV partners with Cybersource for growth
Curaçao – Curaçao based CX Pay BV announced on Tuesday that the FinTech company has selected Visa’s global payment and fraud management platform Cybersource, to broaden its service offering, while further increasing its application’s compatibility to serve a progressively wider market… more
Teleperformance says it plans to add 1,000 jobs by end of next year
Guyana – Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company Teleperformance Guyana says it plans to create an additional 1000 jobs next year… more
Digital Television Switchover in Jamaica set to begin in 2022
Jamaica – The Broadcasting Commission is reminding the public that the Digital Television Switchover in Jamaica will get underway in 2022, with completion expected by 2023… more
Growth & Jobs | Be cybersecurity aware this Christmas
Jamaica – WITH JUST weeks away from Christmas, consumers are bustling to do their Christmas shopping. But information technology experts are warning consumers to be careful, as the cybercriminals are also looking for opportunities to close in and deceive holiday shoppers… more
BOSVG spends millions to boost IT resilience
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Many customers are fearful of the cyber risk attached to digital banking solutions so it is important for banks to invest in infrastructure that protect their platforms… more
Book publisher pivots to e-books
Trinidad and Tobago – Royards Publishing Company, the education-book publisher, last Friday launched a new digital platform Digital Canopi that aims to promote and market Caribbean educational and literary content globally… more
Retired TELCO/TSTT workers, families seek pension payments
Trinidad and Tobago – Retired workers of Telecommunications Services (TSTT) and its predecessor, Telephone Company (TELCO) are pleading with the TSTT executive for their agreed increased pension payments… more
Wednesday, 8 December 2021
Cable Bahamas picks Wisi America for ABR multiscreen service
Bahamas – Video delivery specialist Wisi America announced a contract to provide its new on-premise Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) video service to Cable Bahamas (CBL)… more
Cable Loses Challenge To Brave ‘Ad’ Blocking
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas’ legal challenge to a regulatory decision forbidding it to broadcast an advertisement that allegedly defamed the Prime Minister was this week dismissed by the Supreme Court… more
Laws of Belize to be published online
Belize – On Friday, a Bill to amend the Law Revision Act was introduced during a meeting of the House of Representatives by Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, Hon. Francis Fonseca in order to lay the necessary legislative groundwork for the publishing of the latest revision of the Laws of Belize online… more
Gabriel Abed: Community, start-ups key to Caribbean leadership in tech
Caribbean – abriel Abed has a vision for the Caribbean. The Barbadian businessman and Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, envisions the region one day becoming a major player in emerging technologies… more
We are data–starved
Caribbean – Our region is starved for data, and while this is not a secret, the already available solutions seem to be. Several local companies have evolved as experts in the data analytics market, valued at USD 198.08 billion globally in 2020 and projected to reach USD 684.12 billion by 2030… more
Hackers steal $150M from crypto exchange BitMart
Cayman Islands – Cayman-registered crypto exchange BitMart has lost at least US$150 million after a security breach… more
Concentrix plans new hires for 2022
Jamaica – BUSINESS process outsourcing operator Concentrix is planning to add some 500 new team members locally as it prepares to bolster its staff complement in the upcoming year… more
NCB educates merchants on digital security
Jamaica – The National Commercial Bank (NCB) recently provided training in digital security to over 100 merchants and members of the business community… more
STEM academies will equip youth with skills for new digital economy jobs – PM
Jamaica – Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, says establishment of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academies will further assist in equipping the country’s youth with the necessary skills to benefit from new digital economy jobs… more
TSTT working on single pension plan to cover retirees, employees
Trinidad and Tobago – TSTT is working to create a single pension plan to cover the needs of retirees and current employees, the company said in a statement on Wednesday… more
Thursday, 9 December 2021
Cloud Carib hits milestone birthday, plans documentary on journey
Bahamas – In ten years Cloud Carib has grown from a two-man tech startup to a full-service hub with more than 100 staff across the world. The company is set to tell that story in an anniversary documentary, a press statement revealed… more
Island Pay wallet holders report instances of fraud
Bahamas – Several Island Pay wallet holders have reported fraud issues to the company, its Managing Director Jeffrey Beckles said yesterday, explaining that those wallet holders were likely the victims of phishing scams… more
PM: Digital currency here to stay despite protests from banking lobby
Bahamas – Digital money, including cryptocurrencies and central bank digital currencies, are here to stay despite whatever protests may come from “the banking lobby”, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Philip Brave Davis said yesterday… more
PROTECT YOUR ASSETS: Island Pay urges customer ‘diligence’ amid complaints of fraudulent activities
Bahamas – Island Pay executives yesterday urged users on the platform to exercise “diligence” when conducting their transactions, this as several account holders have reported fraudulent activities on their digital wallets… more
Veteran Wall Streeter joins ArawakX
Bahamas – Dick Kazarian has recently joined the advisory board of ArawakX as the chief economic officer… more
10 Jobs for IT professionals in Barbados
Barbados – Recruiters in Barbados are seeking staff for their IT Departments on www.caribbeanjobs.com… more
The digital version of the EC dollars – DCash – officially launched in Dominica
Dominica – The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has made ‘DCash’, the digital version of its Eastern Caribbean dollar, available for public use in two additional countries, Dominica and Montserrat… more
COVID vaccination records now digitised; software needed to utilise data
Guyana – All COVID-19 vaccination records have now been digitised, Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony revealed on Wednesday, but he noted that in order to gain access to these records, a software system is needed… more
End of speed guns near as gov’t begins testing electronic speed monitoring systems
Guyana – President Irfaan Ali Wednesday night said Guyana has procured and begun testing an electronic speed monitoring system, targeting motorists and signalling the beginning of the end to the highly contentious practice of police-operated speed guns… more
$60 million digital project for Haiti off to slow start
Haiti – This time last year, the World Bank announced $60 million for Haiti tech projects. So far, Haiti has received only $1,328,536.32 to improve internet connectivity and help the population develop digital skills to benefit the economy… more
BPO growth projected to accelerate up to 2024
Jamaica – FUTURE Market Insights (FMI), an analytics and research source, says that the markets for business process outsourcing (BPO) services globally are expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 13.9 per cent from 2021-2031, reaching a valuation of around US$6.2 billion by the end of 2021… more
Flow to chop cable offerings
Jamaica – On December 5, 2021, Communications company Cable and Wireless Jamaica Limited (Flow) indicated its plan to start cutting more cable channel offerings effective December 31, 2021, and that it has rebranded or repackaged two others, notifying clients that repackaging changes will take effect during the month which ends the year… more
‘Stronger Together’ in digital innovation to support victims of gender-based violence
Jamaica – Jamaican team Stronger Together copped fifth place in the Caribbean Girls Hack Technocreativity Hackathon earlier this year for their submission to support victims of gender-based violence (GBV)… more
Transparent BPO Expands Global Contact Center Operations to Jamaica
Jamaica – Transparent BPO is expanding its nearshore operations to Jamaica, adding a new 108,000 sq. ft. facility to its portfolio of global contact center capabilities… more
Digital Canopi: Royards Publishing launches e-book platform
Trinidad and Tobago – On December 3, Royards Publishing introduced its new online e-book platform, Digital Canopi… more
First Citizens launches new website
Trinidad and Tobago – THE FIRST CITIZENS Group recently launched its new customer website. The update includes improved navigation, functionality, and easy access to investor information, products and services, and other relevant updates… more
Friday, 10 December 2021
EXPANDING DIGITAL DRIVE: Island Pay expecting greater uptake in 2022; hints at Family Island plans
Bahamas – A digital payments solutions provider said that while adoption of the technology to this point has been “moderate”, it expects greater uptake in “2022 and beyond”… more
Digital bank in the works
Barbados – Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Wednesday signed off on the establishment of a new digital bank expected to be operational next year… more
Caribbean Digital Revolution Project marks one year milestone
Caribbean – A highly strategic project is gaining momentum in the OECS region. It’s the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP) which is funded by the World Bank and is being implemented by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) in partnership with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS)… more
CTO launches development of online training institute
Caribbean – The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), through an agreement with Canadian e-learning software Velsoft this week inked an agreement to develop a virtual training and development programme as it seeks to upskill the region’s tourism and hospitality sector… more
FLOW Fibre build continues in Cayman Brac
Cayman Islands – In May of 2021, Flow announced their commitment to ensure that every home in the Cayman Islands has access to fibre connection. This access to fibre will allow every home, to be a high-speed home; receiving broadband speeds that are 100 times faster than what is currently available… more
Adaptability to new technology: QR Codes
Guyana – One of my favorite books is called The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell… more
15 more years! Additional time proposed for cell phone use behind bars
Jamaica – 15 more years! That is the additional time incarcerated persons could face behind bars if they are caught with a cellular phone if a bill that is before Parliament is passed into law… more
OUR seeks feedback on number portability guidelines
Jamaica – The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) is seeking feedback from the public on its proposals to change the guidelines for number portability… more
Saturday, 11 December 2021
Flow reclassifies more than 100 workers in Barbados
Barbados – Six years after telecommunications company Flow embarked on a reclassification exercise, more than 100 workers in Barbados have been given permanent positions… more
Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara gets GTT’s fibre
Guyana – Residents of Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara area on Saturday warmly welcomed GTT Fibre to their community, as GTT rolled out its keenly anticipated Fibre broadband service, the company said… more
Telecommunications Minister wants NTRC Chair to go, but Lionel Ellis says No!
Saint Lucia – Saint Lucia’s Minister for National Telecommunications wants the current Chair of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (NTRC) to resign, but he refuses to go… more
Sunday, 12 December 2021
Designing a simpler user interface is a good first step to optimising tech 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
New e-commerce marketplace promises quality service, delivery
Guyana – Fizuro, which touts itself as Guyana’s first e-commerce marketplace, was recently launched. The website allows Guyanese to access an array of goods and services from local businesses, using their debit and credit cards… more
Cyber victims
Jamaica – Some days, the name is Abelo Forex; on other days, Kabelo Forex Goat Investments. The only constant is the image depicting Jamaican businessman Aubyn Henry, whose physical identity has been stolen by South African scammers… more
Developing your brand image and effective SEO
Jamaica – ePost chief executive officer (CEO) Christopher James, and head of the Computer Systems Design and Related Services company, notes how digital marketing is now being used alongside or as an alternative to traditional advertising and marketing by companies seeking to increase sales and revenue flow… more
Flow, PATH issues solved by Tell Claudienne
Jamaica – Dear Claudienne, I have been having an issue with my Flow account for the past year and a half… more
Payment Fears!
Jamaica – Following the Bank of Jamaica’s (BOJ) decision to suspend Alliance Financial Services Limited’s (AFSL) cambio and remittance licence, plus the revocation of their authorisation in the Fintech Regulatory Sandbox, ePay affiliates have been left scrambling to make alternative plans ahead of the busy Christmas season and upcoming school year… more
Image credits: Markus Spiske (Pexels); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Central Banking; Wikipedia
