A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 21 March to Sunday 27 March 2022.
Monday, 21 March 2022
Web 3.0
Bahamas – “$500?” chuckled former Microsoft boss, Steve Ballmer, after Apple chief Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone in 2007. “This is the most expensive phone in the world. And it doesn’t appeal to business users at all because it doesn’t have a keyboard… more
BTColumn – The new digital economy
Barbados – “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” – John 1:3… more
The FIU Warns of Cyber-Criminals in Belize
Belize – Cyber-criminals are capitalizing on the recent system migration of the Belize Bank Limited. Love News understands that customers are receiving emails requesting for an account update due to the migration process… more
Internet sites of interest
Caribbean – THE LIBRARIAN in me can’t resist searching for and passing on interesting internet links. Explore some of the best sites to learn about film, food, literature, history, exercise and more by checking out the links below… more
Female STEM careers showcased at all-girl robotics camp
Cayman Islands – Cayman’s young girls were encouraged to consider careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field through the Family Resource Centre’s first all-girls robotics camp on Saturday… more
5,000 students to begin coding classes this month
Jamaica – Approximately 5,000 students who registered for the National Coding in Schools Programme are expected to begin training this month… more
Disappointed with Flow
Jamaica – Dear Editor, As a long-time Flow mobile customer I was excited when they introduced the new Yaad & Road package that allowed me to get home Internet and mobile Internet for one price. Just days after seeing the catchy advertisement on TV I signed up for the service… more
Ground broken for St Elizabeth’s first tech park
Jamaica – LOCAL INVESTORS Mint Technologies have broken ground to establish the Black River Tech Park, consisting of a 30,000-square-foot space to facilitate start-up business process outsourcing (BPO) operations in St Elizabeth… more
New digital platform to manage mining licences, exports and investments online
Jamaica – APPLICATIONS for mining licences, export permits, and other search, tracking and coordination functions of the minerals industry in Jamaica have now gone digital with the launch of the Jamaican Mining Cadastre (JAMinCAD)… more
Should digitising your assets be part of your retirement plan?
Jamaica – SINCE the novel coronavirus pandemic there has been an uptick in art sales, via the expansion of digital galleries, primarily in Kingston, with the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs)… more
Turks and Caicos Islands Regulator Successfully Launches Its TEPRP Supported by Industry Specialist, Cenerva
Turks and Caicos Islands – The 2017 hurricane season is unlikely to be forgotten for those living in the Caribbean, featuring 17 named storms, ten hurricanes, and six major hurricanes… more
People drive digital transformation
Trinidad and Tobago – At the TT Internet Governance Forum in January, three panelists discussed the human aspect of digital transformation and advocated for an approach that’s driven from the ground up instead of being dictated from the top down… more
TSTT losing millions over technical issue — union boss
Trinidad and Tobago – The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) is alleging that the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) has haemorrhaged over $100 million in the last week due to issues with its online systems. And the union believes the timing is suspicious… more
Tuesday, 22 March 2022
FSC to strengthen regulation
Barbados – The Financial Services Commission (FSC) will be strengthening its regulatory oversight to ensure consumers are protected and risks to Barbados’ financial sector are managed… more
New committee to advise on Fintech operations
Barbados – The Financial Services Commission (FSC) on Monday served notice that it is on course to bolster its regulation of the financial service system with the setting up of a new Fintech Advisory Committee to ensure Barbados can capitalise on the lucrative Fintech sector… more
CaribIX project to improve internet in Guadeloupe, St Bathelemy, St Martin
Caribbean – A newly launched initiative, called CaribIX, is bringing together Internet development expertise from around the world to help improve the quality of Internet service of Guadeloupe, St Barthélemy and St Martin… more
Amber approved by DBJ to provide MSMEs with digital services
Jamaica – “Amber Innovations Limited, the software development arm of the Amber Group has signed an agreement with the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) as another Business Development Organisation (BDO) to provide digital transformation services to MSMEs impacted by COVID-19… more
Growth & Jobs | Digitalisation of remittances yields positive results for unbanked, underbanked
Jamaica – HORACE HINES, general manager of JN Money Services (JNMS), owners and operators of the JN Money remittance brand, says digitalisation has positively changed the remittance experience over the last five years… more
Growth & Jobs | Jamaica can be a technology hub – PM
Jamaica – JAMAICA IS to be positioned as the technology and innovation hub of the Caribbean, says Prime Minister, Andrew Holness… more
Connecting Arima: Towards a smart city
Trinidad and Tobago – There is a project that could see the town of Arima being turned into a smart city with the use of 5G technology, urban renewal and improved opportunity for burgesses of the borough… more
Wednesday, 23 March 2022
ECTEL pursuing eliminating roaming charges for OECS – King
Caribbean – Chairman of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL), Stephenson King is pursuing the scrapping of mobile roaming charges for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)… more
IDB Lab and WeXchange launch new call to STEM women entrepreneurs
Caribbean – IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and its WeXchange platform – which helps tech-oriented women entrepreneurs in the region– are launching a new call to connect the most innovative and dynamic STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) women entrepreneurs with potential access to financing… more
Government approves emergency communication plan for Dominica
Dominica – The Cabinet of Dominica has approved the implementation of the National Emergency Telecommunications plan to establish a cohesive harmonized structure for emergency communication on the island… more
1,500 BPO jobs coming May
Jamaica – APPROXIMATELY 1,500 more Jamaicans will be gaining employment, as global service provider itel sets eyes on opening a new location at Chalmers Avenue, off Molynes Road, St Andrew in May… more
e-Commerce slowing in some countries
Jamaica – AS countries move away from lockdowns and other restrictive measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the surge in e-commerce that accompanied the virus, and which kept economic activities going, seems to have fallen below pre-COVID levels in some countries… more
Go Digital event
Jamaica – The Go Digital Marketplace Meetup, in partnership with the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) Serve Programme, is a virtual business matchmaking event for MSMEs to connect and collaborate with vetted tech vendors who are able to give their business a digital jump-start… more
JTDA supports deployment of AI
Jamaica – Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the ability of machines to understand the world around them, learn, and make decisions. AI is an interdisciplinary and human-centred field… more
Data tools launched to help region achieve energy targets
Trinidad and Tobago – Two data enhancement tools intended to assist the region in meeting its energy targets have been launched by the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE)… more
iQor opens third BPO location in T&T
Trinidad and Tobago – BUSINESS Process Outsourcing (BPO) provider, iQor, yesterday opened its third location in Trinidad, which is projected to increase the company’s local workforce to approximately 2,000 jobs, including over 200 bilingual employees… more
Still no definite figures for TSTT retrenchment, PM says
Trinidad and Tobago – While more than 500 employees of Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) are rumoured to be due for retrenchment, no decision has yet been taken… more
TSTT wrote off $2b in debt
Trinidad and Tobago – THE Opposition United National Congress (UNC) said on Tuesday that Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) is seeking funding to retrench workers, while having written off over $2 billion in customer debts… more
Thursday, 24 March 2022
Cable Bahamas Group offers a closer look at its women in leadership
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas Group of Companies celebrated International Women’s Month with the launch of its Women In Leadership campaign. March 24, 2022 marked the inauguration of this initiative, designed by the group to celebrate 10 of its most senior female executives and expand the conversation about gender parity at every level in the workplace… more
Tech Thursday: Digicel has a new e-store with free delivery
Barbados – Digicel has launched an e-store so that you can use technology to buy even more tech gadgets. In the three months since its launch, the store has seen some traffic as persons enjoy the ease of shopping conveniently from the comfort of their home, car or beach, wherever they are when they remember… more
Sagicor launcing neobank
Caribbean – SAGICOR Financial Company Limited (SFC) will be launching a fully digital commercial bank come this June/July through an entity called Sagicor Bank (Barbados) Limited (SBB)… more
Robotics: Inspired fun for all ages
Cayman Islands – Decades ago, the only robots we knew about were what we’d see on TV or in films… more
GTT backs latest problem-solving software coding competition
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) said it has teamed up with the Guyana government to support this year’s hackathon styled the 2022 “Innovation Challenge” whose aim is to find technology solutions to some of the country’s problems… more
PM’s office, GTT launch Innovation Challenge
Guyana – The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is collaborating with Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) to host a competition for local programmers to create technology solutions that can address socio-economic challenges in Guyana… more
Technical skills shortage forces 58% of local businesses to outsource ICT services – Digicel Survey
Guyana – With smart solutions, cybersecurity and cloud services all being cited by businesses in Guyana as vital to future business growth, the issue of their implementation may not be one of technology availability and awareness, but rather, the absence of the right human capital… more
NCB subsidiary moves to support digital money push
Jamaica – FinTech Subsidiary of the NCB Financial Group, Lynk, says it’s getting ready to support the Government of Jamaica’s injection of 250-million JamDex dollars into the economy… more
tTech, Microsoft set to INSPIRE the Caribbean with TechCon 2022
6Jamaica – On Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13, 2022, tTech, a local IT Services provider, will host its fifth annual technology and business conference, TechCon, themed INSPIRE: Accelerating Your Digital Maturity… more
Flow managing women’s empowerment through gender co-operation
Trinidad and Tobago – Flow Trinidad and Tobago is seeking to reduce the gender gap in its management positions and hopes other companies will follow suit… more
PM: Funding necessary for TSTT restructure
Trinidad and Tobago – The Prime Minister has said sourcing funding is necessary for the Telecommunications Services of TT’s (TSTT) ongoing restructuring process… more
Samsung’s S22 Ultra leads brisk sales for Galaxy smartphones
Trinidad and Tobago – Samsung’s S22 Ultra smartphone is in such high demand that pre-orders are skyrocketing… more
Friday, 25 March 2022
Blockchain Operator Blasts ‘Unfounded’ $20m Lawsuit
Bahamas – A Bahamian blockchain and digital assets firm has slammed a $20m damages claim as “unfounded”, asserting that it was lavished with praise by the party making the allegations less than five months earlier… more
Cable Bahamas rolling out new $80 mil. fiber network
Bahamas – Cable Bahamas could have the first home connected to its new fiber network by the end of the year, as it begins the rollout of its $80 million network on New Providence, the company’s Group Chief Executive Officer Franklyn Butler said yesterday… more
Ministry launches Inaugural Tech Expo
Guyana – The Ministry of Education’s Innovative Technology Unit yesterday launched the inaugural Tech Expo 2022 at the National Centre of Educational Resources Development (NCERD)… more
GK Foundation to offer digital scholarships
Jamaica – Following last year’s announcement by the GraceKennedy (GK) Group that it would be launching a digital upskilling programme for young Caribbean nationals, its GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF) has indicated that it will be expanding the initiative to provide scholarships for students in Jamaica pursuing careers in digital technology… more
IDB supports Trinidad & Tobago digital strategy with US$250mn
Trinidad and Tobago – To revamp its economy, make public services more accessible and reduce dependence on the energy sector, Trinidad and Tobago will boost digital transformation with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)… more
Saturday, 26 March 2022
BPOs push for work-from-home policy
Jamaica – With the impact of COVID-19 still fresh in their minds, key players in the Global Services Association of Jamaica (GSAJ), formerly known as the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), are urging their business colleagues to support a proposed work-from-home policy that will see at least 30 per cent of their staff complement carrying out their jobs from home… more
Sunday, 27 March 2022
BPOs want permanent work from home
Jamaica – A call from the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector to have some employees permanently work from home has been favourably received by Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte, but she has cautioned that there are legislative hurdles that will need to be cleared… more
Images credit: freepik; Wikimedia Commons; Wikipedia; ECTEL; Wikipedia; Sagicor; Bahamas Local;
