A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 6 June to Sunday 12 June 2022.

 

Monday, 6 June 2022

DIGITAL CURRENCIES CAN PROVIDE VIABLE PAYMENT ALTERNATIVE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND THE UNBANKED

Caribbean – In six months, Barbados and Jamaica are set to become the first Caribbean territories to access a new pan-Caribbean digital payment settlement system, called CaribDollar (Carib$)… more  

DeCOTT clarifies e-tender glitch

Trinidad and Tobago – THE Urban Development Corporation of T&T (UDeCOTT) yesterday defended its e-tendering submissions for the redevelopment of the Port of Spain General Hospital Central Block project and states that no amendments to submissions were made to any of three proponents… more

Udecott: PoSGH tender glitch due to TSTT error

Trinidad and Tobago – The Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) has said an error in its e-Tender system on the part of the service provider, Telecommunications Services of TT (TSTT), meant that a tender uploaded before the deadline date was not registered when the e-Tender box was opened… more

 

Tuesday, 7 June 2022

BARP Charitable Trust to Host Cybersecurity Seminar

Barbados – The BARP Charitable Trust – the charitable arm of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) – will host a cybersecurity seminar to ensure that the Association’s membership and friends of BARP are protected while online… more

Dutch company applies for number portability licence

Guyana – Netherlands-based number portability and data processing services company, PortingXS B.V. has applied for a licence to operate here… more

Jamaicans encouraged to report cyberattacks

Jamaica – The use of technology should make life easier, but in some cases, it is utilised by nefarious individuals to carry out vicious cyberattacks… more

Skills for the Future graduate reaps rewards

Jamaica – Javaughn Douglas, a recent graduate of the Flow Foundation’s Skills for the Future digital literacy programme, is ready to put his training to good use after being selected for an internship with technology company Fujitsu… more

TSTT says e-Tender Internet drop was not its fault

Trinidad and Tobago – TSTT has denied it was responsible for the internet dip on the e-Tender platform which caused one of the bids for the redevelopment of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Central Block to go  unnoticed by UDeCOTT when the tendering process closed last month… more  

 

Wednesday, 8 June 2022

ArawakX hopes to bring 12 firms to investors this summer

Bahamas – ArawakX hopes to bring 12 new businesses to investors before the end of the summer, the company’s Chief Technology Officer D’Arcy Rahming Jr. told Guardian Business, explaining that perspective investors continue to trickle onto their platform waiting for new companies… more

Blockchain technology leaders meet in Barbados

Barbados – The picturesque beachfront Primo Bar and Bistro at the St. Lawrence Gap was the venue of choice for  “Crypto by the Sea”, an intriguing technology based networking event that was held recently… more

Digitising music is the way to go

Barbados – Acquiring revenue from the sale of digitised music, subscription and streaming services, is still a mystery for many Caribbean performers, song writers, producers and others involved in the music production… more

BOJ steps up vigilance on banks amid cyber attacks

Jamaica – THE Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) said it will be increasing its vigilance of commercial bank transactions as it moves to lessen growing social engineering attacks such as phishing, vishing and smishing… more

Building data privacy policy

Jamaica – With cybersecurity attacks on the rise in the Caribbean, many leaders wonder how they can best protect their organisations from malicious actors… more

JMMB exploring CBDC options

Jamaica – JMMB Group, in its quest to onboard digital currency offerings, said it is currently at an exploratory phase in the central bank digital currency (CBDC) project, which is now being rolled out nationally… more

US$1-billion targeted for BPO

Jamaica – JAMAICA is targeting revenues of over US$1 billion from the global services sector and employment in excess of 70,000 by 2025, according to a Digital Global Services Strategy plan tabled in Parliament last week… more

Glitch was with Internet provider, says TSTT

Trinidad and Tobago – Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT) is emphatically stating that there was no “technical glitch” on its e-tender platform… more

TSTT on Udecott/Port of Spain hospital bids: Technical glitch not ours

Trinidad and Tobago – TSTT says it is not the internet service provider for Universal Structures Ltd, and therefore was not responsible for the technical glitch which caused Udecott not to see the company’s submissions for the central block at the Port of Spain General Hospital… more

TSTT pushes back on Udecott “technical glitch” claim

Trinidad and Tobago – TSTT wishes to affirm that there was no “technical glitch” on its e-Tender platform, which resulted in our client, UDeCOTT’s inability to see one of the bid submissions in relation to the central block at the Port of Spain General Hospital… more

 

Thursday, 9 June 2022

Bahamas law school takes legal aid clinic into digital age

Bahamas – The Bahamas-based Eugene Dupuch Law School’s (EDLS) Legal Aid Clinic is taking its services into the digital age… more

Crowdfund platform targets 12 more listings after ‘retool’

Bahamas – A Bahamian crowdfunding platform yesterday disclosed it is preparing to bring another 12 companies to market within the next three months following what it described as a six-month “retool”… more

SunCash, PopPay allow Sand Dollar payments through facial recognition 

Bahamas – The Sand Dollar is now the first central bank digital currency (CBDC) that can be transacted with the use of facial recognition technology through SunCash’s partnership with PopID, a statement on the partnership explained… more

BTL responds to Shyne Barrow: “Content entertainment is not dying”

Belize – Веlіzе Теlеmеdіа Lіmіtеd (ВТL) hаѕ dеfеndеd іtѕ рurсhаѕе оf Аltеrnаtіvе Nеtwоrkѕ Lіmіtеd (АNL) оf Сауо Dіѕtrісt, аrguіng thаt іt mаkеѕ іt unіquе іn рrоvіdіng а “оnе-ѕtор” ѕhор fоr соntеnt аnd ѕеrvісе… more

BTL responds to statements made on its acquisition of Alternative Networks Ltd.

Belize – Веlіzе Теlеmеdіа Lіmіtеd (ВТL) wіѕhеѕ tо соrrесt mіѕlеаdіng ѕtаtеmеntѕ mаdе bу thе Lеаdеr оf thе Орроѕіtіоn rеgаrdіng thе асquіѕіtіоn оf Аltеrnаtіvе Nеtwоrkѕ Lіmіtеd (АNL); аn Іntеrnеt Рrоtосоl Теlеvіѕіоn (ІРТV) рrоvіdеr thаt оffеrѕ thе аbіlіtу tо ѕtrеаm mеdіа vіа іntеrnеt nеtwоrkѕ… more

‘E-kyash’ now used to pay for temporary employment permits

Belize – Тhе Gоvеrnmеnt аnd thе Веlіzе Ваnk Lіmіtеd hаvе раrtnеrеd tо brіng thе Ваnk’ѕ ‘Е-Куаѕh’ оnlіnе рауmеnt ѕуѕtеm tо uѕе fоr рауіng fоr tеmроrаrу еmрlоуmеnt реrmіt аррlісаtіоnѕ… more

Minister of Public Utilities Says BTL Acquisition of Cable Company was A Board Decision

Belize – The big news last week was that B.T.L. had acquired Alternative Networks Limited, a cable company in Benque Viejo, as part of its plan to package all its services to its customers… more

10 types of blogs your business should create

Caribbean – You probably read the headline and thought to yourself, “a blog…in 2022?” If you scoffed at the idea that your business should be creating content through blogs, you would be missing out on the most viewed and consumed type of content in the world… more

Expert warns of Ransomware menace

Caribbean – With increases in ransomware attacks globally over the past two years, one cybersecurity professional is expressing concern that too many governments and businesses continue to operate with less-than ideal cyber networks, making it easier for attackers to infiltrate their organisations… more

WiPay delivers on promise, offers proposal to Social Development Ministry

Trinidad and Tobago – On June 02, just a week after a fiery contribution to a Joint Select Committee hearing on fintech, WiPay’s Aldwyn Wayne held a press conference to announce his offer of a digital distribution system pilot for the Social Development Ministry. WiPay has delivered that document… more

 

Friday, 10 June 2022

Ghana fintech company approved to do business in Barbados

Barbados – The fintech company Zeepay has been given the green light from the Barbados central bank to establish its Zeemoney Caribbean headquarters on the island… more

Govt’s digitalisation drive gathers momentum

Barbados – Government is making tremendous progress in its public sector modernisation and digitisation efforts with millions of records already digitised and several measures producing tangible results, Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology (MIST) Davidson Ishmael has reported… more  

Fisherfolk catching the digital wave of change

Barbados – Barbados’ fishing industry is well on its way to capitalising on new technological advancements to move the sector forward, increasing the safety of fishermen at sea, and improving the marketability of local fish in international markets… more

C&W confirms readiness for 2022 Atlantic hurricane season

Caribbean – C&W Communications, operators of the Flow, Flow Business, C&W Business and Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) brands in the Caribbean, is confirming all systems are in place for the start of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1… more

CaribDollar coming

Caribbean – Jamaica and Barbados will, in the next six months, become the first two territories to access a new pan-Caribbean digital payment settlement system called CaribDollar (Carib$)… more

IDB Lab explores digital tokens in climate action

Caribbean – IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), is launching a call to identify innovative solutions that make use of digital tokens to promote biodiversity conservation and facilitate climate action… more

Powertranz and Bluefin team up to support Jamaican debit card

Jamaica – According to a report published by the Royal Gazette, Bermuda-based payment platform provider Powertranz and Atlanta payment security firm Bluefin are partnering to support the Jamaican JETS Multilink debit card… more

Taxi operator accused of stealing FLOW cables offered bail

Jamaica – A taxi operator who is accused of stealing fibre optic cables belonging to telecommunications company FLOW was offered bail on Thursday in the sum of $600,000… more

Government Distributes Over $2M In Laptop Computers To Students

Saint Lucia – The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) administration has distributed over 3000 laptop computers to form two students at secondary schools… more

No audit on GEBE’s IT system over the years.

Sint Maarten – Minister of VROMI Egbert Jurendy Doran told members of parliament on Friday during the question hour that GEBE Internal Audit Department is not equipped to conduct an audit of the IT Department of NV GEBE and that the company would have to outsource such a task… more

Retrenched TSTT workers threatening legal action

Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT) workers, who accepted voluntary separation packages in 2018, are threatening to bring legal action against their former employer if it does not furnish them with new TD4 forms in 21 days… more

TSTT disappointed by legal action threat

Trinidad and Tobago – TSTT has expressed disappointment over the decision of former workers to threaten legal action over tax forms… more

 

Saturday, 11 June 2022

AG plants to speed up digital transformation of courts with Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions

Belize – Executive Director of the Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions (CAJS), Bevil Wooding made a courtesy call on Belize’s Attorney General, Hon. Magali Marin-Young, this week, during which she expressed a desire to continue digitally transforming Belize’s court system through the aid of the agency… more

Jamaica introduces JAM-DEX Central Bank Digital Currency

Jamaica – On June 10, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade piloted the Bank of Jamaica (Amendment) Act, 2022 in the Senate, which allows the Central Bank of Jamaica to begin issuing the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) JAM-DEX in the country… more

Vandals chop Flow cables in St Ann, hotels among 5,000 customers affected

Jamaica – Vandals have allegedly chopped Flow Jamaica’s fibre optic cables in St. Ann disrupting the communication company’s services to over 5,000 customers in sections of Ocho Rios, St. Ann’s Bay, Runaway Bay, Discovery Bay and its environs… more

Amalgamated: Crew collecting cables for TSTT, not stealing

Trinidad and Tobago – Amalgamated Security Services Ld has said its officers shown in a video circulating on social media cutting cables were doing so on behalf of TSTT, and not stealing them… more  

 

Sunday, 12 June 2022

IT specialist says better options to scamming needed

Jamaica – Information technology expert Craig Powe says the Government will have to paint a more attractive picture of the morally correct and legal nine-to-five job, as with Jamaica’s economic reality, scamming will seem like it’s the better option to many youngsters… more

 

 

Images credit: rawpixel.com (Pexels); Wikipedia; Arawakx; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Bank of Jamaica

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