A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 27 June to Sunday 3 July 2022.
Monday, 27 June 2021
Technology provider eyes data recovery laboratory
Bahamas – A Bahamian technology provider says it is investing in a “data recovery laboratory” that will employ biometrics, and face and voice recognition, to help prevent fraud in an increasingly digital world… more
Central Bank of Barbados and FSC Hosting Discussion on Cybersecurity in the Financial Sector
Barbados – “Managing Cybersecurity Threats in the Financial Sector” will be the topic of a discussion hosted by the Central Bank of Barbados and the Financial Services Commission. The online event takes place on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at 10:00 a.m… more
Plans for new sub-sea cable could bring ‘faster, cheaper, better’ internet
Cayman Islands – A major international telecoms company is seeking permission to connect a new sub-sea fibre-optic cable from the US to the Cayman Islands… more
Corporation appeals to TSTT, Public Utilities for help
Trinidad and Tobago – The Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC) has said it has been without phone service for the last three weeks because of the theft of overhead TSTT cables close to its office in Couva… more
Tuesday, 28 June 2021
Bahamas wants to be a digital hub
Bahamas – BAHAMAS Prime Minister Phillip Davis says as the country continues to set a path toward economic diversity and innovation, more stakeholders take advantage of the opportunities stemming from the new digital age… more
Fusion Superplex hoping to increase digital ticket sales
Bahamas – Fusion Superplex is pushing for a 50 percent penetration from customers who interact with the entertainment facility via its website, one of the company’s directors and its Chief Legal Officer Tecoyo Bridgewater said yesterday, explaining that only about 20 percent of tickets are sold through the website… more
Kanoo seeing uptick in merchant users
Bahamas – Kanoo is seeing an uptick in merchant users as the adoption of digital payment systems picks up slowly, but the use of the Sand Dollar through its digital wallet systems has not yet gained real traction, Kanoo’s Chief Marketing Officer Khalil Braithwaite explained yesterday… more
Telecoms company offers to pay for new subsea cable
Cayman Islands – International telecommunications company Seaborn Networks has made an unsolicited application to the Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) to pay for and connect a new undersea communications fibre-optic cable… more
E-commerce boost
Jamaica – In an attempt to further strengthen online shopping and e-commerce, which have been trending positively in the local market, the Government said it will be allocating $5 billion this fiscal year as it seeks to bolster these activities nationally… more
Digicel ‘prepared for storm’
Trinidad and Tobago – Digicel announced that it has put its emergency contingency plan in place to ensure the effective management of storm-related events… more
Wednesday, 29 June 2021
Govt signs agreement for digital agribusiness village for Eleuthera
Bahamas – The Bahamas has signed an agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the development of a digital territorial village for Eleuthera that will drive agribusiness between rural and urban communities… more
Belize Bank warns fake emails attempting to scam customers
Belize – The Belize Bank Limited has warned that fraudulent emails are being circulated for the purpose of scamming its customers… more
Digicel retires Billo, D’Music and PlayGo apps
Caribbean – Digicel informs the public that, after much customer feedback and research, it has retired the Billo, D’Music and PlayGo apps from its ecosystem… more
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, KEY TO IMPROVING C’BEAN LABOUR MARKET
Caribbean – Digital transformation holds the key to improving the labour market in the Caribbean, potentially addressing the vexing issue of brain drain; enabling the diaspora to return home and engage with the local economy; bringing widely-discussed economic diversification to fruition; and reducing reliance on government entities for jobs… more
Audit finds many gaps in CIG online services
Cayman Islands – It is not clear if the Cayman Islands Government has achieved value for money from the services that it has shifted online, and Cayman is lagging behind other countries in its provision of e-services, the Office of the Auditor General has found in a new report… more
Insights gained at Swiss conference will inform Cayman on digital economy
Cayman Islands – A Cayman Islands delegation that attended the Point Zero Forum in Switzerland in June has reported that the conference has helped gain a better understanding of the global view of the digital economy and sustainable finance, as well as a better appreciation of Cayman’s strengths and opportunities in these areas… more
$15,000 up for grabs at InKnowvation: Small Business Fridays
Jamaica – The final virtual event, Small Business Fridays, will be staged for Caribbean entrepreneurs on July 1, thanks to Flow Business in partnership with Tech Beach. The event series targets small businesses with USD 15,000 in cash and prizes… more
iCreate to acquire Visual Vibe
Jamaica – iCreate has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in Visual Vibe.Com… more
Jamaica’s readiness for digital currency
Jamaica – AMONG the many unprecedented events of the 2020s is the Bank of Jamaica’s launch of Jamaica’s own digital currency. Many remain unsure, uninformed and, consequently, sceptical about the use of digital currencies… more
Jam-Dex reluctance?
Jamaica – “Can I tap the card?” a question commonly asked at a point-of-sale (POS) by a cashier when customers offer a chip-enabled card for payment… more
JAM-DEX roll out progresses with the gazetting of amendments to the BOJ Act 2020
Jamaica – The Bank of Jamaica says the phased rollout of JAM-DEX has progressed with the gazetting of amendments to the Bank of Jamaica Act 2020 on June 14… more
Kemal “Kaizen” Brown, a 4th industrial revolutionary
Jamaica – The Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, known as Kaizen, has turned Kemal Brown into a fourth industrial revolutionary leading the charge for consistent change in this digital era… more
Protect yourself, protect the country
Jamaica – Over the years, cybersecurity threats have increased, not only in the number of attacks but also in sophistication… more
PSOJ backs digital transformation
Jamaica – The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) is throwing its full support behind the build-out of a digital society as government and corporates ramp up their respective digital transformation agendas… more
4 questions to ask before posting on social media
Trinidad and Tobago – Last week while scrolling through Facebook I clicked on an uncaptioned video that looked like a house on fire in Trinidad… more
TSTT corrects union on fibre break
Trinidad and Tobago – The Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) yesterday criticised the Communications Workers Union (CWU) for attempting to mislead the public and undermine the company, on the issue of a fibre break that impacted services to Tobago last week… more
TSTT refutes CWU claim of fibre break, blames copper theft
Trinidad and Tobago – In a June 25, 2022, Press Statement, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) referenced a fibre break that impacted services to Tobago. In what appears to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and undermine the company, the CWU stated that the fibre break “rendered fixed and mobile broadband services inaccessible.” … more
Thursday, 30 June 2021
Crypto Bahamas 2023 announced, intends to ‘take over’ Baha Mar
Bahamas – Crypto Bahamas doubled down on one of its founders’ hope to buy out Baha Mar’s rooms for the next crypto convention, contending in a statement that the 2023 Crypto Bahamas event will “take over the entire Baha Mar resort”… more
“EASE OF ACCESS”: Digital payments provider sees consistent increase in transactions
Bahamas – A local digital payments provider said yesterday that it is “well on its way” to doubling the $100 million in transactions it hit last Fall, noting that there has been a significant uptick in transactions on its platform… more
Cyber security audits required
Barbados – There is a critical need for cyber security scrutiny of local merchants to a level comparable with audits of financial institutions in order to avoid or minimise data breaches which occur at third party transaction points… more
Digital upgrade to bring BLISS-ful ease of doing business
Barbados – The International Business Unit (IBU) is set to launch a major digital upgrade at the end of this week that will result in a dramatic improvement in the time and ease of doing business with that government unit… more
Barrow Explains Leaked Smart Stream Payment Documents
Belize – Former Prime Minister Dean Barrow has gone on record to discuss payments that were made to Barrow and Williams, a law firm in which he is a principal… more
VI court issues world-first freeze in crypto case
British Virgin Islands – A Virgin Islands-incorporated company recently convinced the Commercial Court to back a novel approach in trying to track down people involved in an alleged theft of digital currency and seek compensation for reputational damage… more
Local IT expert earmarked to take over CSD
Cayman Islands – Caymanian Darvy Whittaker has been appointed as director-designate of the government’s Computer Services Department and will take the helm in 12 months when the current expatriate director, Simon Spiers, steps aside… more
Jam-Dex good to go
Jamaica – The Bank of Jamaica’s (BOJ’s) phased roll-out of Jam-Dex is back on track following the gazetting of amendments to the Bank of Jamaica Act (BOJA) 2020 on June 14… more
CARIBBEAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNION VISITS ST BARTH, IN LEAD-UP TO SBH-IX LAUNCH
Saint Barthélemy – The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) technical team of experts is currently in the island of Saint Barthélemy to work together with the Collectivité of St. Barthélemy to execute the implementation of the Saint-Barth Internet Exchange (SBH-IX)… more
Friday, 1 July 2021
Launch of Bahamas’ first blue carbon credit by year’s end
Bahamas – The government believes it will be in the position to launch the first blue carbon credit from Bahamian sea grass before the end of 2022, and expects in the next few months to launch the country’s first carbon exchange through cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Senior Policy Advisor and Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit Jerome Fitzgerald said yesterday… more
Pandemic prompts greater use of digital payments
Caribbean – The World Bank is reporting an increase in the use of digital payment systems in Latin America and the Caribbean amid the global expansion of formal financial services… more
Regulator decides infrastructure sharing dispute between broadband providers
Cayman Islands – ICT regulator OfReg has resolved a long-running dispute between local broadband service providers Flow and C3… more
WiPay eyes Hispaniola
Hispaniola – Following the launch of WiPay operations in the Cayman Islands last week, WiPay founder and CEO Aldwyn Wayne has set his sights on securing a foothold in the island of Hispaniola before the end of the year… more
Flow decommissions Dekal Wireless network
Jamaica – Flow Jamaica has decommissioned the service of Dekal Wireless, a network that was acquired by the company in 2014 to deepen its reach into rural Jamaica… more
NTRC’s 2022 MyApp Summer Program
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) is set to host its seventh annual summer coding and application development initiative known as the MyApp summer program… more
Saturday, 2 July 2022
– Nil –
Sunday, 3 July 2022
FGB ramps up digital transformation, grows agent network
Jamaica – In pursuit of ramping up its digital transformation objectives, First Global Bank (FGB) recently announced plans to expand its agent bank network, subject to approval by the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ)… more
‘Data is the new oil’
Trinidad and Tobago – In April 2018, Chinese multinational technology corporation Huawei predicted that the global digital economy would be worth US$23 trillion by the year 2025… more
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