A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 5 September to Sunday 11 September 2022.
Monday, 5 September 2021
BPL or roadworks? Bran’s $100k IT ‘hell’
Bahamas – A former Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader says his law firm is trying to determine whether BPL or the Village Road roadworks is to blame for an incident that “fried” its IT servers, computers, Internet and cable TV services… more
Fibre-optic cable-laying work in Lowtown area continuing
Saint Martin – The company Tintamarre continues to bury telecommunication networks in the territory of St. Martin and has been working in the Marina Royale/Lowtown area since Monday, August 29. This work is being carried out by the Eden Blu group… more
TSTT opens new Parlour online shopfront
Trinidad and Tobago – ON AUGUST 27, TSTT launched its new shopping website, Parlour. In his speech at the event, Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales described Parlour as “destined to fill what some might call a niche, but which I am sure is more of a chasm in the current economic environment… more
UNC PRO: ‘Reject laptop pappyshow’
Trinidad and Tobago – PUBLIC relations officer of the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) Dr Kirk Meighoo is calling on the nation to reject as a “pappyshow” the eduction minister’s announcement of the distribution of 7,000 laptops to student and teachers… more
Tuesday, 6 September 2021
Tech-savvy James wins local entrepreneurship competition to take his app regional
Antigua and Barbuda – The second time was the charm for entrepreneur Elijah James who is now the winner of the local version of the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) 2022… more
Bahamas and region urged to reduce bandwidth costs
Bahamas – A BAHAMAS-BASED cloud services provider yesterday said Caribbean regulators must focus on reducing Internet bandwidth costs across the region… more
Island Pay aims to promote financial inclusion through mobile money at the prestigious CTU ICT Week 2022
Bahamas – Island Pay is bringing its expertise and vision to the forefront at the Caribbean’s largest telecommunications conference, CTU ICT Week 2022 in The Bahamas… more
Fitch downgrades Digicel Group Holdings and its subsidiaries
Caribbean – Ratings agency Fitch has downgraded Digicel Group Holdings and its subsidiaries… more
Flow gives helping hand as Bucknor seeks change for the better
Jamaica – Famed US author and teacher Margaret Wheatley once said, “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” This sentiment embodies the vision of the Bucknor Concerned Citizens Benevolent Society (BCCBS) that has been seeking change through youth empowerment and digital literacy… more
bmobile’s ambitious plans for Parlour
Trinidad and Tobago – Parlour’s Mission Statement is “to take the Caribbean economy online, helping small and large businesses grow and empowering a new generation to build their lives and make their communities better… more
TSTT looks to future profits
Trinidad and Tobago – AT THE end of a two-hour interview late last month, TSTT CEO, Lisa Agard is blunt in her assessment of why the majority State-owned telecommunications provider had to reduce its personnel costs as part of an overall restructuring of the company… more
Wednesday, 7 September 2021
Launch of digital campaign for healthy food policies in schools
Barbados – As Caribbean students start to return to the classroom across the region, an ambitious campaign promoting nutritious food in schools has been launched with the hope of getting them healthier… more
Africa-Caribbean payment system needed for investment and trade
Caribbean – The lack of a payment settlement system between Africa and Barbados and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states could slow the integration officials are seeking to achieve between the two regions… more
Financial planning embraces digital future
Caribbean – Accelerating change is a major headache for finance teams. It means values in financial systems are never constant and how they influence business performance requires real-time analysis. At the same time, business demands are growing, with the need to translate the vast amounts of revenue-related information scattered across organisations into indicators of business opportunities or potholes to be avoided… more
TechBeach Miami to connect LatAm, Caribbean tech sectors
Caribbean – With the city of Miami primed as an emerging “hotbed” for investments in tech companies, organisers of regional conference TechBeach Retreat will be looking to attract investments for Caribbean tech start-ups in that locale at its first in-person event in almost three years… more
BizTech 22: Speakers deadline September 19
Jamaica – The deadline for speakers for BizTech 2022 is September 19, and the call is open for speaker proposals to the Caribbean’s largest and most-anticipated tech event of the year… more
NFTs — Entertainment benefits
Jamaica – BAY-C from T.O.K was the first dancehall artiste to get significantly involved in the NFT space, releasing over 10,000 copies of his music coded with NFTs… more
Partners in data summit on social investment
Jamaica – THE Citizen Security Secretariat (CSS), in partnership with the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the National Council on Violence Prevention, convened a Data Management Lunch and Learn seminar geared at bolstering the data management architecture of critical ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that are delivering social intervention activities under the auspices of the Citizen Security Plan (CSP)… more
PATRICK HYLTON TECHNOLOGY CONVERT
Jamaica – WITH three decades of success in the financial services industry behind him, NCB Financial Group Chief Executive Officer Patrick Hylton has earned the descriptors astute, formidable, and seasoned financial leader. But tech start-up founder?… more
Technical glitch
Jamaica – Investors who usually conduct their trades online or view live market data were left in a state of confusion Tuesday as the online capabilities for stock trading went down in early trading due to a system issue at the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE)… more
GEBE made it easy for hackers, no audit and proper cyber security measures were not in place.
Sint Maarten – Aurora InfoTech in its report to NV GEBE made it clear in its cover letter that they were unable to clearly state that the cyber attack on NV GEBE was conducted by the Black Byte Ransomware hackers on March 16th, 2022… more
Thursday, 8 September 2021
ArawakX’s lessons continue with each crowdfunding raise
Bahamas – The nuances associated with Tropical Gyro’s bid to raise at least $320,000 through crowdfunding has taught ArawakX important lessons about about its nascent crowdfunding platform, ArawakX’s co-founder D’Arcy Rahming Jr. said yesterday, explaining that Tropical Gyros will move forward with the money it has already raised despite it being lower than the number set on the platform… more
Crypto Isle offices, co-working spaces fully leased
Bahamas – Crypto Isle officially has no office space vacancies, having leased its final two spaces to digital solutions agency Onwrd and digital wallet company Kanoo, a statement from the cryptocurrency and blockchain co-working space company explained… more
6 marketing tools your business needs
Caribbean – For your business to succeed in the digital age, there are some core pieces of infrastructure you are going to need to navigate these digital waters. These components will allow your business to be found, build and nurture relationships, collect data on your audience and allow you to generate revenue… more
Cloud Carib signs memorandum of understanding with CTU
Caribbean – The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) yesterday with Bahamian-based cloud service provider Cloud Carib for cyber security and other information and communication technology (ICT) services… more
bmobile partners with TTMA to Create More Resilient Businesses through Cloud Solutions
Trinidad and Tobago – bmobile has invested heavily in creating one of the most resilient and secure Cloud solutions in the Caribbean. This technological leap will be critical for businesses seeking to grow and will also be essential as more organisations, including the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GoRTT), seek greater digitisation… more
Digital transformation setback
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago will not be digitally transformed by 2025, but it would be well on the way to this objective, Minister of Digital Transformation Hassel Bacchus said yesterday… more
Hive Ransomware goes public on Massy Stores infiltration
Trinidad and Tobago – In a report on July 12, Red Packet Security, a website that tracks cybersecurity compromises published a notice that Hive Ransomware has posted files exfiltrated in the attack reported by the Massy Group in April 2022… more
UWI grad, 21, wins UTC innovation competition
Trinidad and Tobago – Evan Trim, a 21-year-old UWI graduate, is the winner of the Unit Trust Corporation’s 2022 Internovate competition… more
Friday, 9 September 2021
Bahamas listed in new report as top ‘tax haven’ for crypto investors
Bahamas – Coincub, a company that offers analysis of the cryptocurrency market; along with Accounting.com, have pegged The Bahamas as the top ranking “tax haven” for crypto investors in its latest report on crypto tax rankings for 2022… more
Gaming sector overregulated, says forensic accountant
Bahamas – Forensic accountant Dr. John Bain said The Bahamas can become the gaming capital of the world if the industry is developed correctly… more
GTT supporting staff in Giftland Branch robbery
Guyana – The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) on Friday said it was supporting its workers who were threatened and assaulted during a GY$19 million robbery Thursday night… more
Bmobile partners with TTMA to discuss Cloud solutions
Trinidad and Tobago – Bmobile has partnered with the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association in hosting a seminar centring on the importance of investments into the creation of Cloud solutions for the Caribbean… more
Saturday, 10 September 2022
PM urges businesses to provide data
Barbados – Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Friday appealed to private sector companies to deliver the critical information Government needs to accurately capture economic activity so it can better respond to the country’s needs… more
Government to launch new Electronic Passport Control System in October
Belize – Тhе Gоvеrnmеnt оf Веlіzе wіll lаunсh а nеw аррlісаtіоn рrосеѕѕ fоr еlесtrоnіс раѕѕроrtѕ thrоugh thе Еlесtrоnіс Раѕѕроrt Іѕѕuаnсе аnd Соntrоl Ѕуѕtеm (е-РІСЅ) іn Осtоbеr… more
‘Security Guards’ cart off $13.4M from GTT’s store at Giftland Mall
Guyana – Two gunmen on Wednesday, who were dressed as security guards from Amalgamated Security Services Limited (ASSL), managed to rob the GTT store located on the second floor at the Giftland Mall, Turkeyen, Georgetown. The bandits managed to escape with $13.4M in cash and another $6M worth of cheques… more
Sunday, 11 September 2022
CARPHA Spotlights Digital Health at its First Hybrid Research Conference
Caribbean – Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health has been used to transform, connect, and inform public health, with mobile apps used for contact tracing; online learning platforms for schools and universities normalised, and CARPHA, as well as a range of businesses implementing teleworking for employees… more
Report laid in Parliament
Trinidad and Tobago – Access to confidential data has blocked legislation from being passed for the National Statistical Institute of Trinidad and Tobago (NSITT)… more
Images credit: little plant (Unsplash); Wikipedia; Our Today; Crypto Isle; Wikipedia; Wikipedia
