A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 11 December to Sunday 17 December 2023.
Monday, 11 December 2023
Cybercrime department of the KPCN warns against ‘Sextortion’
Caribbean – Recently, the cybercrime department of the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force has received several reports about ‘Sextortion’… more
Court rules C3 liable to pay fees to OfReg
Cayman Islands – Cayman Islands telecommunications company Infinity Broadband, which operates under the C3 Pure Fibre banner, has lost an application to seek judicial review following a lengthy dispute with the Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) over the non-payment of licensing fees… more
Edufocal shareholders approve rights issue
Jamaica – E-learning company, Edufocal is set to return to the equities market to raise more capital through a renounceable rights issue sometime next year… more
Peter George joins digital land title company
Trinidad and Tobago – Local entrepreneur, Peter George, has been appointed as the chairman of a US-based blockchain technology firm, whose primary goal is to promote the issuance of digital title to informally held land, a mission that the United Nations has called one of the most important missions of the 21st century… more
Tuesday, 12 December 2023
Online trading platform Quadcode Markets secures Bahamas trading license
Bahamas – Quadcode Markets, a leading online trading platform, has announced that it has acquired a trading license in The Bahamas… more
Deep Blue One cable begins rollout in Caribbean waters
Caribbean – Digicel’s Deep Blue One submarine cable started to be rolled out in Caribbean waters to connect mostly offshore oil and gas rigs in Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname… more
What is the preferred payment method in the region?
Caribbean – IN an ever-changing world, technological innovations are changing the way we interact every day, and this extends to the payments industry, transforming the way everyday payments are made and how people spend or manage their money… more
FLOW, CHEC to reveal today whether claim settlement reached
Jamaica – The Supreme Court is to hear on Tuesday whether Cable & Wireless Jamaica (FLOW Jamaica) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) have reached a settlement in a claim brought by the telecommunications giant to recover millions for damage allegedly done to its infrastructure during the Major Infrastructure Development Programme (MIDP) along several roadways in the Corporate Area… more
National security, police: No laws to deal with cyber crime
Trinidad and Tobago – AGAINST the background of over 200 cyber attacks on public and private sector entities over the last five years, there is no legislation to define these incidents as crimes and help the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice… more
Police investigating TSTT cyber attack independently
Trinidad and Tobago – THE police are doing their own investigation into the October 9 cyber attack on the Telecommunications Services of TT (TSTT)… more
Wednesday, 13 December 2023
BTC expands fiber services to an additional 2,000 homes on Grand Bahama
Bahamas – Grand Bahama is set to be pegged as the leader in cutting-edge fiber connectivity, with an additional 2,000 plus homes receiving fiber technology last month, 500 more than the month prior… more
Central Bank: 1,250% digital asset capital not ‘excessive’
Bahamas – The Central Bank yesterday rejected assertions it is being “excessive” in requiring licensees to hold 12.5 times’ the amount of capital involved to back trades of non-stablecoin digital assets… more
Central Bank releases and brings into force digital asset guidelines for SFIs
Bahamas – The Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBOB) yesterday released its Digital Assets Guidelines 2023 for all of its supervised financial institutions (SFIs), with those guidelines coming into effect yesterday, the regulator said in a press statement… more
Central Bank releases digital asset regulations
Bahamas – The Central Bank has released its Digital Asset Guidelines for 2023, outlining the regulatory expectations for supervised financial institutions (SFC) regarding exposure to digital assets activities… more
Beware fake social media accounts in the name of Roosevelt Skerrit
Dominica – Prime Minister Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit has been notified of impersonator profiles in his name on the social media platforms, Telegram and WhatsApp… more
Digital Innovation Grant launched
Dominica – The Digital Innovation Grant, an initiative aimed at empowering entrepreneurs to propel their businesses into the digital age, fostering innovation, resilience, and sustainability was officially launched on Monday. The grant is made possible through the generous support of the Caribbean Digital Transformation project… more
Showcase offered plan for democratizing AI
Guyana – An Artificial Intelligence-4D Showcase, which was geared at addressing the digital disparities in developing countries, was recently hosted here by TrueSelph Inc, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Lab, Version 75 Inc (V75) and Jaseci Labs LLC… more
Digital Government Transformation Project Marks Success with Introduction Meeting
Sint Maarten – Following the recent introduction meeting and presentation hosted by the Digital Leadership Team (DLT) of the Digital Government Transformation Project (DGTP), on Thursday, November 30th, 2023, at the Government Administration Building, Meeting Room #1, stakeholders expressed enthusiasm for the collaborative efforts underway to revolutionize government service departments which showcased the commitment of the DLT service delivery… more
Thursday, 14 December 2023
Digicel hikes due to ‘rising business costs’
Barbados – Some Digicel customers in Barbados have had to pay higher prices for some services this year, as the telecommunications company faces what management called “substantial increases in the cost of doing business”… more
Department of Transport Receives ICT Equipment from UNDP and the EU
Belize – On December 12, 2023, Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Youth, Sports and Transport, received a donation of computer equipment from Mr. Ian King, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative… more
Business leaders encouraged to use AI to combat cyber threats
Jamaica – Delroy McLean, senior director at Cable and Wireless (C&W) Communications, has urged businesses to use artificial intelligence (AI) to defend against cyber threats… more
Flow boosts Longville Park with tech donations and free internet
Jamaica – Flow recently demonstrated corporate social responsibility in action by donating free high-speed internet and smart devices to the Longville Park Community Centre in Clarendon… more
Kingston BETA Had A SWEET 16th Year of Tech Community Growth and Impact
Jamaica – We did it!! We have another year of Kingston BETA Community Events under our Belt… more
Friday, 15 December 2023
Social media saga strains Barbados hospitality industry – BHTA
Barbados – The war of words between the nation’s hoteliers and the union that represents its workers currently raging on social media could threaten hotels’ bottom line, the head of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) has charged… more
ECTEL welcomes new Chairperson to lead Board of Directors
Caribbean – Philip Dalsou of St Lucia is the new Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL)… more
CyberEYE enters Jamaican market
Jamaica – The entrance of Caribbean company CyberEYE into the local market is seeking to add another layer of security and protection in Jamaica’s fight against rising cyber incidents. This was disclosed at the recent launch event… more
Electronic health records system to roll-out at May Pen Hospital in January
Jamaica – A fully digitised health records platform will be rolled out at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon in January 2024, making the public health facility the first in the island to benefit from the electronic health records (EHR) system… more
IDB to help Trinidad & Tobago advance digital transformation
Trinidad and Tobago – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on Wednesday said it has approved a US$90 million conditional credit line for investment projects, which includes a first individual loan of US$42 million, to facilitate the digital transformation of Trinidad and Tobago by supporting the expansion and enhancement of the digital economy… more
Saturday, 16 December 2023
CyberEYE Caribbean enters Jamaican market amid rising security threats
Jamaica – Jamaica’s business fraternity is being put on high alert amid increasing cyberattacks costing the country about J$12 to J$15 billion annually… more
Sunday, 17 December 2023
FLOW undertakes post-earthquake cable repairs
Jamaica – Telecommunications provider FLOW recently commissioned the CS Wave Sentinel vessel to repair two of its subsea fibre-optic cables that were damaged as a result of the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that occured on October 30, 2023… more
Images credit: Megan Trace (flickr); Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Central Bank of The Bahamas (Twitter); Wikimedia Commons; Wikimedia Commons
