A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 29 January to Sunday 4 February 2024.
Monday, 29 January 2024
Minister explanation coming: Old ID card deadline ‘no longer’ relevant
Barbados – n Tuesday, January 30, Barbadians and citizens holding in their possession the old Barbados National Identification (ID) card and who have yet to register for the new Trident ID will learn their fate clearly… more
Belize’s authorities warn of measures to regulate digital media
Belize – Belmopan, Jan 29 (Prensa Latina) Belize’s Minister of Public Service and Constitutional Reform Henry Charles Usher warned Monday of the need for legislative action to regulate digital media, to grant the rights and integrity of citizens… more
New Digital Connect Center inaugurated in Valley of Peace, Cayo
Belize – Тоdау, thе Gоvеrnmеnt оf Веlіzе thrоugh thе Міnіѕtrу оf Рublіс Utіlіtіеѕ, Еnеrgу, Lоgіѕtісѕ аnd Е-Gоvеrnаnсе іnаugurаtеd а nеw Dіgіtаl Соnnесt Сеntеr іn Vаllеу оf Реасе, Сауо… more
Agard: Big tech made US$11.5b in region last year
Caribbean – CHAIRMAN of the C9 Committee, Lisa Agard, says that last year, the big six global tech companies—Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Amazon, TikTok, Netflix—earned a combined total of US$11.5 billion in the Caribbean, and they are responsible for 67% of the region’s Internet traffic… more
Digicel announces “consensual” restructuring of group debt, new chairman
Caribbean – In June 2023, Digicel entered into a consensual restructuring support agreement supported by nearly all holders of each tranche of DL’s and DIFL’s funded debt… more
Digicel completes restructuring, shaves US$1.7 billion off consolidated debt
Caribbean – The Digicel Group is announcing the successful completion of restructuring proceedings, which will see Digicel Holding (Bermuda) Limited (DHL) becoming the parent holding company of the telecoms provider and approximately US$1.7 billion shaved off its consolidated debt stock… more
How Denis O’Brien lost control of Digicel
Caribbean – IN 2001, IRISH businessman Denis O’Brien saw an opportunity in the Caribbean. The telecommunications sector, dominated by Cable and Wireless, was lazy, comfortable and wildly profitable… more
Nexa Credit Union Celebrates First Anniversary and Introduces New Mobile App
Grenada – Nexa is delighted to announce the commemoration of its first anniversary as Nexa Credit Union on 23 January 2024. This momentous occasion marks a year of remarkable progress, dedicated service, and a steadfast commitment to providing exceptional financial solutions to our members… more
Guyana government commits to advance telecommunications industry
Guyana – Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips reaffirmed the government’s commitment to elevating the nation’s telecommunications industry to meet global standards… more
Telecommunications sector increased 61% post liberalisation – Phillips
Guyana – There has been a 61% increase in the telecommunication sector since it was liberalised, Prime Minister Mark Phillips told the National Assembly on Friday, adding that Guyana now has three submarine fibre optic cables with the latest expected to become operational this year… more
IDB Lab invests in Novamed’s first health innovation accelerator
Jamaica – IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group has decided to invest US$750,000 in Novamed’s first health innovation accelerator and incubator in the Caribbean region… more
Driving a Secure Cashless Ecosystem in Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – Cashless payments are experiencing promising growth in Trinidad & Tobago, fueled by the increasing adoption of digital technologies. With this surge towards digital, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated and capitalizing on vulnerabilities… more
Gopee-Scoon: Government to expand e-services
Trinidad and Tobago – THE government will soon expand the number of e-services available to the public… more
RedCLARA talks digital transformation
Trinidad and Tobago – INTERNATIONAL internet network provider RedCLARA launched its BELLA II project in Trinidad and Tobago on January 29 at the EU Delegation building on Queen’s Park East, Port of Spain… more
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Credit union philanthropy supporting digital centre for BARP members
Barbados – The Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) is partnering with the Legacy Foundation – the philanthropic arm of the Barbados Public Workers Co-operative Credit Union – to establish a business centre for its membership… more
A Digital Connect Center Comes to Valley of Peace
Belize – A new Digital Connect Center was inaugurated in Valley of Peace on Monday, two weeks after an access road was also opened by the Briceño administration under its Resilient Rural Belize initiative… more
Digicel’s founder steps aside, as debt-heavy company restructures
Caribbean – (Trinidad Express) The restructuring of Digicel has been successfully completed, its founder Denis O’Brien told the Express yesterday, as he announced that he would be stepping down as the company’s chairman and assuming a non-executive position on the board… more
Driving a Secure Cashless Ecosystem in Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – CASHLESS payments are experiencing promising growth in Trinidad & Tobago, fuelled by the increasing adoption of digital technologies… more
Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Barbados Addresses Cybercrime: A Look at the Proposed Cybercrime Bill 2023
Barbados – In an age where information is as accessible as it is volatile, Barbados’ Minister of Industry, Innovation, and Trade, Marsha Caddle, has placed a spotlight on the malicious sharing of information online… more
Fintech helping boost payment industry
Barbados – Mastercard, the second-largest payment technology corporation in the world and platinum sponsor of the 2024 Fintech Islands Experience (FiX24), the Caribbean’s premier financial innovation and transformation event, has identified the region as a prominent area to unleash many financial opportunities using technology… more
Unlocking digital transformation in agriculture
Barbados – One of the more challenging sectors from a regional perspective to achieve progress in digital transformation is agriculture. It has long been overdue for basic information technology integration… more
AI as an enabler and solution to financial crime: What I learnt from the Fintech Islands Conference 2024!
Caribbean – In an ever more interconnected world, financial criminals are finding endlessly ingenuous and sophisticated methods of perpetuating crimes and laundering the proceeds of their criminal activity. Artificial intelligence (AI), which broadly refers to the simulation of human intelligence by machines, can be both an enabler of, but also an invaluable tool for fighting financial crime… more
AI tech must be regulated
Caribbean – Artificial Technology will take over the world, but policymakers have make sure that there are proper ethical guidelines in place to regulate its usage… more
Caribbean telecom operators call for fair share from big tech companies
Caribbean – In 2023, six international big tech companies earned US$11.5 billion from the Caribbean, without contributing or reinvesting any of their revenues into the region’s development. This was revealed by Lisa Agard, the newly appointed Chair of C9, as she participated in a panel discussion on Fair Share, at the CANTO Connect & 40th AGM Celebration at the Hyatt Regency on Monday… more
DR seeks to attract US semiconductor industry
Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic is emerging as an investment destination for the global semiconductor and printed circuit board industry, particularly for the microchip assembly, testing and packaging (ATP) sector… more
Digita Global keeping a firm fingerprint on digital technologies
Jamaica – Evolving as one of the country’s premier 360-marketing agencies in less than a decade, Digita Global Marketing (DGM) Limited, guided by the pursuit of excellence, is seeking to build out its presence as a regional and international powerhouse possessed with serious ambitions and plans that aims to revolutionise the tech, media, and advertising landscape… more
Hackers Zoombomb foreign ministry’s historic launch of JAM-DEM platform
Jamaica – Hackers yesterday infiltrated a Zoom meeting attended by more than 60 members of the diaspora who were invited to witness the historic launch of the new JAM-DEM (Jamaica Diaspora Engagement Model) virtual platform… more
iCreate settles past due Sagicor bond, receivership terminated
Jamaica – Embattled digital media company iCreate, founded and headed by Tyrone Wilson, can breathe a sigh of relief as it will not imminently come under the receiver’s guillotine… more
iCreate woes continue as company secretary quits
Jamaica – There are more changes to problem-plagued digital media outfit iCreate, with news of the resignation of the existing company secretary and the planned installation of a new one… more
Thursday, 1 February 2024
BTC restores customers affected by network sabotage on Grand Bahama
Bahamas – BTC said in a statement yesterday that it has restored services to customers on Grand Bahama, after its network was sabotaged by copper thieves who destroyed infrastructure in December and January… more
Digital work permit system for June 2024
British Virgin Islands – Deputy Premier and Labour Minister Lorna Smith said a digital work permit system will be operational by June this year… more
C&W Communications sponsors CANTO Connect
Caribbean – C&W Communications, a leading telecommunications and entertainment provider in the Caribbean, recently sponsored CANTO Connect and the 40th annual general meeting (AGM), themed “Towards a Sustainable Digital Economy”… more
Human Services Ministry going digital to provide ‘faster, improved’ services
Guyana – The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security will be digitising its operations even in rural and hinterland regions as part of efforts to deliver faster, improved services to people in need… more
iCreate to give clarity on recently concluded receivership
Jamaica – The receivership involving digital and creative firm iCreate is expected to end today… more
Sint Maarten Government Advances Digital Transformation Cyber Security Training to be Launched 1st Quarter, 2024.
Sint Maarten – The Government of Sint Maarten is progressing steadily with its digital transformation initiative under the Digital Government Transformation Project. Launched in 2021, the project aims to improve the Country’s Digital Governance, enhance the efficiency of public services for citizens and businesses, and boost the resilience of government systems… more
Cooper appointed TSTT’s acting CFO
Trinidad and Tobago – GERARD Cooper has been appointed the acting chief financial officer (CFO) of the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (TSTT)… more
How digital platforms are reinventing entertainment
Trinidad and Tobago – “NO ONE’S ever going to be interested in anything you have to say!” The words of a teacher upbraiding me for holding court with my antics in a high school classroom; a class for which she was late… more
Huawei’s growing footprint in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago – HUAWEI Technologies TT says it has the tools to help this country maximise its agricultural output, streamline and optimise healthcare service and make education accessible to even the most remote… more
Visa pleased by T&T’s digital push
Trinidad and Tobago – Cashless payments are on the rise in T&T, a senior executive at Visa has confirmed… more
Will TSTT continue to thrive?
Trinidad and Tobago – In most other countries, the apparent financial turnaround of the majority state-owned Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) would have been the subject of serious examination by the appropriate Joint Select Committee of Parliament, by the chambers of commerce, the business schools and by financial journalists… more
Friday, 2 February 2024
Company claims largest crypto real estate deal involving 7,700 acres of Bahamas land
Bahamas – Cryptocurrency firm Unicoin, Inc. said in a press statement that it has used its cryptocurrency coin to purchase a stake in New World Properties, SPV, which it says holds 7,721 acres of land between Long Island and Andros… more
Digital payments double to $4.5m for November
Bahamas – BAHAMIAN digital payments transactions doubled in value to $4.5m for November 2023, the Central Bank disclosed yesterday, with mobile wallet holders increasing by 20 percent over the year’s first 11 months… more
Hello e-Buses, is Belize Ready for the Transition?
Belize – A second electric bus was scheduled to arrive in country today, ahead of the start of a pilot project to introduce e-buses to the public transportation landscape in Belize… more
Net Vasquez Estate Says Vasquez’s BTL Debt is Repaid in Full
Belize – In November of 2020, the Belize Communications Workers Union called for former Belize Telemedia Chairman, Net Vasquez to repay every cent that he misused while he held that post at the company… more
Digicel’s O’Brien Hands Over Majority Control
Caribbean – Denis O’Brien has formally handed majority control of his Digicel telecoms empire in the Caribbean to a consortium of bondholders, ending a lengthy debt restructuring process… more
Airbnb’s Community Fund supports social initiatives in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic – Airbnb has granted a subsidy from the Community Fund to support social programs in the Dominican Republic… more
David vs. Goliath: iCreate to sue Sagicor
Jamaica – iCreate, a digital media company headed by its founder Tyrone Wilson, has announced that it will be suing Sagicor in connection to a bond issued for J$24 million… more
iCreate to announce next move after receivership
Jamaica – The troubled digital media company iCreate is to outline its next move at a special press conference this morning in the aftermath of it being placed in receivership by financial giant Sagicor… more
Sagicor fires back at iCreate’s lawsuit threat
Jamaica – Sagicor Investments Jamaica has fired back at the threat of a lawsuit levelled by its client iCreate Limited, which called a press conference this morning to speak about the matter… more
Internet Upgrade For Police Stations And Health Facilities
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) recognizes the crucial significance of reliable internet connectivity for efficient operations at police stations and health centers. With this consideration, the Police & Health Centre project, aims to improve the internet infrastructure at these vital locations, fostering seamless communication and the integration of advanced technologies… more
Saturday, 3 February 2024
AI inevitable, ministry looking at ways to integrate technology into education system – Min. Manickchand
Guyana – “I don’t think we can escape AI (Artificial Intelligence) integrated into the education system, given the direction and trajectory of the world,” Minister of Education Priya Manickchand told the Committee of Supply on Friday during the Consideration of Estimates for the 2024 Budget… more
Amber Connect, branded as Jimi Fleet AI, enters China at event in Schenzhen
Jamaica – Amber Group has launched its artificial intelligence (AI) fleet management software, Amber Connect, in China… more
Sunday, 4 February 2024
iCreate says receivership did ‘a lot of damage’
Jamaica – As digital media company iCreate prepares to head to court, CEO Tyrone Wilson is charging that his company was badly damaged by being wrongfully put into receivership… more
From side hustle to business empire
Jamaica – While the mantra of turning passion into profit is not new, the journey of reshaping professional paths by transforming side hustles into full-fledged businesses is an evolving narrative… more
Portmore gets free public Wi-Fi
Jamaica – The launch of the Portmore public Wi-Fi facility in St Catherine is deemed a pivotal undertaking by the Universal Service Fund (USF) in its mandate to provide Internet access to all Jamaicans… more
Images credit: carterse (flickr); Wikimedia Commons; Wikipedia; Wikipedia; CANTO; BTC (Facebook); Wikimedia Commons; Wikipedia; iCreate Group
