A roundup of the latest ICT/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 15 July and 21 July 2024.
Monday, 15 July 2024
Observer Radio temporarily off air
Antigua and Barbuda – Dear Valued Listeners, We regret to inform you that Observer Radio is currently off the air due to technical difficulties caused by this weekend’s severe weather… more
‘Brazen attempt’ to avoid Bahamas court on $370m FTX claim
Bahamas – FTX’s Bahamas liquidators are slamming “a brazen attempt” by a failed crypto lender “to circumvent” this nation’s Supreme Court in pursuing $370m worth of claims… more
Cloud Carib CEO: Cybersecurity landscape changing because of AI
Bahamas – The cybersecurity landscape is changing because of artificial intelligence (AI), and local companies need to be informed on how to maintain the integrity of their information technology (IT) systems, according to Scott MacKenzie, chief executive officer of Cloud Carib, a Bahamas-based cloud services provider… more
Man Jailed for Fake iPhone Scam
Belize – Today, a Belmopan resident was sentenced back to prison after obtaining money by deception through fake sales on Facebook… more
An apathy of cybersecurity concerns
Caribbean – For just over a month, the website of the Guyana Cricket Board has been quite visibly defaced by hackers who demanded US$1,000 in BitCoin… more
Beyond Barriers: Unleashing technology’s potential for people with disabilities
Caribbean – Technology is a powerful catalyst, opening doors of opportunity for individuals with disabilities to excel in their careers. This article by Martin Block explores essential strategies that enable disabled individuals to harness technology for their professional advancement, overcoming potential challenges along the way… more
FTX Digital Markets liquidators provide overview of claims election process
Caribbean – FTX.com customers have until August 16th to elect whether they wish to participate in the official liquidation proceedings of FTX Digital Markets or the US Chapter 11 cases. They cannot participate in both… more
Minister Cooper emphasizes that CDA is a milestone in the technological and economic advancement of the region
Caribbean – Recently, the Minister in charge of Traffic, Transportation, and Urban Planning initiated the Caribbean Datacenter Association (CDA) conference, which took place at the start of the CANTO conference in May. The CDA conference brought together datacenter operators, service providers, developers, and educators in an association that promotes collaboration, standardization, and innovation within our industry, paving the way for a more prosperous and connected future for our region… more
Curaçao reopens portal for gambling licenses
Curaçao – The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) is reopening the online portal for B2C and B2B license applications today… more
New co-working hub opens in Kingston
Jamaica – Digita Global Marketing (DGM) has unveiled Enigma, a state-of-the-art co-working hub, with a $100 million investment aimed at revolutionising Jamaica’s creative and entrepreneurial sectors… more
Tuesday, 16 July 2024
BTC line staff’s ‘first industrial deal salary rise for ten years’
Bahamas – Members of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) line staff union received their first “industrial agreement-related salary increase in ten years” with the signing of yesterday’s deal… more
ECCB launches Generative AI and Python Summer Camp
Caribbean – The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has launched its Generative AI and Python Summer Camp for 2024 in both St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda… more
Expert pushes digital entrepreneurship for MSMEs
Jamaica – At the Jamaica Business Development Corporation’s (JBDC) Virtual Biz Zone Webinar on July 9, digital marketing specialist Monique McIntosh urged micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to rethink their approach to business by embracing digital entrepreneurship as an innovative sales strategy… more
TelEm said it’s making ‘solid’ progress stabilising systems
Sint Maarten – TelEm Group recently took delivery of brand-new telecommunication grade replacement batteries to stabilise power issues the company has been experiencing in recent weeks… more
E-commerce strategy reaches second phase
Trinidad and Tobago – THE second phase of the national e-commerce strategy project kicked off on July 16, with a consultation on the drafting of the strategy held at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain… more
Wednesday, 17 July 2024
Belize Battles Rising Cybercrime with Advanced AI Amidst Misinformation Concerns
Belize – As the digital landscape within Belize expands, the country faces a rising tide of cybercrime, prompting authorities to leverage advanced AI technology to combat these threats… more
DigiWallet supports Education with launch of DigiWallet Education Grant of $500
Belize – Оn Јulу 16, 2024, DіgіWаllеt аnnоunсеd thе lаunсh оf thе DіgіWаllеt Еduсаtіоn Grаnt, whісh wіll рrоvіdе $500 іn DіgіСаѕh tо dеѕеrvіng Веlіzеаn ѕtudеntѕ… more
Moruca now has free high-speed internet
Guyana – Yesterday, a team led by Prime Minister Mark Phillips, visited the subdivision of Moruca in the north west to launch the revolutionary “Starlink” initiative… more
STEMGuyana testing groundbreaking AI tutor
Guyana – STEMGuyana has launched what it deemed a groundbreaking AI Tutor to revolutionise the delivery of high-quality education for its learning pod students across the regions of Guyana… more
Telemedicine now in Region One communities
Guyana – Residents of Arakaka, Wallaba, and Santa Cruz in Moruca, Region One (Barima-Waini), can now benefit from telemedicine services, a release from the Ministry of Health said yesterday… more
US$16 million for the digital transformation of the Government
Haiti – Friday July 19, 2024, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a grant of $16 million for a Program to Strengthen the Foundations of the Digital Transformation of Public Management to Improve Government Effectiveness, aimed at improving the implementation implementing policies and delivering services to the citizens of Haiti through the digital transformation of public management… more
Are digital marketing careers viable in Jamaica?
Jamaica – In today’s digital landscape marketing professionals are faced with a complex and demanding environment that requires them to master an array of skills across multiple disciplines. Referred to as T-shaped marketers, these individuals are expected to have a broad understanding of numerous digital marketing components while also possessing deep knowledge in one to three specific areas… more
IGT kicks off annual coding and robotics camp
Jamaica – International Game Technology (IGT), in collaboration with Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI), this week kicked off its annual coding and robotics programme, dubbed the ‘IGT Coding & Robotics Rock! Camp’ across the Caribbean… more
Simply Secure revealed as entity acquiring tTech
Jamaica – tTech Limited, the Kingston-based information technology provider, has signalled that its shareholders could soon receive a bid for their holdings from Simply Secure, a Florida-based managed security services provider… more
Public Entity Saba Launches User-Friendly and Enhanced Government Website.
Saba – As part of the ongoing efforts to enhance digital services and accessibility for Saba’s residents, the Public Entity is proud to announce the launch of phase one of its newly updated government website on July 22, 2024… more
Thursday, 18 July 2024
Eleuthera exposed to digital payments rise
Bahamas – The Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce has teamed with the Central Bank and commercial banks to expose the island’s businesses and residents to newly-emerging digital payments solutions tomorrow… more
IP legislation will attract fintech firms, says Cooper
Bahamas – The country’s new intellectual property (IP) legislation will attract fintech firms with proprietary technology, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper said yesterday, adding that the creation of independent IP offices for companies and records will eventually become a revenue generating office for the government… more
A Notice to Our Readers
Barbados – It has come to our attention that fraudulent articles imitating the Barbados Today website, including our branding, colours, and logo, are being circulated. These fake articles mention the Barbados Central Bank and Carol Roberts, the CEO of NCF and the Barbados Central Bank and Peter Wickham… more
Top 10 tech in-demand skills for 2024
Caribbean – In the Caribbean, we have traditionally celebrated the careers of doctors, lawyers and engineers as prestigious and lucrative. Yet as we continue to churn out thousands of graduates each year in these fields, many find themselves underemployed or struggling to secure work that matches their qualifications… more
ICT training program for 79 teachers wraps up this week
Dominica – Between July 8 and 19, 2024, a total of 79 educators will take part in four specialized training sessions conducted at three distinct venues. The event is overseen by the Ministry of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training & National Excellence. A statement by the ministry highlights the primary objective of these workshops as providing teachers with the necessary expertise to seamlessly incorporate technology into their teaching methodologies… more
GARFIN revokes licence of WiPay money service business
Grenada – The licence of WiPay, a Trinidad and Tobago electronic money service business which was established in 2017 and launched in Grenada in 2023, was recently revoked by the Grenada Authority for the Regulation of Financial Institutions (GARFIN)… more
Renewal of the Starlink License
Haiti – The General Directorate of the Executive Body of the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) informs the public of the renewal of Starlink’s license to provide satellite internet services throughout the national territory for a period of five years… more
Friday, 19 July 2024
Deltec joins cross-border payments network Visa B2B Connect
Bahamas – Deltec Bank & Trust Limited announced that it has joined the cross-border payments network Visa B2B Connect, to allow for more cross-border payments for its corporate clients… more
Global IT outage causes delays at Lynden Pindling International Airport
Bahamas – A global IT outage affecting industries worldwide has led to disruptions at Lynden Pindling International Airport, with some airlines reporting delays… more
UPDATED: Bahamas impacted by global internet outages
Bahamas – A GLOBAL technology outage has been impacting Bahamians – with a number of services either out of action or experiencing difficulties… more
Opposition presses Government on alleged Smart favoritism
Belize – Рrіmе Міnіѕtеr Јоhn Вrісеñо іnѕіѕtѕ thаt thе Gоvеrnmеnt іѕ nоt fаvоrіng Ѕрееdnеt Соmmunісаtіоnѕ Lіmіtеd (Ѕmаrt) оvеr nаtіоnаllу-оwnеd Веlіzе Теlеmеdіа Lіmіtеd (ВТL) іn thе mаttеr оf соntrасtѕ wіth Gоvеrnmеnt аgеnсіеѕ… more
Worldwide IT crash impacts local gov’t systems
Cayman Islands – A massive technology failure caused chaos around the world Friday as PCs at banks, businesses, flights and hospitals crashed when something went wrong with a security software update… more
WiPay clarifies ‘inaccurate statements’ regarding its MSB license, reaffirms commitment to Grenada
Grenada – Caribbean fintech company, WiPay, is responding to recent reports regarding the verification of its license by the Grenada Authority for the Regulation of Financial Institutions (GARFIN)… more
Global technology outage causes delays for some flights to Jamaica
Jamaica – Flights leaving Jamaica have not been impacted by the global technology outage which has disrupted the operations of multiple industries… more
JaCIRT, MOCA helping local entities recover from global tech outage
Jamaica – The Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT) and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-corruption Agency (MOCA) are actively collaborating with entities across Jamaica that have been impacted by the global outage affecting Windows-based systems utilising the CrowdStrike Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software…more
PSOJ says most members spared brunt of global IT blackout
Jamaica – The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica says most of its members were spared any major disruptions in the global IT blackout on Friday… more
Some flights to Jamaica cancelled or delayed amid global technology outage
Jamaica – There have been several flight cancellations and delays in arrivals to Jamaica after a global technology outage affected multiple industries on Friday… more
tTech founder to stick with company after selling full shareholdings
Jamaica – The new leadership at managed IT services company tTech has installed a new chief executive, Kevin Gordon, who replaces Norman Chen, immediately… more
Nikhil Kukreja Urges for Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures Following Global IT Outage.
Sint Maarten – In response to the global IT outage on July 19, United People’s Party candidate number 7 Nikhil Kukreja stresses the urgent need for improved cybersecurity and updated laws in Sint Maarten… more
The Crowdstrike bug’s minimal impact on TT
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad and Tobago escaped much of the fallout of the Crowdstrike update that crippled services globally… more
Saturday, 20 July 2024
Education Ministry welcomes gift of 3D printers
Antigua and Barbuda – A kind-hearted Barbudan recently handed over three 3D printers to the Ministry of Education during its annual STEM camp… more
Scam warning as fake emails and websites target users after outage
Barbados – yber-security experts and agencies around the world are warning people about a wave of opportunistic hacking attempts linked to the IT outage… more
Farfan & Mendes collaborates with CAPA to train farmers, students on Climate-Smart agriculture and technology
Guyana – Farfan and Mendes Limited (FML) in collaboration with the USAID funded Caribbean Agricultural Productivity Improvement Activity (CAPA) trained approximately 30 farmers and agriculture students from across the country in various climate-smart agriculture and technologies. The training was done with support from the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NARIE) and the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA)… more
The Government Of St. Kitts And Nevis Progress Towards A Digital St. Kitts: Building A Robust Digital Services Network
Saint Kitts And Nevis – Following the launch of the St. Kitts and Nevis Internet
Exchange Point (SKNIX) in September 2023, the Department of Technology hosted a series of collaborative workshops with ArkiTechs Inc, IT consultants, and MCNET Solution at the National ICT Centre, C.A Paul Industrial Site from 17 June to 27 June 2024… more
Sunday, 21 July 2024
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Images credit: carterse (flickr); Wikimedia Commons; ECCB; STEMGuyana; Wikipedia; WiPay Caribbean; Wikipedia
