A roundup of the latest ICT\/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 4 January  to Sunday 10 January 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Monday, 4 January 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bahamian pre-teen launches initiative to teach kids how to code<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 A pre-teen Bahamian girl has launched a non-profit initiative to empower other children to \u201cunlock\u201d their power by learning how to code\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sand Dollar Firms Expanding To Nine<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The Central Bank says a total of nine firms will likely be approved to start distributing Bahamian digital dollars, thereby significantly increasing their availability to the public, by early 2021\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

30,000 students still without devices for online classes<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago<\/em> \u2013 As the new school term is set to open on Monday, the Ministry of Education (MoE) said there were still nearly 30,000 students without access to devices to undertake schooling\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tuesday, 5 January 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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Website for Sand Dollar digital currency launched<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBOB) launched the official website for its Sand Dollar digital currency yesterday\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OfReg approves Compass, Hurley\u2019s Media merger<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Cayman Islands<\/em> \u2013 Compass Media on Tuesday, 5 Jan. officially announced a merger with Hurley\u2019s Media after OfReg approved the sale of the radio broadcasting company at the end of December, according to a press release from Compass Media\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominican Republic proposes 5G tender spectrum for 2021 services<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dominican Republic<\/em> \u2013 The Dominican Republic\u2019s fixed-line teledensity is well below the Latin American average, a legacy of under-investment in network infrastructure over the years\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wednesday, 6 January 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

CBS Bahamas lauds benefits of e-commerce operation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The move to e-commerce for CBS Bahamas helped the company to have a much better holiday season than it expected, the retailer\u2019s Vice President Brent Burrows told Guardian Business yesterday, adding that the company will put even more emphasis on its online operations in 2021\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EXPERT EXPECTATIONS \u2014 Michele Marius<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 AT a time of increased emphasis on finding technology solutions, it is heartening to learn of the work that many Caribbean experts such as Michele Marius lend to the effort\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samsung Galaxy S21 leaked ahead of unpacking<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Samsung sent an invitation to Digital Life for the unpacking of their newest Galaxy S21 smartphone, but they have been scooped with a substantial leak showing an optional S pen, a signal that we could be seeing an end to the Note series\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech resolutions worth pursuing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 As is customary at the start of a new year, we begin with a series of critical activities intended to make the next 12 months a success\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data Privacy: Is your organisation ready?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must have noticed privacy has become a huge buzzword among companies and professionals worldwide\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Digicel rejects claims its network was used for Chinese espionage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013  Digicel has rejected claims from the outgoing US ambassador to Jamaica that Chinese spies have used its network to eavesdrop on his calls, as well as listening in to calls involving Jamaican citizens\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plans To Build Out ICT<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Saint Kitts and Nevis <\/em>\u2013 Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris says in 2021 the government will continue its buildout of its ICT sector and enhance existing functions to make them more accessible online\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thursday, 7 January 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas to consider viability of third mobile player<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The Bahamas\u2019 Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is assessing the viability of introducing a third operator to the archipelago\u2019s mobile market to compete with ALIV and BTC (Bahamas Telecommunications Company)\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Govt pushing to get Digital ID cards rolled out<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados <\/em>\u2013 Barbadians could be getting their chip-based national identification cards sooner than expected, as the Government seeks out a fresh approach to tackle challenges relating to contact tracing in the fight against the COVID-19 virus\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cloud on the horizon<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 As TT moves toward digitisation which will involve official documentation processes being converted to, and maintained as digital data, development manager for APC Latin America based in Miami, Hector Martinez believes cloud storage technology will become increasingly more important when considering digital data management\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friday, 8 January 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Minister Hails Drones As Crime-Fighting Tool<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames attended drone testing at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Coral Harbour Base yesterday, which will be rolled out in law enforcement agencies soon\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More SMEs opening up to mobile\/digital wallet solution, says provider<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 A digital payment provider said yesterday that while the digital\/mobile wallet offering is still in the \u201cramp-up\u201d phase locally, more small and medium-sized businesses are becoming open to the idea, particularly in the Family Islands\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haiti digital program to give broadband access<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Haiti <\/em>\u2013 he government of Haiti has embarked on a digital program that has been designed to give broadband access to 2.7 million people across the country over the next five years\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Haiti Embarks on Massive Programme to Widen Internet Coverage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Haiti <\/em>\u2013 The government of Haiti has embarked on a digital programme that has been designed to give broadband access to 2.7 million people across the country over the next five years\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huawei donates 500 tablets to education sector<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica<\/em> \u2013  Global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei Technologies Company Limited, has donated 500 tablets in support of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information\u2019s \u2018One Laptop or Tablet Per Child\u2019 initiative\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica Telecom Market Research by Industry Growth and Forecast 2026<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 The report on Jamaica Telecom is a comprehensive collection of all the market related information required for analyzing and understanding the Jamaica Telecom market\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT expert explains why video footage in prison escape case has wrong date<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines<\/em> \u2013 Video footage from the prisons purporting to have been filmed before and during the 2019 escape of inmate Veron Primus was admitted into evidence this week, during the trial of the prison officer accused of conspiring with the escapee\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FLOW builds links in south Trinidad during covid19<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago<\/em> \u2013 TELECOMMUNICATIONS company FLOW is playing its part in providing connections between people and communities during the covid19 pandemic\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Saturday, 9 January 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bahamian digital currency will operate in the country\u2019s financial institutions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The Central Bank of the Bahamas announced that nine companies were chosen to serve as service providers for its central bank digital currency (CBDC), called the sand dollar. Likewise, it reported on the launch of the official website of the digital asset\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A digital detox<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Guyana <\/em>\u2013 I took the decision two days before the new year broke to temporarily deactivate my Facebook and Instagram accounts; a digital detox is what health and wellness gurus call it\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sunday, 10 January 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Govt pushing to get Digital ID cards rolled out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 On Thursday, Facebook began notifying users of its WhatsApp messaging service of policy changes regarding data-sharing with Facebook’s servers… more <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image credits: Gerd Altmann (Pixabay<\/a>); Twitter<\/a>; Brands of the World<\/a>; Wikipedia<\/a>; Wikipedia<\/a>; <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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