A roundup of the latest ICT\/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 21 June to Sunday 27 June 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monday, 21 June 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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BTC: 7,000 Homes On Fibre By 2021 End<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas<\/em> \u2013 The Bahamas Telecommunications Company\u2019s (BTC) chief executive says 7,000 homes will be added to its new fibre technology network by the end of 2021\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BTC first in country with fixed mobile convergence; aims for 70K new fiber-to-home connects by year\u2019s end<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is aiming to have 70,000 new homes connected to its fiber-to-the home infrastructure by year\u2019s end, according to its chief executive, with the company becoming the first communications provider in country to offer fixed mobile convergence (FMC)\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BTC touts first-of-its-kind bundling option for The Bahamas<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is touting a first-of-its-kind bundle in The Bahamas that includes home and mobile products, with mobile family plans that include four lines\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Network Upgrade Hits Rev Customers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 LOCAL cable and internet provider REV said \u201cunforeseen complications\u201d during a scheduled network upgrade left nearly a quarter of residential customers in New Providence without service for a period yesterday\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pay your bills on time<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 I am in agreement with Mr O Wilson\u2019s letter in the Sunday Express, that citizens will splurge on KFC, Carnival costumes and MovieTowne dinners, but will not pay their WASA, T&TEC and TSTT bills on time\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tuesday, 22 June 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kanoo defends contract awards<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 Digital payment solutions provider, Kanoo, yesterday defended its record and award of government contracts, insisting that it \u201cwelcomes and embraces the government\u2019s procurement process [and] the record would reflect that we abide by them\u201d\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BUT head: Teaching online is hard, educators need a break<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados<\/em> \u2013 The nation\u2019s four teachers\u2019 trade unions appear to have pulled the rug from under the Ministry of Education in their collective rejection of a Government-mandated summer school programme\u2026 more<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FLOW RECORDS INCREASED FAULTS FOLLOWING \u2018FREAK STORM\u2019<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados <\/em>\u2013 Barbados\u2019 leading telecommunications provider has reported an increase in the number of faults recorded since last week\u2019s \u2018freak storm\u2019\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digicel bringing the power of podcasts to customers with GoLoud<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 With the global podcast industry growing by 25% last year to reach a value of just over US$1.1 billion against an overall media and entertainment industry growth of just 4%, it\u2019s clear that, in 2021, the ears have it… more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flow targets small and medium-size businesses in free online webinar<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 WITH many businesses transitioning to the online space, Flow Business is continuing to empower small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) on their digital journey by helping them to seamlessly make the transition \u2014 including arming them with the necessary information to keep their business ahead of the game\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ECTEL announces winners of its Girls in ICT Day Contest<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines <\/em>\u2013 THREE CARIBBEAN girls who took the time to learn more about Information and Communications Technology (ICT) have been rewarded. Malea Antoine, Mataellia Breen and Jasmine Dusauzay each won an Amazon Gift Card valued at US$100 for participating in a recent Girls in ICT Day follow up contest staged by the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL)\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wednesday, 23 June 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sun Cash\u2019s digital wallet users top 50,000<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 More than 50,000 active users now use Sun Cash\u2019s mobile wallet to carry out digital payments, a milestone that means the digital payment provider is getting its platform\u2019s services right, the company\u2019s Head of Business Development Raymond Smith told Guardian Business yesterday\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flow records increased faults since \u2018freak\u2019 weather system<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados <\/em>\u2013 Barbados\u2019 leading telecommunications provider reported an increase in the number of faults recorded since last week\u2019s \u2018freak storm\u2019\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean tech companies to pitch investors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean<\/em> \u2013 Tech Beach Retreat (TBR) LAB will host its first virtual Demo Day on June 25 when Caribbean technology start-ups will meet with international investors representing over US$250 million in investment capital\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Digicel subsidiaries upgraded by Fitch ratings service<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean<\/em> \u2013 Debt restructuring and expectations of improved revenue have led Fitch Ratings to affirm Digicel Group Holdings Limited’s (DGHL) Long-Term (LT) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘CCC’\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IDB hoping to connect regional firms in digital space to Miami firms<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean<\/em> \u2013 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Mauricio Claver-Carone is working to remove tourism from the tops of investors\u2019 minds and have them begin to immediately think of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region in terms of the opportunities in the digital space\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning from the Masters with PlayGo Emerge<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean<\/em> \u2013 As part of its commitment to developing the regional film industry, PlayGo, through its film competition PlayGo Emerge, is offering a series of masterclasses with some of the Caribbean\u2019s best film professionals\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security road map lock shop (Pt 1)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean<\/em> \u2013 In our previous articles, we looked at the importance of identifying all an organisation’s critical assets to establish a clear understanding and awareness of associated risks\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Click N Collect’ changing efficiency to sea freight<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica<\/em> \u2013 CHIEF executive officer of Kingston Wharves Limited (KWL) Mark Williams is advancing that the company’s ‘Click N Collect’ contactless cargo clearance service is introducing efficiencies normally associated with airfreight to the sea freight industry\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grading IT professionals<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica<\/em> \u2013 How can you be assured that your technology expert is an expert? Learning and growth for self-development and learning and growth for employment are two different things\u2026 m<\/a>o<\/a>re<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamaican-born Sarah Cooper who drove Trump crazy is Digital Creator of the Year<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Sarah Cooper, the merciless Donald Trump impersonator who almost drove the former United States president to ban TikTok from the US, has won Adweek’s Digital Creator of the Year 2020 award, Hollywood Reporter said Monday\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamaicans ‘teching’ over the world<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Jody Simpson emigrated from Jamaica to the United States of America in 2013 while a sixth-form student\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Productive Business Solutions merging with Trinidad’s Massy Technologies<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Documents and information technology (IT) company Productive Business Solutions (PBS) is merging with Massy Technologies (Trinidad and Tobago), which is also in the IT business\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Views from the bar: Gambling with cryptocurrency<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago<\/em> \u2013 In the beginning, there was man, grain and bartering. Since then, human beings have revolutionised the exchange of goods and services by introducing a standard exchange rate, paper currency, and non-precious coinage\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thursday, 24 June 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

SunCash launches new payments card \u201c$martPay\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bahamas<\/em> \u2013 With banks transitioning to cashless environments or exiting The Bahamas altogether, business owners now have an alternative, secure and transparent option to pay their employees via the new SunCash payroll and $martPay Card\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partnership brings Bitt an award<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados <\/em>\u2013 For its work on the DCash pilot, global fintech company, Bitt, was awarded as the 2021 Central Bank Digital Currency Partner by the industry\u2019s leading information resource \u2013 Central Banking Publications\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing digital gap could create up to 15 million jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean<\/em> \u2013 Latin America and the Caribbean could dramatically increase employment and kickstart sustainable economic growth if it closed its digital connectivity gap with members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enterprise transformation bosses: SMEs are important<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean <\/em>\u2013 Four Caribbean enterprise leaders got together to discuss digital transformation at The Caribbean Innovation Ecosystem \u2013 An Enterprise Level Outlook, a virtual seminar last week hosted by Tech Beach Retreat Labs, and the conversation wasn\u2019t only about big business\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IDB announces \u2018Silver Economy\u2019 challenge<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean <\/em>\u2013 The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with its innovation laboratory, IDB Lab, has opened the Silver Economy Innovation for Inclusion Challenge, to find and support innovative solutions that facilitate the growing population of seniors to become an engine of social inclusion and economic recovery in the Latin American and the Caribbean region… more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Data-driven decisions will help resolve many human resource management issues<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 The decision to open the borders at this time, with new coronavirus cases still not falling consistently under 300, must not have been an easy one, and should send a message that we are looking past the virus and on to our economic circumstance… more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friday, 25 June 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Barbados gets top marks as new IDB report evaluates broadband development in LAC<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados <\/em>– A new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) suggests that Latin America and the Caribbean could dramatically increase employment and kick-start sustainable economic growth if it closed its digital connectivity gap with members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)\u2026 more<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5G Americas, GSMA & CANTO to co-host Virtual Summit about 5G in the Caribbean during MWC 2021<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean <\/em>\u2013 5G Americas, together with GSMA North America and CANTO, will co-host the 5G Caribbean Virtual Summit. This event is scheduled for June 30th and July 1st, 2021. It will take place alongside MWC21 Barcelona\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PM spearheads CARICOM engagement to eliminate roaming charges<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Caribbean<\/em> \u2013 Grenada\u2019s Prime Minister, Dr the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell is spearheading a CARICOM initiative to eliminate roaming charges for Caribbean nationals travelling within the region\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ECSC Launch of its E-Litigation Portal in Grenada and E-Litigation Documentary<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Grenada<\/em> \u2013 The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) hosted a media briefing and launch of its E-Litigation Portal for the Member State of Grenada… more<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Govt set to authorise spectrum for 4G, 5G services<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Guyana<\/em> \u2013 The Telecommunications Agency (TA) is about to allocate additional frequency spectrum to Guyana\u2019s three major telecommunications providers, according to a publication in the Official Gazette… more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JPS outage tracking system vulnerable to cyberattacks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica<\/em> \u2013 The Jamaica Public Service Company system used to track power outages is vulnerable to cyberattacks, and needs to be upgraded, the power utility said in its annual filing for a tariff review of electricity rates\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ECCB to launch Dcash in SVG by month-end<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines<\/em> \u2013 The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has partnered with several banks, credit unions, and businesses to provide a new payment option for countries in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU)\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

bmobile allows data-free access for TTPS Reporting and Safety App<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 All bmobile customers now have free access to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) App, and can report an issue or crime and even use the SOS Alert system, without having a data plan or even credit on their account… more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UWI dancers triumph over remote learning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 Remote learning has upended traditional teaching methods and the manner in which students interact with tutors and even with each other over the past 15 months\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Saturday, 26 June 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Enabling focus on innovation and technology<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados<\/em> \u2013 The Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation (BEF) $20 Challenge, has announced that it will be launching a new pilot series in collaboration with the Optimist Clubs of Barbados under the theme Igniting the Entrepreneurial Mindset which will focus on enabling innovation and embracing more technology\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Zombies\u2019 to benefit from online platform<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Barbados<\/em> \u2013 Fitness enthusiasts in Barbados and the world can look forward to a unique and exciting workout program called Zombie Fit being launched in early August\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belize\u2019s Digitized Transport System<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Belize <\/em>\u00ad\u2013 The Belize Motor Vehicle Registration and License System has been discussed in the media for a number of years to date… more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sunday, 27 June 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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E-Governance and Digitalization Unit Supports Belize Motor Vehicle Registration and Licensing System<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Belize<\/em> \u2013 On June 23, 2021, the Government of Belize and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) hosted an achievement and handing over ceremony for the Belize Motor Vehicle Licensing and Registration System (BMVRLS)\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coding in Schools programme to be expanded<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 The Coding in Schools programme, which is now in its pilot phase in 20 schools, is set to be rolled out in other institutions shortly\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global Services Sector Project hosts virtual talent fair<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica \u2013 The Global Services Sector (GSS) Project hosted its inaugural GSS Virtual Talent Hub Fair last Thursday with the objective of connecting jobseekers to the more than 4,000 entry- and mid-level positions available in a variety of areas in the global services sector\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image credits: rawpixel.com (Pexels<\/a>); The Eleutheran<\/a>; Wikipedia<\/a>; Wikimedia Commons<\/a>; Wikimedia Commons<\/a>; Wikipedia<\/a>; Wikipedia<\/a>; Wikipedia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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