{"id":1611,"date":"2011-09-05T09:04:38","date_gmt":"2011-09-05T14:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=1611"},"modified":"2011-09-05T09:04:38","modified_gmt":"2011-09-05T14:04:38","slug":"roundup-for-the-week-ending-4-september-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2011\/09\/roundup-for-the-week-ending-4-september-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundup: for the week ending 4 September 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"
This is a roundup of the ICT\/technology news across the Caribbean region during the period Monday 29 August to Sunday 4 September 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n Cuba<\/em> \u2013 Over the next few months, Cuba will begin using the 1,600 km-long submarine fiber optic cable linking the island to Venezuela and Jamaica, according to official sources, PL news reported\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Trinidad & Tobago <\/em>\u2013 Leading Chinese computer manufacturing firm, Lenovo, has received the contract to provide approximately 17,300 laptops for students entering Form One in September\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The Bahamas Telecommunications Company is still trying to assess how many Bahamians weathered Hurricane Irene with working phones \u2014 though executives assert that, for the most part, 80 percent of customers had service\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 BTC today announced extensive relief efforts towards rebuilding The Bahamas following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene. \u00a0The Company has pledged $250,000 to support the relief and restoration efforts and up to $1.9 million in free mobile and landline credit targeted mainly at customers in the hardest hit islands of Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island & Long Cay, Long Island, Cat Island, Eleuthera and Abaco\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 Bahamians and the Family Islands in particular will be the beneficiary of more than $2 million in relief from the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), with technology giant pledging $1.9 million in credits and $250,000 to support the aid and restoration efforts\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Jamaica has approved Digicel’s acquisition of Claro Jamaica, but Prime Minister Bruce Golding said Tuesday that it is on the proviso that Digicel continues operating two separate networks, in what is meant to be a check on the market leader’s dominance\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 THE Government’s decision to approve the acquisition of Claro by its mobile rival Digicel was influenced by a number of factors, among them information that Claro would have pulled out of Jamaica regardless of the administration’s decision\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Jamaica<\/em> \u2013 Opposition Spokesman on Telecommunication Phillip Paulwell said he hopes that the prime minister will announce more favourable conditions regarding the Digicel-Claro merger when he provides more details on the deal next month\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Telecommunications company LIME, today endorsed Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s statement to introduce emergency legislation to address the outdated telecoms regulations in Jamaica\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Bahamas<\/em> \u2013 Another wave of voluntary separation package (VSEP) takers left the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Marlon Johnson confirmed during a press conference at BTC\u2019s headquarters on JFK Drive\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Bahamas <\/em>\u00ad\u2013 While only 20 percent of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company\u2019s (BTC) cellular customers went offline due to damage from Hurricane Irene, damaged and powerless cellular towers are now causing intermittent dropped calls and dead zones across The Bahamas, vice president of sales and marketing Marlon Johnson said yesterday\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n St. Thomas, USVI <\/em>\u2013 The Senate’s Planning and Environmental Protection Committee will take up a bill today to provide new rules and regulations for communications towers in the territory\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Belize<\/em> \u2013 The two dominant telecommunications firms, Belize Telemedia Ltd., owners of DigiCell\u00ae mobile services and Speednet Communications, owners of SMART\u00ae, have signed an interconnection agreement which has brought some level of peace to an already intense public battle\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Cayman Islands<\/em> \u2013 Although about half of the 447 respondents to last week\u2019s caycompass.com online poll at least generally support the government\u2019s ability to intercept telecommunications of the public as a way of fighting crime, almost as many people oppose the idea\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n Barbados<\/em> \u2013 The Barbados-based secretariat of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) is now earnestly making efforts to pull together a meeting of broadcasters, regulators and policy makers to establish an approach to how they will manage the huge costs that will be faced by broadcasters and consumers when the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting is mandated for the Caribbean in a few years\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n St. Kitts and Nevis <\/em>\u2013 An international report says St. Kitts and Nevis boasts the highest fixed broadband subscription rates in the Latin American\/Caribbean region and even higher than some developed economies\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\nMonday, 29 August 2011<\/h3>\n
Cuba will soon begin to use Venezuelan fiber optic cable<\/h4>\n
$53m for students\u2019 laptops<\/h4>\n
Tuesday, 30 August 2011<\/h3>\n
BTC averts cellular meltdown<\/h4>\n
Wednesday, 31 August 2011<\/h3>\n
BTC Contributes $2Million In Hurricane Relief<\/h4>\n
BTC unveils $2M relief program<\/h4>\n
Digicel-Claro Deal Approved With Limits Attached<\/h4>\n
PM: Claro would have left anyway<\/h4>\n
Paulwell, Vaz on Digicel-Claro merger<\/h4>\n
LIME welcomes PM’s plan to update telecoms laws<\/h4>\n
Thursday, 1 September 2011<\/h3>\n
More workers leave BTC<\/h4>\n
Damage to BTC towers causing service problems<\/h4>\n
Senators to get first look at tower regulation bill today<\/h4>\n
Friday, 2 September 2011<\/h3>\n
Telecom rivals sign interconnection agreement<\/h4>\n
Online poll: Mixed opinions on telecom tapping<\/h4>\n
Regional broadcasters worried about switch to digital<\/h4>\n
St. Kitts and Nevis boasts highest fixed broadband subscription rates in Latin America and the Caribbean<\/h4>\n
Saturday, 3 September 2011<\/h3>\n
Feds demand progress or will withhold funds<\/h4>\n