{"id":70281,"date":"2014-11-24T07:16:23","date_gmt":"2014-11-24T12:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=70281"},"modified":"2017-04-07T15:40:02","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T20:40:02","slug":"roundup-week-23-november-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2014\/11\/roundup-week-23-november-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundup: for the week ending 23 November 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

A roundup of ICT\/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 17 November to 23 November 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

\nMonday, 17 November 2014<\/h3>\n

Second Cellular Network Important for Bahamas Communications Resilience<\/h4>\n

Bahamas <\/em>\u2013 The Government of The Bahamas embarked on the initial stages of liberalizing the mobile phone market in the country, November 12, when Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Chrisite said that after \u2018years of waiting,\u2019 competition in cellular telephone services was imminent\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Orange Dominicana, Banco Popular launch new service<\/h4>\n

Dominican Republic<\/em> \u2013 Mobile telephony operator Orange Dominicana has launched a new mobile financial service in association with local bank Banco Popular Dominicano\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

LIME launches Christmas campaign in Mandeville<\/h4>\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Telecoms provider Lime recently launched its Christmas campaign and introduced its 4G service to this south-central town with a parade through the streets\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Technology Minister Cites Emerging Opportunities In ICT Sector<\/h4>\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says there are numerous emerging opportunities available within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector for young entrepreneurs\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, 18 November 2014<\/h3>\n

FTC probe<\/h4>\n

Barbados<\/em> \u2013 THE FAIR TRADING COMMISSION (FTC) is assuring Barbadians that it is on the case of two corporate giants whose recent business decisions have angered consumers\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

LIME in the wrong?<\/h4>\n

Barbados<\/em> \u2013 The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) is investigating whether a move by telecommunications company LIME to charge just under $5 for printed bills is in breach of its contract with customers or \u201cexcessive,\u00a0unreasonable, discriminatory or predatory\u201d\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Smart and BTL battle over \u201c10,000\u201d customers<\/h4>\n

Belize <\/em>\u2013 Since the cyber-attacks against Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) made the headlines four months ago, in July 2014, things have been relatively quiet on the telecommunications front, but customers in southern Belize, primarily those connected to SpeedNet\/Smart, have been grappling with major connectivity issues\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Cost savings help push up EBITDA at Altice<\/h4>\n

Dominican Republic <\/em>\u2013 The Luxembourg-based telecoms investment group Altice has reported revenues of EUR832.3 million (USD1.04 billion) for its third quarter to 30 September 2014, down 0.3% year-on-year\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

AS I SEE THINGS: Let the games begin<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 For many decades, Cable and Wireless (now LIME) operated as the single provider of telecommunications services in the Caribbean and has undoubtedly transformed that vital industry with massive amounts of investment in required infrastructure and human resource development\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Cable & Wireless US$3B Deal to Acquire Columbus Exposes Vulnerabilities in Caribbean Telecom Sector<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 When Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) announced an agreement to acquire Columbus International, news of the deal sparked widespread concerns about the impact of reduced competition on consumer pricing, infrastructure investment and wider economic development in the Caribbean\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/www.brandsoftheworld.com\/logo\/digicel-1\"Digicel hits back at C&W’s “sour grapes” comment<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 In a clash of words telecoms company Digicel today lashed out at rivals Cable and Wireless for assertions that the company is suffering from \u201csour grapes\u201d regarding the recent acquisition of Columbus Communication\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

TelEm\u00a0Group restoration work picking up pace, new areas of activity named.<\/h4>\n

Sint Maarten <\/em>\u2013 TelEm Group technicians are picking up the pace with restoration works in several areas of the island following the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo in mid-October and many days of torrential rain in the past two weeks\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, 19 November 2014<\/h3>\n

Cable invests $3m with eye on mobile<\/h4>\n

Bahamas<\/em> \u2013 Cable Bahamas has invested $3 million to upgrade service quality on its fixed-line REVOICE network\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

EDITORIAL: Consumer voice too long missing<\/h4>\n

Barbados <\/em>\u2013 The plans by LIME to charge customers who want to continue receiving printed bills and the move by CIBC FirstCaribbean to change contractual arrangements may be good business decisions\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Police issue warnings over latest scams<\/h4>\n

Cayman Islands<\/em> \u2013 he RCIPS are warning people to be on the look-out for fraudulent adverts and callers as a result of mounting scam reports\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

CWC Overpaid For Columbus By Us$1B, Says Digicel<\/h4>\n

Regional<\/em> \u2013 Smarting from comments that it was motivated by sour grapes, Digicel Group is doubling down on its plan to push for aggressive review of the pending CWC\/Columbus International tie-up Tuesday, even as it alleged that its British rival negotiated a bad deal\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday, 20 November 2014<\/h3>\n

BTC installs five new mobile towers<\/h4>\n

Bahamas<\/em> \u2013 The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has installed five new cellular towers in New Providence, in a bid to improve service quality for mobile phone users in key traffic areas\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Cable Bahamas gets REVOICE ready for mobile service with $3 million network upgrade<\/h4>\n

Bahamas<\/em> \u2013 Cable Bahamas has announced that its REVOICE phone service is operating at an optimal level following the success of a $3 million network upgrade\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

\"BarbadosTelecom update<\/h4>\n

Barbados<\/em> \u2013 A high-powered team from the newly combined telecommunications force of Cable & Wireless (C&W) and Columbus International spent yesterday in a rapid round of meetings with top officials including Prime Minister Freundel Stuart\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Unfair move by LIME<\/h4>\n

Barbados<\/em> \u2013 We have received a letter from Lime stating that as of January 1, 2015, they will be charging $4.68 for a written bill\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Random targets in new telephone scam \u2013 FIA<\/h4>\n

British Virgin Islands <\/em>\u2013 he Financial Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued a public advisory for residents of the British Virgin Islands to be mindful of what it said is a telephone scam that emerged recently\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Data protection \u2018removes\u2019 right to trial<\/h4>\n

Cayman Islands <\/em>\u2013 Few people understand legislation proposed to protect privacy rights in Cayman, and the Data Protection Bill (2014), if passed in its current form, may end up violating other human rights, including the right to a fair trial, according to the Cayman Islands Human Rights Commission\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Digicel welcomes stance taken by Ectel in relation to proposed acquisition of Columbus by Cable and Wireless<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 Digicel welcomed the confirmation by the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ECTEL) that the proposed merger between Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus Communications Inc. (Columbus) is a matter of significant public interest for the region deserving of rigourous regulatory attention and diligent review\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

ECTEL: C&W, Columbus may be in breach of licences<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 Mobile service provider Digicel yesterday said it welcomed statements by the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ECTEL) that Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) purchase of Columbus Communications Inc was a matter of significant public interest for the region deserving of rigorous regulatory attention and diligent review\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Meetings start<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 OFFICIALS of Cable and Wireless and Columbus Communications (FLOW) got down to business yesterday when they held meetings with Barbados Government representatives and those of the regulators, including the Fair Trading Commission, and the official Opposition\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Catholic Church partners with local developer to give app technology a higher calling<\/h4>\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 The Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain is taking a leap of faith into the world of digital technology\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

DIRECTV demands transparency<\/h4>\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 DIRECTV has no objection to the proposed acquisition of Columbus International Inc by Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) as long as the process is transparent and the telecoms regulators in each country take into account the overall effect on the markets and consumers\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Howai, CWU meet on CWC\/Columbus deal<\/h4>\n

Trinidad and Tobago <\/em>\u2013 Government has not yet taken a position on the agreement by Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) to acquire Columbus International, Joseph Remy, secretary general of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said yesterday\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday, 21 November 2014<\/h3>\n

\"http:\/\/www.eleutheranews.com\/\"‘Not In Market’s Interest’ For BTC Appeal To Succeed<\/h4>\n

Bahamas<\/em> \u2013 The Bahamas Telecommunications Company\u2019s (BTC) main rival last night said it was \u201cnot in the market\u2019s interest\u201d for its appeal against a regulatory ruling, which found it guilty of anti-competitive behaviour, to succeed\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Protect us (please) from government\u2019s Data Protection Bill<\/h4>\n

Cayman Islands <\/em>\u2013 \u201cIt is convoluted and complex legislation, even for lawyers,\u201d declared James Austin-Smith, who is an attorney and head of the Cayman Islands Human Rights Commission\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Competition Under Threat<\/h4>\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 THE EDITOR, Sir: I see that Digicel and Cable & Wireless continue to fight in the media, but what I would like to know is whether they will fight equally hard for consumers\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Cable & Wireless says it appreciates intervention by regulators in Columbus merger<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) today said it welcomed the intervention of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ECTEL) in its proposed merger with Columbus Communications\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Current Issues in the Telecommunications Sector in ECTEL Member States<\/h4>\n

Regional \u2013 The sixteenth Consultative Forum of representatives of the five National Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions (NTRCs) and the staff of the ECTEL Directorate was held in Saint Lucia on November 10 – 11, 2014\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Digicel calls on TATT to withstand joint CWC\/Columbus pressure to limit regulatory approvals process<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 Digicel today publicly called on the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) to hold firm and withstand the severe pressure being applied by UK based Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus International Inc. (Columbus) to rapidly approve the proposed acquisition of Columbus by CWC\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

How will regional regulators respond to CWC’s acquisition of Columbus?<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 Can telecommunications regulators from across the Caribbean see beyond their national interests and present a unified regional response to a common challenge?\u00a0The recent announcement by Cable and Wireless (CWC) of its proposed US$3 billion acquisition of Columbus International could prompt them to try\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/2\/2d\/LIME_Logo.gif\"LIME announces the arrival of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus to the region<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are here, thanks to LIME, the only authorised\u00a0carrier in the English-speaking Caribbean\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien has big calls to make<\/h4>\n

Regional <\/em>\u2013 Denis O\u2019Brien is well known in business and media circles for taking a rather muscular approach to his opponents and critics\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Digicel Launches its Christmas Promotion<\/h4>\n

Saint Kitts and Nevis \u2013 Digicel fans are in for another treat this Christmas season\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday, 22 November 2014<\/h3>\n

$22 MILLION worth of cell phones<\/h4>\n

Jamaica<\/em> \u2013 A man, who is accused of stealing $22,000,000 worth of cellular phones from the Kingston Wharves, was further remanded in custody when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Friday\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Digicel Customers Can Opt Out Of Sms Notifications<\/h4>\n

Jamaica<\/em> \u2013 THE EDITOR, Sir: I am writing in response to a letter that was published (‘Leave me the hell alone, Digicel!’) in The Gleaner on Friday, November 21, 2014 regarding text notifications from Digicel\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Don’t Let C&W Fool You Again<\/h4>\n

Jamaica<\/em> \u2013 THE EDITOR, Sir: Just when we thought that the telecoms sector in Jamaica couldn’t get any more interesting or surreal, now we have CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden getting in on the act\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Young Entrepreneurs Display Technology Innovations<\/h4>\n

Jamaica \u2013 Young technology entrepreneurs participating in the Government\u2019s Start-Up Jamaica (SUJ) initiative showcased their various innovations at a Demo Day held on Monday (November 17)\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Digicel to TATT: Don\u2019t rush to approve<\/h4>\n

Regional<\/em> \u2013 Digicel yesterday called on the Telecommunications Authority of T&T (TATT) to hold firm and withstand pressure from UK based Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus International Inc\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

LIME responds to licence breach warning<\/h4>\n

Regional<\/em> \u2013 LIME’s parent Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) has responded to a warning from the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) that both CWC and Columbus Communications, better known as FLOW, could be in breach of their licenses if they engage in activities, which can unfairly prevent, restrict, or distort competition\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Digicel Makes Christmas Better For Communities<\/h4>\n

Saint Lucia <\/em>\u2013 During the festive season Digicel St Lucia will share and give even more value to its customers. Throughout the next month Digicel will bring smiles and cheer to families and communities with the hope of bringing everyone together to make this Christmas better\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Sunday, 23 November 2014<\/h3>\n

Telecommunication : Interference and fraud, towards a bilateral solution…<\/h4>\n

Haiti <\/em>\u2013 Jean Marie Guillaume, Director Genral of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL), at the head of delegation recently visited the headquarters of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (INDOTEL), in order to meet his counterpart Dominican Gedeon Santos, as part of a workshop on interference caused by mobile telephony and audiovisual services and telephone fraud\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

\"JamaicaI welcome the Cable and Wireless acquisition of Flow<\/h4>\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 HAVING been a subscriber to Flow\u2019s triple play service for many years, at the very moment I read that the Cable and Wireless (CWC) had bought Columbus Communications, known to us in Jamaica as Flow, I envisioned rates going down because of increased competition from the dominant player in the region, Digicel\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Startuprobot Re-Engineers Company Registrations<\/h4>\n

Jamaica <\/em>\u2013 At 37, Winston Wilkins, CEO and founder of StartUpRobot (SUR), the company which promises to take the pain out of company registrations, has turned a hobby in IT into a new company\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

CWC\/Columbus: Deal good for prices, jobs, investment<\/h4>\n

Regional<\/em> \u2013 Communications Columbus International have said that their proposed merger \u00a0will increase competition with Digicel, enhance customer choice and boost long-term investment and employment across the Caribbean\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

CWC-Columbus Heads East For Talks Over ECTEL Concerns<\/h4>\n

Regional<\/em> \u2013 Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) and Columbus International say they have already initiated discussions with regulators in four of six markets and will head next to St Lucia and Grenada to meet with authorities there on their plans to merge\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

Digicel\u00a0accused of violating network policy<\/h4>\n

Regional<\/em> \u2013 Telecommunications Company Digicel has been found to be in breach of the principle of Internet Neutrality as a result of its move to restrict Over the Top(OTT) Services, in particular Viper to residents across the Caribbean\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

ECTEL slams company\u2019s \u2018interception\u2019<\/h4>\n

Regional<\/em> \u2013 On Thursday, Digicel issued a news release in which it agreed with the position taken by the telecommunications regulator in the Eastern Caribbean (ECTEL) on the acquisition by Cable & Wireless Communications of Columbus International\u2026 more<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image credits: \u00a0journalismthatmatters<\/a>\/flickr; \u00a0Brands of the World<\/a>; \u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>; \u00a0Eleutheran News<\/a>; \u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>; \u00a0Wikipedia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

______________<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A roundup of ICT\/technology news from across the Caribbean region for the period Monday 17 November to 23 November 2014. Monday, 17 November 2014 Second Cellular Network Important for Bahamas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[77],"tags":[71,53,55,78,12],"class_list":["post-70281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-businesses","tag-competition","tag-mergers-acquisitions","tag-news-roundup","tag-regulation","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Old-News-Story-and-New-Tools-journalismthatmatters-flickr.jpg?fit=640%2C374&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-ihz","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70281"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96795,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70281\/revisions\/96795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}