ICT Pulse Podcast

Ideally, a unified Caribbean region should be better and stronger than its constituent parts. With regard to telecoms and ICT, we still in the process of establishing a seamless and harmonised regional space. In our recent conversation with Rodney Taylor, the new Secretary General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, he shares his thoughts on, among other things: the CARICOM Single ICT Space...

2020 was supposed to be an outstanding year for research and data intelligence firm, Bluedot Insights. However, by March 2020, all of the growth and performance projections came crashing down. Company CEO, Larren Peart, gives us: an update on Bluedot Insights since our first conversation in 2018; some of the challenges that were experienced, and the tough decisions that had to be made; and what mi...

In the May 2021 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Allison James and Andrew Olton, the panel discusses: pivoting to sustainable business models; and IT risk management.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!   Music credit: Red Peas and Rice, Ray...

Sylvester Cadette, of the International Telecommunication Union, discusses: the Tampere Convention; why it is important for more Caribbean countries to accede to that Convention; along with the need for Caribbean countries to have more comprehensive emergency telecommunications plans.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at  www.ict-pulse.com/categ...

In our fifth instalment on social enterprises that are leveraging ICT, we speak with the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Akata Farms in Grenada, Bevon Chadel Charles. During the course of the conversation, Bevon discusses: the ways in which Akata Farms it is leveraging technology; how and why Akata farms is a social enterprise; and the challenges of being a tech social enterprise in the agr...

Even more now than when we discussed it in 2019, chatbots are all the rage. Following up from our previous conversation on chatbots, Kern Elliott of iGovTT is back to tell us, among other things:   how chatbots are now being used; the biggest mistake or oversight organisations are making with chatbots; and the steps organisations should be considering to take their chatbot game to the next level....

In February 2021, Trinidad and Tobago film and television distributor, FILMCO, announced the launch of a new Caribbean streaming platform, FILMCO2Go, which is streaming Caribbean films and TV shows to the world! We speak with FILMCO2Go Co-Founder, Mariel Brown, about: FILMCO2Go; The Caribbean TV and film industry; and What it is like to run a creative tech business in Trinidad and Tobago.   Show n...

In this Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Gerard Best and Amit Uttamchandani, the panel discusses disinformation, misinformation and fake news, including: whether social media or the content delivery platforms are the blame; the importance of scepticism; and why regulation is not enough.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can b...

Project Management, Information Management Professional, and long-time contributor to ICT Pulse, Liselle Ramcharan-Briscoe, continues the data adventures she started with us in 2018. by sharing with us: what new data adventures she has been experiencing; key software engineering, information management and/or even project management trends that she has been observing over the last few years, plus...

In our April instalment of our series exploring technology-based social enterprises, we are highlighting Link Your Purpose, a career development platform and social enterprise, based in Jamaica. In speaking with the CEO of Link Your Purpose, Lanisia Rhoden, we discuss: how Link Your Purpose is leveraging technology; how it balances sustainability versus profitability; and its scope for growth in t...

Although we have all played video games, video games developed by Caribbean developers appear to have little or no visibility. Moreover, there is no video game development industry in region to speak of, and the underpinning ecosystem remains underdeveloped. Jamaican video games developers, Glen Henry and Graham Reid, discuss the current situation, including: The economic benefits for Caribbean co...

In this Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Melissa Farara and Oshane Bailey, the panel discusses: What will it take for the Caribbean to become the next Silicon Valley? And what should be the starting point for regulators/competition authorities in this digital age? Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse....

In this episode, and with digital economy strategist, Tracy Hackshaw, we get an update on the Internet Governance issues that being discussed internationally, many of which are likely affect how we perceive and use the Internet in the future. We also discuss the state of the Caribbean digital economy, and what should be the priorities of the region going forward.   Show notes and links to some of...

Locally-owned social enterprises are not common in the Caribbean; and ICT-based ones are even rarer. Tech entrepreneur Eldon Marks of the social enterprise, Nexus Hub, which is based in Guyana, gives us an update on the business since our last conversation in 2019, and why tech entrepreneurs ought to be more social impact-focussed.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the...

In the first instalment in our Expert insights series on cyber threats and security for 2021, and with Sean Slattery of Caribbean Solutions Lab, he discusses, among other things: the changes in the threat landscape that occurred in 2020; key vulnerabilities due to remote working and working from home; the impact of the pandemic on the role of IT/cybersecurity personnel; and three things organisati...

In this our February 2021 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Gisselle Ramsaran and Vincentius (Vincent) Kenswil, the panel discusses: how can we transform to a CARICOM-wide educational system using the ICT Technology? And, how to manage business operations whilst adopting technology?   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be fou...

Banj, a co-working space and Google powered accelerator in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is the second tech-based business we are focussing on in our series on technology-based social enterprises. We chat with company Founder, Marc Alain Boucicault, about: what drove him to set up Banj;   the social impact Banj is having in Haiti; the big dreams he has for Banj and for Haiti; and the advice you would giv...

If there is every a time we, in the Caribbean region, need the CARICOM Single ICT Space, it is now, as the world continues to navigate its way through COVID-19. In this episode, we are re-joined by Jennifer Britton, of the CARICOM Secretariat, to give us the scoop on the latest achievements and developments, as well as to (hopefully) give us some indication of how close we might be to (finally!!)...

With lockdowns and curfews the norm since 2020 due to COVID-19, business and economies worldwide have suffered. In this episode we check back in with one of the tech businesses we featured in 2018: Caribbean Transit Solutions, a location and logistics-based services, headquartered in Barbados. Co-Founder, Khalil Bryan, gives us an update on the state of the company and on his entrepreneurial journ...

On this the latest episode of our 'Know Your Neighbours' series, we explore the telecoms and ICT space of the resource-rich and culturally diverse twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago, with Simon Fraser of the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society. Below are some of the issues discussed with Simon during our conversation: How developed are telecoms and ICT in Trinidad and Tobago; How accessi...

We are launching a new theme for 2021: social impact-focussed tech businesses. In this our first episode of the series, we are highlighting Farm Credibly, a digital co-operative for farms in Jamaica. We speak with its Co-Founder and CEO, Varun Baker to find out, among other things: What does it mean to be a digital co-op for farms? How Farm Credibly manages the risks typically associated with lend...

In this our January 2021 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Bianca Welds and Lendon Telesford, the panel discusses digital transformation. In light of the accelerated efforts to leverage technology that occurred in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now that we are in 2021: where do we see the future of digital transformation for Caribbean organisations and business...

In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2020, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Telojo (Telly) Valerie Onu and Carlton Samuels, the panel discussed the ICT/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2020, and what might be in store for 2021. Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found a...

Globally, considerable growth is being projected for the business process outsourcing (BPO) segment of the wider outsourcing market – by as much as 8% year-on-year. Kirk Laughlin of Nearshore Americas discusses, among other things: how the Caribbean outsourcing industry fared in 2020; the segments the region ought to focus on in trying to move up the value chain; and key trends that are emerging a...

Although the term, 'the future of work', suggests something that is to come, what is happening in today's workplace is shaping that future. In this our final exploration of the topic, the future of work, for 2020, Dr Maurice McNaughton, of the University of the West Indies, shares his thoughts on among other things, how tertiary-level institutions can better prepare students for the future of work...