ICT Pulse Podcast

Rich in natural resources, the Co ‑ operative Republic of Guyana has been experiencing an economic boom in recent years, whilst also trying to ensure more equitable access to telecoms services, particularly to its citizens that live in its hinterland. Dela Britton, Chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission (Guyana) discusses, among other things: Guyana's telecoms sector; how Guyana can narrow...

In our June 2023 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Communications Strategist, Liselle Yorke, and Tech Consultant, Amit Uttamchandani, the panel discusses: What does the new digital landscape mean for Caribbean fiction? e-Government, and the delivery of government services online in the Caribbean, and What will it take for the Caribbean to become a cashless society?...

Continuing with our Fintech in the Caribbean series, we explore the fintech space in the Dutch Caribbean, which comprises Aruba, Bonaire Curaçao and Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba, and are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. With Senior Financial Policy Advisor, Emilio Kalmera, and Founder and CEO of Girasol Payments Solutions, Marwan Rozier, they discussed among other things: the finte...

The recently published ECLAC digital inclusion study has been getting some attention across the Caribbean region, as countries continue to grapple with how to narrow the widening digital divide. With ECLAC digital inclusion study Consultant, Kwesi Prescod and international Economist and ICT4D Consultant, Yacine Khelladi, the findings of the ECLAC study are discussed. However, the conversation then...

Although countries worldwide may be moving quickly to deploy 5G technology, the major Caribbean internet network carriers have indicated that they will not be doing so in the foreseeable future. Marc Kneppers and Sarah McNeill, of TTG in the Cayman Islands, discuss 5G and the company's innovation grants programme, and answer questions such as: What could be the benefit to Caribbean countries of 5G...

In our May 2023 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Brittney Samuels and Janice Alexander, of UX Designer Network Jamaica, the panel discusses: What does it mean to become a digital society? The importance of local context when implementing technology in the Caribbean; and The digital customer experience problems in the Caribbean region.   The episode, show notes and...

When it comes to making payments online, the convenience and ease of use of digital transactions have made them increasingly popular, and even essential, in today's environment. Continuing with our Fintech in the Caribbean series, Eldred F Garcia, of First Atlantic Commerce (FAC), gives us an excellent primer on credit card payments. He also outlines the main types of payment fraud that FAC's cust...

In the second instalment in our Expert insights series on cyber threats and security   for 2023, and with a new guest, Edward Millington of CariSec Global, he discusses, among other things: what's been happening in the cybersecurity space and the changes that have occurred in the threat landscape; how countries can better manage threats to their critical infrastructure and services, which are ofte...

According to Grand View Research, the value of the global blockchain technology market was estimated at USD 10.02 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a staggering compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 87.7% between 2023 and 2030. Director of Regulatory Compliance of the FinTech Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FinTechTT), Alexander Gafoor, helps us to explore some of the legal issues sur...

In our April 2023 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Charlie Ann St. Cyr, a Social Impact Strategist and Founder of Girls With Roots, and Gisselle Ramsaran, a Digital Marketing Systems Strategist, the panel discusses:   AI and its impact on content development; how technology can contribute to inequality and threaten the rights and well-being of girls in the Caribbea...

Globally, the business process outsourcing (BPO) segment of the wider outsourcing market continues to experience exponential growth, by as much as 9% year-on-year – increasing by one percentage point four years ago. Kirk Laughlin, of Nearshore Americas, discusses, among other things: how the Caribbean outsourcing industry has performed since 2020; how technological advancements such as AI and auto...

With Karel Douglas, the Executive Officer, Legal and Enforcement, of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), Cheryl Hector Fontenelle, the Acting Managing Director of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL), which oversees telecommunications regulation in Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Ansord He...

Lynk, a digital wallet, is the only approved wallet for Jamaica's Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), JAM-DEX. Lynk's Chief Product Officer, John-Matthew Sinclair joins us on the Podcast to discuss Lynk and its current offerings, as well as: Reasons for the seemingly slow adoption of JAM-DEX in Jamaica The issue of financial inclusion in the Caribbean region and the barriers to entry beyond the...

In our March 2023 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, IT Specialist, Larissa Martin and eCaribbean Limited's Managing Director , Rodney Browne, the panel discusses:  The state of Innovation/R&D in the Caribbean; Why is payment technology still limited in the Caribbean? And where are the Female Tech Leaders in the Caribbean?   The episode, show notes and links to some...

In the first instalment in our Expert insights series on cyber threats and security   for 2023, and one again with Sean Slattery of Caribbean Solutions Lab, he discusses, among other things: the changes in the threat landscape that occurred in 2022; the impact and implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the security space; how the emerging cyber insurance space has affected how organisatio...

In recognition of International Women's Day, and with Dr Letetia Addison, Shannon-Rae Hackett and Riana Kandhai of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus and Women in Data Science (WiDS), the Trinidad and Tobago chapter, they discuss, among other things: the difference between data analytics and data science; their own journeys to pursue careers in the STEM and ICT fields, and how...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been shaping our lives for years, such as by influencing our likes and preferences, in addition to trying to provide us with very personalised support. However, it has only been in recent months that the mass consumer has been gaining an appreciation of the power and potential of AI. Data and Advanced Analytics leader at PwC Caribbean, Kevan Rajaram, is introducing...

Privacy and data protection have been gaining visibility globally. Even here in the Caribbean region, more countries that had not addressed the issue, are developing the requisite policies and legislation. Digital law and policy lawyer, Bartlett Morgan, joins us again to give us an update on privacy and data protection since our last conversation in 2018, and discusses among other things: some of...

In our February 2023 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, IT Systems Administrator, Halle Johnson and Business Coach and former Advisory Council Member of the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), Kerrie-Ann Vassall-Richards, the panel discusses:  Digitisation of the building applications process; Is the Caribbean ready for work-from-home / remote worker cultu...

To a considerable degree, Caribbean countries are eager to position themselves as leading financial technology (fintech) locations to drive investment and their continued economic growth. However, will the current efforts yield the results envisaged? With Developmental Economist, Dr Justin Ram, we discuss the impact fintech could have on the Caribbean region and economy, and among other things, Ju...

Circling back to earlier conversations we had on innovation in 2019, we caught up with Professor Patrick Hosein of The University of the West Indies and of TTLAB ( www.lab.tt ), the research laboratory he created in Trinidad and Tobago. Accompanied by two members of the TTLAB research team, Inzamam Rahaman and Nicholas Chamansingh, we discussed, among other things: TTLAB and some of its current pr...

In our January 2023 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Chartered Accountant and a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Allison James, and Matthew Cowen of dgtlfutures, the panel discusses: The transformation of the IT profession; Is the world going sour on big tech?   Where do we see Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning going?   The episode, show notes and...

Continuing with our series on fintech in the Caribbean region, we talk with Miguel Adwin of Fimi Market Inc., which is championing an important social good: inclusion. In our conversation Miguel shares, among other things, his entrepreneurship journey that resulted in Fimi Market; how the Caribbean can better leverage emerging technologies; what opportunities we should be focussing on; and some of...

In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2022, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Carlton Samuels and Telojo (Telly) Valerie Onu, the panel discussed the ICT/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2022, and what might be in store in 2023.   The episode, show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode...

In the final instalment in our Expert insights series on cyber threats and security   for 2022, and with Obika Gellineau of KPMG in Trinidad and Tobago, he discusses, among other things: what may have happened in the Massy Stores hacking incident; whether organisations are focusing on risk, reputation, and business continuity in how they approach cybersecurity; and three key things organisations s...