ICT Pulse Podcast

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 journey to date.

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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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 accessible are telecoms and ICT services across the country;
• Whether services are affordable, and how the rates payable in Trinidad and Tobago compare with those in the Caribbean region and in North America;
• To what degree are the public and private sectors in Trinidad and Tobago leveraging ICT.

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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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 lending to the farmers?
• What are some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) or markers of success that are important to Farm Credibly?
• How easy might it be to expand Farm Credibly to other countries?

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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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 businesses this year; and
• have all of the movements that supposedly have been made towards digital transformation, have they truly been fostering transformation?

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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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 at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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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 and are likely to shape the industry for years to come.

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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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;
• how Caribbean countries can prevent the skills gap from widening;
• the changing focus on work-life balance and quality of life; and
• what should be the priorities of developing states as it relates to the future of work.

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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In this our November 2020 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Tunde Mottley and Matthew Cowen, the panel discusses whether our size, complexity, lack of investment and poor data preclude the Caribbean region from truly innovative disruption in business, and are Caribbean countries confusing 'smart' with 'digital'?

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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It is widely held that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have the potential to transform how we interact with, and view, things around us, whilst also opening us up to a broad range of new and different experiences. However, it could be argued that we, in the Caribbean, have not yet begun to leverage those opportunities.

Software development firm, 4th Dymension, has created a VR experience of Plymouth, Montserrat, before the volcanic eruption that forced the abandonment of the capital city. We learn more about that project, and discuss the ways in which the Caribbean region could leverage VR and AR, as well as whether a VR or AR-based venture can be financially viable.

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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What does it take for a country to develop its technology sector to the point where it can be an economic pillar of its economy? The Cayman Islands is trying to do just that by diversifying from their two-pillar economy. In this episode, Charlie Kirkconnell, CEO of the award-winning Cayman Enterprise City (CEC), discusses, among other things:

• why the CEC has been so successful in attracting technology businesses, and becoming a hotbed for innovation;
• the Launch Labs initiative, which aims to help tech teams build successful businesses;
• some of the successes and milestones achieved by the CEC; and
• lessons other countries can learn from the CEC experience.

Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/

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