(CNS Business): Local telecommunications provider, LIME, said the keyboard version of the BlackBerry 10 powered smartphones will be available in Cayman stores this month. The BlackBerry Q10, which sports both a keyboard and touchscreen, has been highly anticipated by BlackBerry fans and follows on the heels of LIME’s successful Mega Launch of the BlackBerry Z10 in mid-April. “We know our Blackberry customers are excited about the much-anticipated Q10 device, especially customers who prefer the physical keyboard rather than a touch screen,” said Tony Ritch, General Manager, LIME Cayman Islands.

(CNS Business): Cayman-based Blue Bison Software Consultants, which offers packaged and custom-built software solutions, primarily to firms in the financial services industry, has been taken over by Ignition Technology Group. Alva Suckoo, CEO of Blue Bison, who is a Bodden Town candidate in the 22 May general elections, said his political aspirations were a factor in the deal. “I want to be a full-time representative so this helps with my plans to focus on politics,” Suckoo stated. Ignition said in a release it would provide the necessary investments in funding and resources to significantly enhance, support, extend and market the Blue Bison application set throughout the region.

(CNS Business): With just over one week to go before the local telecommunications firm goes live with its internet-based TV, LIME has opened a new 'Experience Centre' at its Galleria Plaza Store to showcase the new TV service. LIME will officially launch the TV on Grand Cayman on 19 April and customers can begin signing up this week for the three packages, which start with forty channels. The firm has signed a legal agreement with HBO enabling the company to bolt all of its channels legitimately to the LIME TV package, which the telecoms giant hopes will be a success. Despite being in the region for over 100 years, Cable & Wireless is starting from zero when it comes to TV.

(CNS Business): Officials from Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) have announced a series of outreach campaigns to “aggressively attract companies” to the special economic zone, which is now more than a year old and has around fifty businesses registered. Targeting Toronto, Canada; Silicon Valley, California; and Austin, Texas, a CEC delegation will be in each of the locations throughout April and May drumming up business for the zone, which still does not have a physical campus. In a release, CEC’s CEO Charlie Kirkconnell said it had a target to attract one hundred companies by the end of 2013 with plans to break ground on the development sometime this year, more than twelve months after officials from the company first promised to begin the project.

(CNS Business): Regional telecommunication company LIME has launched an education network connecting tertiary institutions, schools, hospitals and other educational establishments to knowledge development and research platforms across the region. The firm said the Caribbean Research and Education Network, C@ribNET, a broadband fibre optic network constructed by Regional telco, paves the way for enhanced interconnectivity and collaboration among Caribbean States. “CaribNet is a project that’s been long in coming in terms of the scope that it has for the Caribbean,” said Chief Commercial Officer, LIME Caribbean, Chris Dehring.

(CNS Business): The Trade and Business Licence Unit (TBL) is now storing files digitally and says this means documents will now be retrieved much faster and allow greater sharing of multiple-purpose documents across government departments, once the relevant permissions are granted. The TBL unit is also working towards online submission of applications and payment. However, a spokesperson for the department said that although discussions have begun, final implementation will depend on budget and resources. Once the project is started, it is expected to take about 9 months to complete. In the meantime, the digital sharing will allow different government agencies such as immigration, the labour department and others to communicate more effectively and allow the unit to ensure compliance. 

(CNS Business): Cable and Wireless has teamed up with a remote meetings company to offer its LIME business customers the LoopUp product as part of a managed service agreement in its 14 countries of operation in the Caribbean. LoopUp gives professionals everyday conference calls that address frustrations involved in remote meetings, such as not knowing who’s on the call, annoying background noise or difficulties sharing a presentation. Call leaders can quickly send out call details then get an alert on their desktop or mobile when their first guest arrives, which takes them straight into LoopUp’s conference call app on their browser or mobile device.

(CNS Business): It is now almost twelve months since officials representing Cayman Enterprise City (CEC), the islands’ first Special Economic Zone, said it was about to break ground on its proposed campus somewhere in Savannah. However, despite registering some 44 companies in the zone, which are using leased office space in George Town, there is no sign of the new development. The location of the campus, which the owners said would be the home to a collection of specialist parks in the arenas of science and technology, among others, has still not been officially revealed nor has any start date been given for the commencement of construction.

(CNS Business): Regional telecommunications giant, Cable & Wireless, the parent company of LIME, has revealed its plans for an additional investment of US$20 million in the Caribbean’s network infrastructure. This cash will help boost data speeds and the TV product launch here in the Cayman Islands. The firm has already launched the TV service in Jamaica and Barbados, and LIME TV is coming to Cayman in the next few months. The firm will be offering a ‘preview’ of the pay TV service during the annual Agricultural Show on Wednesday, when LIME internet customers will be able to sign-up to be one of the first to get the service when it is officially launched here.

(CNS Business): Following rave reviews, the new BlackBerry  Z10smartphone will be available late this year from local telecommunications dealer LIME. The latest smartphone from the Blackberry stable has been launched with the re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry 10 platform, offering customers a powerful and unique new mobile computing experience, LIME stated in a release announcing the phones arrival in April, adding that the Z10 is the fastest and most advanced BlackBerry smartphone yet.

(CNS Business): A new app that will allow people to virtually explore the Cayman Islands while on their  iPads and tablets has been launched by a local publishing house. The app is aimed at visitors to Cayman, existing residents who are looking for new things to do and want to save some money, and concierges who are looking for a professional and comprehensive tool that they can use when making recommendations to their guests. Acorn Publishing, which has created the ExploreCayman app, an extension of Cayman Explore magazine, said it is easy to use and recommends the very best things to do in the Cayman Islands.

(CNSBusiness): Cable & Wireless has joined with other communication providers around the region to build a new submarine cable system to increase access to fast broadband and pay TV in the Caribbean, Central and South America. The company stated this week that the Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS) will span 6,000km from Jacksonville, Florida, to Manta, Ecuador. The cable will have landing stations in the islands of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Aruba and Curacao, as well as Cartagena in Colombia and Maria Chiquita and Balboa in Panama.

(CNS Business): Local telecommunications company LIME will launch its Christmas campaign on Thursday 15 December, offering customers across the Caribbean many ‘Merry Moments’, complete with big savings and hundreds of weekly prizes for the season. Prizes on offer include the powerful and portable Nexus 7 - the Google Tablet (left), the new credit-card-thin iPod Nanos and the coveted Beats Solo HD headphones. Customers also win a compact travel speaker set with the purchase of BlackBerry Smartphones, while every Samsung Galaxy Y comes with preloaded Apps valued at over US$150.

(CNS Business): The Information & Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) has awarded a TV license to telecommunications company, LIME Cayman Islands. The firm says it is hoping to start offering the new television product, which will be delivered via the internet on dedicated bandwidth, as early as mid-March, and that it will offer customers in the Cayman Islands more channels, better quality, Video On Demand and more widgets that will allow customers to interact directly with their TV. LIME TV will be launched at the Experience centre in the Galleria Store before the end of November. Tony Ritch, General Manager LIME Cayman Islands, said, “This is fantastic news for us and means that we can now push full steam ahead to bring this product to the Cayman market.” 

(CNS Business): Maples and Calder's Cayman Islands office has created the MaplesHEP Twitter page to offer a forum for notices on storms in the Cayman area that might be disruptive, according to forecasts and projections. The firm successfully launched its Twitter page in early August with the very first tweet débuting in advance of Tropical Storm Ernesto. This is in addition to a dedicated phone line, through which staff can receive timely messages about the status of potential office closings. Maples says the site is picking up steam and is expected to be an excellent resource for the Maples Hurricane Committee as and when it is needed.