The Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining has granted a 21-day extension to telephony service providers to have their infrastructure up and running to facilitate the roll-out of number portability on Monday, June 22. At a meeting at the Ministry on May 29, involving stakeholder partners, the Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, was requested to grant the extension as testing...

The Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining is in talks with several potential investors to provide funding and business development support for young technology innovators and entrepreneurs benefitting under Start-Up Jamaica (SUJ). State Minister, Hon. Julian Robinson, said the Government is looking to partner with these investors in order to provide the budding entrepreneurs with a “broad range of...

Eight primary and infant schools in the Corporate Area are to benefit from the services of a mobile computer lab. Dubbed ‘Tech De Bus II’, the unit was donated to the Ministry of Education by the Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education (PACE) Canada. The eight schools, which will have access to the lab in the first phase of...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, says an important element to improving the country’s business environment is through trade facilitation. “Effective trade facilitation pivots on the principles of ease, transparency and predictability,” Mr. Hylton said. The Minister was speaking at the opening of a Trade Facilitation Task Force Validation workshop, being held from May 14 to 15...

The University of the West Indies (UWI) is to conduct an islandwide survey on behalf of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, to determine why the country has been losing its ranking on the world telephony penetration index. “After 15 years of liberalisation and Jamaica leading the region, we have slipped somewhat in our ranking.  We believe there...

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says the Government is seeking to make Jamaica a world leader on the medical uses of ganja. He said that ganja is one of the most researched herbs and evidence is pointing to a significant number of medical benefits from its active ingredient, cannabinoids. “There is now convincing data and...

The island’s major telephony providers have pledged their full support for the Government’s roll-out of the Number Portability initiative, scheduled to take effect on May 31. This commitment was given at a special media and stakeholder number portability workshop, held on May 13 at the Courtleigh Hotel, in New Kingston. Number portability means that consumers who use wireless and fixed...