GTT rolls out high speed Internet in Essequibo
GTT CEO, Justin Nedd addressing Essequibians along the Essequibo Coast  (Photos by Samuel Maughn )
GTT CEO, Justin Nedd addressing Essequibians along the Essequibo Coast (Photos by Samuel Maughn )

GUYANA Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) officially launched its 4G LTE high speed Internet service on the Essequibo Coast on Monday – four months ahead of schedule, and the response was overwhelming with scores of Essequibians cashing in on special offers during the inauguration.With the blazing fast 4G Internet service, it means that residents along the Essequibo Coast from Supenaam to Charity can now sit in the comfort of their homes and offices, and communicate with their friends, families and colleagues from afar in real-time using the Internet.

During a small, but significant ceremony at the Anna Regina Car Park Tarmac, GTT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justin Nedd, said the launch of the 4G LTE Internet service along the Essequibo Coast is in response to the demands of the people there, who have long called for better Internet service.

With the lightning fast Internet service, Nedd said consumers will now be able to do more with GTT in fields of ICT, education, health and commerce, just to name a few.

Public Telecommunication Minister, Cathy Hughes

“Your children and your children’s children will be afforded the same educational opportunities as anyone across the world. It means that you will be able to do video chat, Skype, instagram, snapchat, (and) facetime very easily from your devices, no buffering just high speed, high quality Internet,” Nedd said to loud rounds of applause.

He added too that businesses, government agencies and other organisations along the Essequibo Coast will now be able to seamlessly communicate via the Internet once connected to GTT’s network. However, Nedd said the launch of the 4G LTE Internet service along the Essequibo Coast could not have been possible without the support of the technical team.

But this is just the beginning of greater things to come, the CEO said noting that in the coming months greater revelations will be made.

“With liberalisation, we believe that we will finally free GTT from uneven competition and we will be able to get fair and even regulation to all the business in our sector. It means that we will give you more video services, faster networks and most of all, better customer care,” he said.

It was on this note that Nedd applauded the Public Telecommunication Minister, Cathy Hughes and her Ministry for keeping the lines of communication opened. He said for GTT, the Government is a key stakeholder in the move to bridge the digital divide.

The Public Telecommunication Minister, who was among officials present at the launch, told the gathering that the Ministry is more than pleased to have GTT delivered on its promise to the people of Essequibo.

Essequibians signing up for GTT’s lightning fast 4G LTE Internet Service at the Anna Regina car park tarmac

The Minister said the launch of the high speed Internet service will expose Essequibians to a world of possibilities, in keeping with a vision the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government had even before it had entered office in 2015.

“This Government was very aware that Guyana was lagging far behind our Caribbean neighbours and further behind the developed countries like the USA and China, in terms of our inability to provide better Internet connectivity across Guyana,” Minister Hughes noted, while adding that poor Internet service in the past had been stymieing citizens.

She explained that citizens for far too long was unable to benefit in full from the world of technology, particularly in the areas of E-Commerce, International Trade, and access to the world market via the Internet. Improved educational opportunities ought not to be underscored, the Public Telecommunication Minister added.

“That is classrooms outside of our major towns, the ones in small villages and communities that can be equipped with video conferencing facilities so that a student in Suddie or Dartmouth can be part of the same biology class a student in Georgetown is fortunate to enjoy,” she explained.

“It means improved research opportunities, access to online libraries, and in regional hospitals and health centres, the ability to speak to a doctor in Georgetown from right where you are here,” Minister Hughes added.

The Public Telecommunication Minister, like GTT, strongly believes that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) will assist greatly in the transformation of Guyana, allowing for an improve quality of life for the people of this country.

Minister Hughes said Guyana was not ready when the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) in 2015 announced that all candidates must submit their SBAs online. However, she said as a result of partnerships with telecommunication agencies such as GTT, Government can do more to connect students across borders using the Internet.

“Every single student must be able to access the same information at the same time, they can only do this if Guyana is equipped with a universal LTE and Fiber Optic network surrounding the perimeter of this nation and stretching all across it,” she posited.

As part of the milestone achievement, GTT has opted to provide free Internet service for the month of March to consumers who would have signed up for the service on Monday. Additionally, five consumers, including the first woman who opted to connect with GTT, were given free modem. The Suddie Public Hospital, in addition to receiving a fan, a filing cabinet and other requested items, also received a free modem.

Essequibians, who sought to cash in on the initiative on Monday, said they were impressed with quality of Internet service offered to consumers in Georgetown.

 

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