GUYANA Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T), as promised, yesterday announced their countrywide rollout of upgraded Internet speeds, delivering new plans with speeds up to 10Mbps, the fastest ever in Guyana.Current GT&T Internet subscribers will automatically experience new speeds of up to five times what they had been getting, and at reduced prices. The services will be offered to both residential and business customers, and will be sold in packages of Bronze, Silver and Gold, within the range of 1Mbps to 10 Mbps.

Speaking at the announcement ceremony at the Cara Lodge, GT&T’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) RK Sharma said that at the beginning of the year, “we did promise to continue to revolutionise our services and our customers’ experiences with the best broadband service ever experienced in Guyana.
“I am proud to say that customers have begun to express their satisfaction with the service, and it is our hope and vision that most of Guyana will enjoy this great service by the end of 2015.”

The Diamond/Grove, Nandy Park, Providence, and Houston communities on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) and Enterprise on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) had their Internet speeds increased during March. The exercise is ongoing, and will continue in other communities each month throughout the year.
By the end of May, it is expected that the service will be available in Houston (EBD), Central Georgetown, Sophia, South Ruimveldt and Beterverwagting (BV) West. “Through this project and investment our residential and business, customers can now receive enhanced Internet speeds of up to 10Mbps, the fastest and most affordable Internet in Guyana,” the CEO noted. This service will be available to approximately 70 -74 per cent of GT&T’s data customers across the country.
According to Sharma, there are some network constraints that prohibit the company from delivering the enhanced speeds in some areas, such as Kwakwani and Bartica. These areas were never migrated to the emagine service, therefore these customers will pay a reduced price.
BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE
Broadband infrastructure is key to development not only at the national level but also the global level. The world has begun to experience the pervasive and transformative effect of a data driven society.
“In Guyana we have begun to experience a substantial concentration on ICTs for the development of almost every sector: trade and commerce, economic, educational, cultural, social and even political,” Sharma said.
The CEO noted that GT&T first introduced internet in Guyana in the early 1990s. Since its entrance to the Guyana market, GT&T has invested in excess of $58B in the development, modernisation and expansion of networks and systems. This investment has to be recognised for the transformative effect it has had on the country’s national development, the CEO added.
“When we landed our second fibre optic cable, the Suriname-Guyana submarine cable to the value of US$30M here in 2010, it was because we saw the development prospects of the country and we understand the global impact,” he said.
“GT&T is committed to being the best provider of information and communications services in Guyana. As we have seen around the world, access to high speed internet and advanced mobile communications is a substantial driver in the development of economies, improvement in the earning power of workers, advancement in education, and personal fulfillment of individuals through improved access to information, entertainment and social interaction with friends and family,” the CEO said as he concluded his remarks.
For more information on GT&T’s investments and detailed information on the enhanced rollout, please visit gtt.co.gy. (Rebecca Ganesh)