…say GT&T CEO
Efforts to make the recently landed Guyana-Suriname submarine fibre-optic cable operational are “complete in all respects”, and a process of testing and configuration is now ongoing. This disclosure was made yesterday at a press briefing at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) headquarters, by GT&T Chief Executive Officer,  Major General (Rt’d) Joseph Singh.
The CEO added that the testing and configuration process is expected to be finished in July.
At that time, a commissioning ceremony will be held, but he made clear that this will not be the end of the initiative, but a beginning which will usher in changes in Guyana’s information infrastructure.
Singh pointed out too that some bandwidth will be available during the testing and configuration process.
The first areas to be connected with the upgraded systems will be Georgetown, Greater Georgetown, depending on geography, among other factors.
Additionally, the cost will remain the same but the capacity will be enhanced, in that bandwidth will be multiplied by four times what it is at present.
Innovative data packages are also expected to be introduced, once the advanced service is available.
The shore-end of the cable will reportedly provide unlimited and inexpensive bandwidth that underpins a revolution in communication and the robust redundant super-highway on which modern services run.
The joint project between GT&T and the Surinamese telecommunications company, TELSUR, is a US$61M investment and GT&T’s contribution is US$30M.
Singh stated that the massive investment is a major undertaking and is a catalyst to advance development of Guyana’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy.
“We have now to complete the distribution services…the cable system is complete,” he said.
The GT&T CEO, addressing the integrity of the cable, said measures are in place to ensure its protection.
“There is a corridor along the alignment of the cable coming into shore. It is what is called a no fishing zone,” he said.

Sheer Connectivity
Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mr. Yog Mahadeo, described the investment as a move that facilitates “sheer connectivity.”
“In Guyana we will be bring the Universe to your fingertips,” the CFO said.
He explained that the possibilities in the information infrastructure will be endless and affirmed that the future, in the ICT arena, is here.
“The pride we feel now is because this undertaking is all our very own. It is home grown, home built, home developed and home distributed,” Mahadeo said.
He said GT&T has the ability now to expand local capacity based on demand.
The CFO mentioned that the success seen so far with the fibre-optic cable is owed to much hard work and refocusing of energies at the company level.
“Our vision is based on the economics of our country and our company…everything that we can possibly build we will help to build,” he said.
Mahadeo said a new world of interconnectivity will enable the possibilities for development at all levels in Guyana.
He noted that in acknowledgment of this, several consultations have been held with private sector bodies, including the Private Sector Commission and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. Coming out of these meetings, he said, was the recognition of the volume of possibilities now available to Guyana.

Change
Mahadeo observed that because of these advancements, the market place will change and will also advance the development of partnerships with key stakeholders.
“We are looking to partnering with the private sector, partnering with the business entities, partnering with the residents of this country…we are reaching out to stakeholders across the country to say, ‘Let’s take this walk together’ ,” he said.
The CFO made it clear that the partnerships and other advances made by GT&T will serve to transform ICT in Guyana, and the company as well.
He noted that bringing the cable to Guyana is not enough; rather it is what happens afterwards, the change that is affected, which counts.