LOCAL telephone giant Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T) has responded to the recent ruling by Justice Rishi Persaud in the case of James Samuels vs. GT&T. The company issued a statement yesterday which said, “We are advised that the Commercial Court ruling by Justice Persaud is in clear violation of our lawful rights under the Telecommunications Act of 1990 and other Guyana laws.  The Commercial Court has already stayed its ruling, and therefore enforcement of the judgment has been suspended.”
Last Friday, Justice Rishi Persaud of the Commercial Division of the High Court had ruled that the monopoly held by GT&T to provide telecommunications service, or to regulate voice and data over the Internet, is unlawful and void.
GT&T, which provides landline, mobile and Internet services to subscribers here, also said that it has submitted an appeal against the decision, and is confident that the decision will be overturned by the Court of Appeal.
The GT&T statement continued: “We are further concerned that attempts to develop telecommunications policy through piecemeal court decisions are harmful to both consumers and the country.  GT&T has long made it clear that we support an open and competitive telecommunications landscape. We stand ready to negotiate a thoughtful, comprehensive policy that both protects consumers and promotes further investment by GT&T in Guyana’s telecoms sector.”