— uncertain when issues will be resolved

GUYANA Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) customers who are unable to buy data plans due to technical difficulties being encountered by the telecommunications company are now benefiting from free data available to all prepaid and postpaid smartphone users. According to a GT&T press statement yesterday, its mobile users have been experiencing difficulties in using the *100# system to recharge their accounts, buy data plans and access other services, including ‘After Two Belongs to You’ (AF2). The problem, which customers have been experiencing since Sunday, is as a result of a breakage on one of the sub-sea systems GTT uses, caused by flooding in Martinique.
Since the cable breakage, the company’s technical team has been working around the clock and is exploring several options to have the problem fixed.
“While we cannot currently provide a resolution time, we are making progress in getting alternatives to ensure that there is no such recurrence,” the statement said.
In addition, the company noted that its collection of payments for other services has also experienced challenges and it will therefore delay its usual scheduled disconnection process for non-payment to mitigate any issue that may arise.
However, recognising that customers are unable to buy data plans due to these difficulties, the company, effective Wednesday, made free data available to all prepaid and postpaid smartphone users.
The company also sought to reassure customers that once the service is restored, all eligible customers will be compensated for the fact that they could not opt in to FA2. In addition, the data roll-over balance will be adjusted for those customers who normally re-subscribe at the expiry of their data plan.
“GTT will continue to keep our customers updated via the traditional and social media and will make every effort to minimize the issues which resulted from the sub-sea cable break,” the statement said. The company also expressed regrets and apologized for the inconvenience caused.