BUSINESSPERSONS and residents of the mining town, Bartica, are beginning to question and complain about the internet and landline services offered to them by the local telecommunication companies.The town’s Deputy Mayor, Kamal Persaud during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday disclosed that, businesspersons in particular, are beginning to “lose patience” with the quality of internet services offered by both Digicel and the GTT+.

“I have received a number of complaints from individuals who claim that of recent, they are paying increased rates and have neither been able to access proper internet on their phones through a data plan nor on their computers with the use of a router,” lamented Persaud.

This brings to the fore the fact that both internet providers added 14 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) to the cost of most or all of their services yet, as alleged by the Deputy Mayor the services offered reflect no improvement.

GTT had pointed out last week that, DSL customers will not be required to pay the additional costs at this time however the company will apply the VAT to mobile data and dedicated internet business services.

The reduced VAT amount will also be applied to landline services which previously attracted 16 percent VAT, the telephone company said in a statement on Tuesday, January 31, 2017.

And, in a mass text to its customers on Monday, Digicel Guyana also advised that “effective February 01, all data related services will now incur similar VAT.”

As such, Persaud used these additions as an example to denote the “very high rates” paid for the services which are allegedly getting worse in the area.

Residents of Bartica, like any place in the 21st century, are highly dependent on the internet to receive and send information to colleagues in their district and other parts of the country. As such, with this problem, businesses as well as schools she said, are restricted to some extent from conducting their daily routines.

Digicel had launched their 4G service in Bartica last year and noted that it will be available to Digicel’s customers in Georgetown, Berbice, Essequibo, Linden and out-of-town areas such as Port Kaituma, Kwakwani and Mahdia. A release following the ceremony last year quoted Digicel Guyana’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kevin Kelly as saying, “with our bigger 4G mobile network, customers throughout Guyana will be able to enjoy a completely upgraded mobile experience with reliable, high-speed internet. Customers can get access to their favourite social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, stream YouTube videos and share messages and photos at much faster speeds. On our Bigger 4G Network, Digicel is now offering a number of options that combine value offers of data, texts and talk time to any local number, all for one low price to meet our valued customers’ needs.”

Persaud said poor internet access is not the only obstruction to communication within the town because other complaints revealed that residents are still having problems accessing landline services from GTT+. “Persons applied and have still not received a landline phone…this is a service which has been in existence for years and to know persons are still facing problems getting a landline phone is a pity,” stressed the town’s Deputy Mayor.

Only on Friday last Chief Executive Officer of GTT announced that over the next two years it plans to invest US$30M to bridge the digital divide. According to Nedd, GTT has in store several guarantees for 2017, and one of the pillars lies in provision of high speed Internet to homes and businesses.

Since the landing of its $30M cable in 2010, Nedd said Internet services have improved and demands for the service jumped significantly. And by June this year, he said, Internet services will get even better. Consumers, he said will experience Internet speed that is “the fastest and most affordable Guyana has ever seen.”

Noting that the company is well- positioned to support Guyana’s drive to bridge the digital divide, he said as a second guarantee, the company plans to provide faster Internet on the Essequibo Coast, “10 times faster” than what currently obtains. He said prices for such services are competitive and more affordable when compared to other competitors. Customer service is also another area the company plans to improve this year.