…$500,000 reward on offer for info

Less than two months after publicly highlighting repeated sabotage of its infrastructure, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) said the disturbing trend has resurfaced with two acts of back to back sabotage of cables during this week.
On September 12 and 13, three hundred ( 300) metres of cable in the vicinity of New Hope and Friendship on the East Bank of Demerara were cut and removed, affecting voice and data services to over 400 customers.
In a statement the company said during a July 26, 2017, joint press conference with the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and GTT, Minister, Cathy Hughes stressed that, “at the end of the day it is important to recognize that the new Telecommunications Agency will have the responsibility to issue new licences,” and was unequivocal in pointing out that should information be revealed identifying any singular entity, then they would be censured when it comes to being granted licences.
Commenting on the continued and recent sabotage, GTT’s, CEO Justin Nedd, said “these malicious acts are being conducted by persons who understand the telecoms system and are bent on impeding the company’s progress for their own selfish gains.”
GTT said it intends to meet with the Minsters of Public Security, Business and Public Telecommunications to holistically address the issue. According to the company engineers and other resources allocated for scheduled works have since been diverted to restore service to the affected customers.
Back in July United States Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway had cautioned that continued attacks on the company could have serious implications for investments in the future. Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle in an exclusive interview the US diplomat said it is not just an attack on the US-owned company but an act of crime committed against the people of Guyana. He said the four most recent acts of sabotage would not deter any investor from coming to Guyana, but over time if such acts continue, they could have a negative impact on the country.
“Other potential investors, whether it will be from the US or anywhere else, will say wait a minute, I don’t want to go and built my network or build my factory or build something, if all of a sudden someone is going to be destroying my investment. I am not saying, that right now it is a deter on investment but if things like this continue it could certainly have an impact on it,” Ambassador Holloway explained.

The US diplomat had met with Nedd recently to get a greater understanding of the situation. Based on their discussions, Ambassador Holloway said it is clear that the acts of sabotage are committed by well-informed people. “It is clearly not the work of a disgruntled customer who was unhappy with the speed of their Internet or their landline not being fixed, which I am sure there are plenty such customers out there, but… they picked the places that would cause the most damage. You had to have a certain amount of technical ability to be able to do it,” he explained.
It was pointed out that the perpetrators had returned to a location where GTT had already executed repairs following an attack. At that location on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, the telecommunication provider had installed a steel pipe to safeguard the fibre-optic cable but that was also damaged. “They went back and did that again. That would have required special tools, special equipment and special knowledge, so it is an issue that should be of concern to everyone,” the Ambassador emphasised.
He noted too that it is clearly not a case of someone trying to steal the fibre-optic cable because once broken, it is of no use. GTT, he said, is currently looking at a number of ways to make their cable safer.
The US Ambassador said the acts of sabotage come at a time when the country is making critical steps to improve its telecommunication market and foster growth within its ICT sector. He pointed out too that when the fibre-optic cable was damaged, connectivity was lost to Linden and other communities within Region 10.
The damages done had also affected a mining company which is heavily dependent on the services provided by GTT. “I think everyone would agree that no matter which side of the political spectrum you speak, better Internet, better telecommunications for Guyana is a thing that would promote growth, promote jobs, promote inclusivity, promote democracy, so this is actually an attack literally on basic democracy,” the US Ambassador stated.
The telecommunication company said on Thursday that previous success in capturing and prosecuting some of saboteurs was made possible through the vigilance of community members who acted on our appeal to “say something if they see something”. GTT reminds the public to maintain the level of alertness and to report any act or suspicious act of cable sabotage to the company’s confidential hotline 226-2764. A reward of $500,000 is being offered.