THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) restored landline services to customers in Region Three on Monday, completing underwater repairs ahead of schedule.

Sunday evening the company announced the full restoration of telecommunication services to the area, days earlier than anticipated.
On September 8, 2020, suspected sabotage to a fibre-optic cable belonging to GTT impacted over 25,000 customers in West Demerara. Within 24 hours however, mobile and Internet services were restored, but the landline service remained impacted.

“We have since been able to restore landline services to all communities and are thankful to our technicians for ensuring that this restoration was done ahead of schedule,” said GTT Public Relations Manager Jasmin Harris.

Harris explained that to fully restore service to Region Three, approval from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) was necessary and divers had to map the points of the damage to begin splicing and repairs.

“GTT apologises to its customers for the major service disruption and calls on communities across Guyana to work together to prevent future acts of sabotage,” Harris stated.

“We all have a responsibility to be vigilant, to prevent service disruptions that negatively impact a range of customers — including children reliant on telecommunications for their learning,” Harris stressed, adding: “It’s unfortunate the state in which we retrieved our cable – let’s avoid these unnecessary disruptions and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Meanwhile, the Region Three Chamber of Commerce and Industry (R3CCI) on Monday commended GTT for the restoration of the landline service to customers within the region after the suspected sabotage impacted over 25,000 customers in West Demerara.

“Mindful of the importance of communication to business growth, connecting with customers and clients and reaching global audiences during the disruption, R3CCI approached GTT, which reached out to businesses to ensure business continuity,” R3CCI President Halim Khan said.

In addition, Khan said GTT informed customers of disruptions in a timely manner and facilitated call-forwarding to mobile phones for its customers.
“In some instances where businesses did not have mobile devices to access the call-forwarding feature, GTT provided handsets for businesses. R3CCI and its members commend GTT for responding in such a favourable manner which demonstrated its commitment to Guyanese businesses and the recognition that together we rise,” Khan noted.

The chamber lauded GTT for its proactive approach and expressed its willingness to partner for the benefits of all stakeholders.