– combines internet and landline bills, provides fibre reliability

FIBRE + Voice, an upgrade to the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited’s (GTT) Fibre packages, will allow customers to now pay one bill for both their landline and internet services, while keeping the same number that they may have had for years.

The phone company, which launched the new service last Wednesday, is also throwing in three new features for free, namely: three-way calling, Caller’s ID, and Call-Waiting, with customers also benefitting from 1,500 to 5,000 free minutes for calls to any landline or fibre customer.

The new development is in keeping with GTT’s ultimate vision for Guyanese, which, according to Chief Executive Officer Damian Blackburn, is to provide reliable 21st-century connectivity that enables customers to enhance their daily lives whether it be home, business or out and about in their communities.

“In delivering this vision, we are starting by investing G$8.5B in 2022 in building the 21st-century highways of GTT Fibre, so that it’s available to over 50 percent of Guyanese homes and businesses by the end of 2022, and by upgrading our mobile network to 4.5G LTE,” Blackburn told Pepperpot Magazine.

“Our commitment during this process to continue to invest in initiatives that will strengthen our community and innovate for all in our country through our many initiatives will be stronger than ever before,” he added.

What is Fibre + Voice?
Put simply, Chief Operations Officer for Home Solutions and Fixed Networks, Eshwar Thakurdin, offered: “It is GTT’s newest service for home customers, combining high-speed internet and voice services.”

Product Marketing Manager for Fibre, Traceyann Seaforth, added: “Previously, it was Blaze, but last year we rebranded it; the intention is to strengthen fibre overall. This is the first telecommunications company in Guyana that is offering this service, so you can bundle your phone with your internet.”

According to the GTT officers, customers should not have the unnecessary, burdensome task of paying multiple bills every month; hence the new product is intended to make things less complicated.
“The new service provides the reliability of fibre. Copper today poses its own challenges; it’s more problematic. There are more faults, especially when there’s a rainy season; fibre cuts through all of that,” Thakurdin explained.

Pointing out some more benefits, he said: “It also provides greater value for money. The truth is that it’s cheaper than the current landline; landline rental alone is about $750 a month plus VAT. What we’re charging here is just $1,000 more on top of your fibre plan.”

Furthermore, in areas where there is no copper infrastructure for telephone, persons will now have access to the internet and a voice line for the first time in Guyana. “For example, at DeHoop, Mahaica, where we just rolled out fibre, they now have access to a telephone line over fibre for the first time in history,” Thakurdin shared. In fact, GTT plans to provide access to fibre to over 20,000 more homes in Guyana as it seeks to ramp up its crews and reduce the time the company takes to fix people’s issues.

“We are getting very North American, so to speak, in terms of our internet offer; not just internet but all those other services that we can add to make the experience a very easy one,” Seaforth offered.

Explaining the Fibre + Voice further, she said: “We have three plans under Fibre: Fibre 50, 100 and 150. The 50, for example, is $8,999, so if the customer is to sign up for Fibre + Voice, they get internet and phone and pay $1,000 extra. They don’t have to pay the rental for that phone or any other cost associated with it, plus they get 1,500 minutes free; it goes up based on your plan.

“If you are an existing landline customer and you now want fibre, bundling the two plans together, that will require installation. If you are an existing Fibre customer and want to sign up for Fibre + Voice, it’s just an online application required. If you are a DSL customer and want to switch over to one of our Fibre plans, some installation is required.”

Improve Life Experiences
Marketing communications Manager Taiwo Wilson Williams, told this publication that GTT wants to improve the life experiences of Guyanese, innovate for all, and offer reliable connectivity. “So we are constantly looking for ways to make this happen,” she expressed.

Senior Public Relations Manager and Corporate Communications Manager Jasmin Harris, agreed. “Jump on this Fibre + Voice, and you have one bill; that’s all you have to think about. We’re constantly looking out for the customer and improving their experience,” she said, adding, “Our mission is to pivot GTT to become a 21st Century customer-centric organisation.”

Existing DSL & Landline customers can visit https://gtt.gy/fibrevoice to check “Current Service Areas” to find out if they are in a Fibre area or call 0327 for eligibility information.