— targets 75 per cent Guyanese homes by 2024

THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GTT), on Monday, announced that it will accelerate its fibre roll-out to achieve a new goal of 75 per cent of homes passed by 2024.

“By 2024, on top of the 22 billion Guyanese dollars invested in fibre in Guyana so far, we will have invested an additional 10 billion dollars to ensure three out of every four households in Guyana can choose GTT Fibre,” said Chief Executive Officer, Damian Blackburn.

According to a release, communities equipped with GTT fibre in the last year include Amelia’s Ward, Tucber Park, Adelphi Settlement, Best Village, Vreed-en-Hoop, Plantain Walk, Non-Pariel, Supply Village, Helena #1, Bygeval, Good Hope, Diamond, Grove, Vigilance, Friendship, Strathspey, Bladen Hall, Buxton, Melanie, Annandale, Bachelor’s Adventure, Section C Enterprise, Coldingen, Enterprise Gardens, Enterprise Hymac Scheme, Leonora, Cornelia IDA, Anna Catherina, Edinburgh, Groenveldy, Strewartville, Uitvlugt, Versailles, Pouderoyen, Malgre Toute and Goed Fortuin.

The telephone giant said all of this adds up to over 95,000 homes being passed in Guyana with GTT fibre by the end of August. The company expects to pass the 100,000 mark shortly and promises in September to bring the GTT fibre experience to the county of Berbice in New Amsterdam and Rose Hall.

“We are very proud that GTT fibre is being built by Guyanese for the Guyanese. More than 90 per cent or 150 of our highly-trained fibre technicians and engineers are Guyanese. This will increase in the future, as we launched a 20 strong apprentice programme this year and we agreed with the GPTWU union to retrain all our current team with fibre skills,” Chief Operating Officer of GTT’s Home Solutions and Fixed Network business unit, Eshwar Thakurdin said.

Since the launch of GTT fibre a year ago, the company has enhanced the value for money in its packages, bringing faster Internet speeds and the groundbreaking GTT Fibre + Voice service including the ability to migrate a landline number and receive free minutes and calling features.

Reliability is increased through affordable Plume Wi-Fi mesh solution and Power backup solution options, the company said.

It noted that superior high-speed Internet experience and growing economies are linked to the reliability of connectivity, both at home and in the office; hence, the rapid roll out of GTT fibre to as many communities as possible.

“Fibre is no longer the future; it is the now,” said Thakurdin.