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Telecoms liberalization…Digicel confident Bills will be passed in new Parliament
-accuses GT&T’s parent company of pressuring government
By Leonard Gildarie
Digicel Guyana is confident that telecommunication reforms which were postponed by the government at the very last moment as it was about to be debated in Parliament last September will finally be passed by that law-making body.
During a media conference on the company’s work over the year, Chief Executive Officer, Gregory Dean, argued that all three of the main political parties- the People’s Progressive Party/Civic; A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change- have in one way or the other backed the freeing up of the sector.
Digicel’s CEO, Gregory Dean
Digicel and the previous PPP/C administration had been aggressively pushing for the liberalization of the sector which they claimed has been monopolized by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) which holds control of international calls and landline.
GT&T has said that the monopoly is only on paper and has called for talks with the stakeholders to resolve the issues.
Dean, while declining to disclose the company’s financial performance, said that the political parties, at least on paper, have signaled their intentions to end that control.
“We all agreed that there will be tremendous benefits to the Guyana consumers.”
Digicel is eyeing the international calls market but yesterday did not rule out fixed line (landline), internet and other services once the sector is freed up.
Dean accused GT&T’s US-based parent company, Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN) of exerting pressure on the government.
“ATN, the US owners of GT&T, has been able to exert pressure on some areas to cause delay…but for us, we don’t see why the Guyanese consumers should be playing second fiddle to ATN.”
With a new Parliament due to sit by January 28, Digicel will be hoping to see the key Telecommunications Bill and Public Utilities Commission Amendment Bill passed.
The CEO was convinced that ATN had a hand in the delay since Government’s spokesman, Dr. Roger Luncheon, had disclosed that there were representations made that prompted the decision to defer the Parliamentary debate on the bills.
Regarding the performance of Digicel over the past 12 months, Dean said “…We are operating in monopolistic situation (and) we are the wrong end of it.”
Regarding GT&T’s recent introduction of the Blackberry services which Digicel had first brought to Guyana, Dean noted that the hype and “noise” by GT&T during the launch had benefitted both mobile companies. Digicel is just not scared of competition, he insisted.
Questioned about complaints that the Digicel’s Blackberry service may be a little slow at times, the executive pointed out that because of the disparity of the rates being the lowly cost to operate that smartphone and Broadband internet services, consumers are finding it cheaper to use the Blackberry browser as primary source of internet. This places a strain on the company which has continued to keep pace by upgrading.
The situation may only change when Broadband internet service costs are brought down.
Meanwhile, speaking on the company’s work over the past year, Dean described 2011as a “mixed year” with the expansion plans well on stream.
Works have been completed at Matthews Ridge, North West District, Region One. Coverage in that area has been boosted significantly linking Charity, Region Two.
Work has also been done at Ituni, Region Ten, with that mining area now linked to Kwakwani and Aroaima, both in the same region.
Digicel, says Dean, now has 95 per cent population coverage, in line with the company’s plans.
In the area of sponsorship, Digicel has been involved in especially youth related activities, targeting the school–athletics, table tennis and cricket. Areas like drama and other educational-based programmes are also being targeted.
Currently, Dean disclosed, Digicel is working with the Hope Foundation in Bartica and Lifeline Counselling. There are also several programmes targeting children’s homes.
Digicel, through its operating subsidiaries, provides wireless, local telephone and data, internet, and long distance services in the United States, Guyana, Bermuda, US Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos.
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