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Dispute over Digicel’s ‘illegal’ Suriname bypass…Telecoms Ministry asks GT&T to show it can deliver quality data services
The Ministry of Telecommunications has invited the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) to clearly demonstrate that it has the network capacity to ensure that the people of Guyana have access to quality data services.
According to the government arm yesterday, the request was done to guarantee that Guyanese would not be adversely affected by a discontinuance of a bypass link Digicel is accused of having to Suriname.
GT&T in a statement on Saturday had accused its telecommunications counterpart, Digicel, of having an illegal, unlicensed trans-border link between Guyana and Suriname. GT&T said that it knows the bypass is causing very real and significant harm to Guyana, costing the country about US$30M over the last five years.
However, according to the Ministry, its intention is to arrive at a resolution that will be in the best interest of the people of Guyana. The entity said that the claims made against Digicel have proven to be a complex matter, exacerbated by demands of the market for adequate voice and data services.
Public Telecommunications Minister, Catherine Hughes
The statement read, “Among the issues to be considered are whether GT&T has sufficient data capacity to meet the needs of the market and the degree of congestion of its network.”
The Ministry stressed that its request of GT&T to show proof of its ability to properly serve the Guyanese people should not be interpreted as condoning the illegal activity.
The government agency said that it recognises that in this age of such high dependence on telecommunications and the internet for the conduct of business, learning and many activities of life, it must be satisfied that there is adequate communications available for the people.
“While the Government is committed to ensuring that applicable licence terms and conditions are honoured, we must similarly ensure that relevant obligations in the licences that provide for adequate service are met, and also that the needs of the people are met.”
The Ministry’s statement was a response to GT&T’s daunting accusation against Digicel. The US-owned GT&T had said that that there is no ambiguity about the bypass activity and called on government to initiate an independent third party audit to investigate the operations of its competitor. The company said that in a demonstration of “remarkable arrogance and disregard for rule of law in Guyana,” Digicel itself has acknowledged the operation on several occasions.
The company added that as recent as March 21, 2017 before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Digicel told the Commission that its bypass operation was not appropriate for the discussion at hand, while never once denying an aspect of the operation.
“With liberalization on the horizon, the practice of equity and transparent conduct of all players is of paramount importance. It is essential that both the public and our leaders have the complete details about Digicel’s bypass operations, and that they understand the full consequences of the company’s actions, which are illegal and in direct violation of their license.”
GT&T went further to say that in order for Digicel to operate the bypass it must be using valuable spectrum which by indications, the company would have taken as its own without payment.
Ultimately, the Ministry of Public Telecommunications which is headed by Minister Cathy Hughes said that to prevent the resurgence of similar claims by telecommunications companies against their competitors, there should be a fully liberalised and competitive sector.
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