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GT&T signs US$60M deal in Suriname
…‘lightning-speed’ broadband service by 2010
By Tusika Martin
In a courageous move yesterday the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company signed off a US$60M deal with Surinamese telecommunications giant, Telesur, for the construction of a new state-of-the-art submarine fibre-optic cable.
GT&T Chief Executive Officer Joseph Singh (right) along with CEO of Telesur, Suriname, Dirk Currie, signing off the new fibre-optic cable multi-million dollar deal yesterday in Suriname
The new 1,200km (700 miles) cable will represent a potential 3000 to 4000 times increase in telecommunications bandwidth currently available through the Americas II cable and satellite links.
The multi-million-dollar deal called the ‘Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System’ was closed at the Royal Torarica Hotel, Paramaribo yesterday.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Suriname yesterday, Chief Executive Officer of GT&T, Joseph Singh, said that the agreement has now paved the way for the laying of a new cable that will link Guyana and Suriname to the worldwide network of similar cables through a landing station in Trinidad.
“The new cable will also provide a more secure redundancy to the current Americas II and satellite links, virtually eliminating the possibility of international communications outage to residential and business users.”
This new cable will result in a huge increase in data and voice transmission capacity for both Guyana and Suriname by early 2010.
The investment, Singh added, could also improve communication with and investments from neighbouring countries such as Brazil and French Guiana through terrestrial extensions to the new cable.
“Equally important is that we both subscribe to a fundamental truth that, in today’s knowledge-based economy in which capital and technology are increasingly mobile, the quality of a country’s information infrastructure will help to determine whether companies invest there or elsewhere.”
With the investment both Guyana and Suriname will be on equal footing with the most developed countries in terms of infrastructure of their international telecommunications connectivity, providing unlimited and secure bandwidth for business operations.
The provision of the Guyana-Suriname Submarine fibre-optic cable, Singh added, should not be seen as merely ensuring sufficient capacity to cover all foreseeable transmission requirements.
He added that instead it must be utilised fully as an instrument that can be a stimulus to development and can yet facilitate the rapid transformation of our economies and our societies.
“This is a very significant event occurring just three days before the dawn of a New Year. It is the culmination of a process of dialogue and very in-depth negotiations,” Singh said.
In an elaborate move, the local telephone company travelled to the neighbouring capital accompanied by a team of reporters.
With champagne toasts the two companies celebrated the dawn of a new venture.
Dirk Currie, CEO of Telesur, Suriname, in his address to the gathering said that the submarine cable system will make it easier for the progress of the ‘Connect the Caribbean’ initiative, which has also been launched.
“The need for a new submarine cable system by Telesur is high because….the capacity for the existing Americas II cable is almost fully exploited.”
In the case of possible interruptions, the Americas II cable will function as a full backup to the new system.
“The Americas II system will be upgraded and it is planned to be resurfaced in 2010. The upgraded capacity will be seven times larger than the current capacity.”
The Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System as it is presently called will be renamed at the inauguration.
The contractor, Global Marine Systems, is planning to complete the project by the first quarter of 2010.
The new cable will be installed at Coronie, Totness, Suriname.
Telesur provides for the telecommunications needs of its clients via its national network.
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