4G spectrum release…Mobile Service Providers finally able to play catch-up

May 08, 2016 News

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By Sharmain Grainger
For a few hours on Friday, many Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) customers experienced for the first time Fourth Generation (4G) services on their mobile devices. It was electrifying, for want of a better word.

In my opinion the data service fuelled by 4G was on par with the GTT Wireless Service (Wifi) Silver package (5 Mbps speed). But it was a mere taste of what is expected to be the norm in the very near future. Digicel officially introduced the service yesterday to some of its customers too.
GTT has for sometime been the subject of much criticism because of what some believe was the provision of less than desirable mobile service. But according to its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Justin Nedd, things are about to change for the better. I am inclined to believe him; after all I was pleased with my 4G experience.
In an invited comment, Nedd revealed “We are tremendously excited about GTT’s launch of 4G services” and confidently added that “Our promise is to ‘Do More’ and we are doing more. We are incredibly excited about what the future holds for our customers, for our country and for GTT”.
Many countries have been experiencing 4G for many years. As such it has been deduced that we are now playing catch-up. Fingers have been pointed to GTT for the delay.
But while GTT has for sometime been accused of keeping back the evolution of telecommunication in Guyana, Nedd insisted that the delayed introduction of 4G was no fault of GTT. He explained that GTT has been working with the Government over an extended period to get spectrum released for advanced services and is very appreciative that the current administration saw the need to release the spectrum in time for the Golden Jubilee celebration.
Guyana is gearing to celebrate 50 years as an independent nation on May 26.
And Nedd anticipates that “the network performance for the Jubilee will be tremendous,” even as he assured that GTT can certainly deliver on its promise. “Our customers will be blown away by the difference, and will absolutely be able to Do More! We are finally bringing Guyana on par with the rest of the Caribbean,” he boasted.
To ensure its readiness for the spectrum release, GTT had long invested about $1 billion to set up test networks in key locations in the country, he disclosed.
And according to him, “as far as the telecommunications sector is concerned we are fortunate to have a Minister, in the form of Minister (Cathy) Hughes, who has Guyana at the forefront. And she seems to be pushing for Guyana in spite of certain challenges she is encountering”.
Nedd made it clear though that “the release of spectrum has absolutely nothing to do with liberalisation. GTT – and Digicel – have long been seeking the spectrum to launch advanced wireless services. Fortunately, we now have the spectrum and everyone in Guyana will be the beneficiaries”.
In the context of the local telecommunications sector, Nedd noted that liberalisation means allowing other providers to legally enter the market, under a rule of law-based framework without preferences or loopholes. And according to him too, GTT is very supportive of liberalisation and sees it as an essential aspect of modernizing and growing Guyana’s economy. “We have long and proactively sought to reach agreement for the voluntary relinquishing of GTT’s exclusivity on international traffic, and are heartened by statements from the current administration that they will soon be ready to sit down with us and others and reach a positive outcome for all involved,” added Nedd.
Such a positive outcome, according to him, will both open the possibilities for new services and service providers, while also sending the right signals to encourage investment by current and potential new investors in the Guyanese economy. This, he anticipates, will also allow for a level playing field, the rule of law to be upheld and encourage respect for contractual rights.
“We have been pushing for this for years. Liberalisation is good. Competition is good. We want to see this happen. It is inevitable. As our neighbours in the Caribbean say, viva libre (live free)!” Nedd emphatically stated.
And the CEO is convinced that GTT will be able to provide the best service. He has, however, accepted that this will be the judgment call of the customers.
But even as he recognized that the two existing service providers are poised to improve their services, he stressed that “GTT has done much for Guyana since our inception and is even more proactively committed to ‘Do More’ into the future.”
‘Doing More’ is clearly the motto that has been embraced by GTT, but Nedd assured that “Doing More isn’t just a tagline for us, it’s what we live by? The numbers don’t lie.”
Well what I do know for sure is that it’s ‘game on’ time for our service providers, and while customers are excited to benefit from 4G services, they are ultimately the ones who will determine who really has the better service.
Customers should, however, take care to use their data wisely, since faster data service will more than likely mean that your megabytes will be used up at a much faster rate too.

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