DIGICEL hails liberalisation of telecoms sector 

….says Guyana on the brink of a new dawn 

Guyana is on the brink of a new dawn, Digicel – a communication giant in the Caribbean – said as it welcomed the move by the Guyanese Government to liberate the Telecommunications Sector, thereby bringing an end to aged old monopoly held by Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT).
“Digicel Guyana is today getting ready to bring a new era of connectivity and opportunity to the people of Guyana on the back of the news that the new Government has moved quickly to remove the 31-year GT&T telecoms monopoly which resulted in poor choice, poor quality, poor coverage and poor service,” the regional communications giant said in a statement on Tuesday.

Digicel said the liberation of the Telecom Sector now paves way for Guyanese of all walks of life to have access to world class telecommunications services. A McKinsey study shows that 10% higher broadband penetration delivers a GDP boost to a country of up to 1.4%. It said this groundbreaking development is taking place at a time when Guyana is poised to become the fastest growing economy in the world on foot of the biggest oil discovery in years.
“To say that this day has been a long time coming is an understatement. For 16 long years, we have asked, requested, pushed, lobbied and pressured.  Today, finally, that day is here. At Digicel, we firmly believe that access to broadband is a basic human right. Now, the people of Guyana can look forward to a brighter future with affordable access to world-class connectivity solutions that can catapult them to the forefront of the knowledge and digital economy,” Digicel Guyana Chief Executive Officer, Gregory Dean said.

Dean applauded the Irfaan Ali Administration for making good on its promise to liberalize the sector. The move comes just two months after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government took office.

“We are stepping into our future with confidence and are getting ready to make the transformational benefits of high-speed connectivity a powerful reality for Guyanese. We look forward to a short administrative process to grant us the necessary permissions to make the desired expansions and upgrades of our services,” Dean said.

To effectively liberalize the Telecommunications Sector, the Government issued two commencement orders to bring into full effect the Telecommunications Act 2016 (the “Act”) and the Public Utilities Commission Act 2016.

“The commencement of these Acts is nothing less than historic, aligning Guyana’s telecommunications regime to those found in other countries in the world, including most Caribbean countries, ending a thirty-year-old anti-competitive telecommunications monopoly, that have left Guyanese weary, frustrated and lagging behind in the telecommunications arena,” Prime Minister Mark Phillips in making the announcement late Monday night.
The Telecommunications Act 2016 was first laid by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government in the 9th Parliament in August 2011, and again in the 10th Parliament in 2012, after extensive consultations with both the public and operators. During the life of both Parliaments, the Act enjoyed commendable bi-partisan support. It spent considerable time before a select committee, chaired by Carl Greenidge, and included Former Prime Minister Samuels Hinds, and then Minister Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

The Act was finalized before the 2015 elections and was enacted by the Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition Government in 2016 by Minister Catherine Hughes, again with bi-partisan support. “It must be emphasized that these legislation straddled administrations, and were the subject of extensive negotiations with stakeholders which lasted nearly a decade,” the Prime Minister said.