Chinese ICT giant Huawei Technologies has been asked to assist Guyana to expand its internet network and this could lead to connections being available in remote parts of the country.
Head of the EGovernment Unit Floyd Levi, who was part of a delegation that met with company officials in China, said that an assessment has to first be done to determine the cost of the project, the types of technologies that will have to be used and the areas that will benefit.
During a press conference held at the Ministry of Public Telecommunications on Camp Street yesterday, he noted that in 2010 the Guyana Government secured a US$32M loan from the China Exim Bank to build an EGovernment network which was installed along the coastline of Guyana – from Corriverton to Charity, Essequibo Coast. He said that the network goes as far south as Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
He said that around Georgetown the network is used to connect government ministries. Since last year, he informed the department had started operationalising the network and it was recognised that there were some “shortcomings in the layout of the network” and the unit’s ability to manage and operate the network.
He said that during the meeting in China, a request was made for consideration to be given to the expansion of the unit’s network reach since it only encapsulates the coastline and does not offer services to those living south of Diamond.
According to Levi, the company was also asked to look at training for the unit’s engineers and technicians. Since the network was built, he said, only four local technicians were trained to operate it. “We see that as being very deficient so we have asked Huawei to consider or to develop a package of training for us that would serve a far larger number of engineers and technicians,” he noted.
He said that the actual operation and maintenance of the network is very important and therefore the possibility of the Chinese company assisting the unit with spares and giving technical support was also discussed.
According to Levi, in the coming weeks an MoU will be signed with Huawei to ensure all that he had outlined is put into an official document.
Cost
Levi said that an assessment will have to be done to determine how much it will cost to expand the local network, the areas to which the network will be expanded and the types of technologies that will be used for the expansion. As it relates to interior locations, he said that it has been recognised that satellite technology may have to be used to get to these remote places. “So at this point in time we can say that we are actively pursuing satellite technology to get to the remote locations,” he said.
He added that satellite technology per megabit transmitted is more expensive than fibre optic but fibre optic cables are much more “arduous to install. You can install satellite links within a day or two. So for remote locations, which are difficult to access, I would say satellite technology would be the preferred means of bringing those locations online.”
Levi pointed out that bandwidth for remote locations is not that high to necessitate fibre optic connections.
Meanwhile, Minister Cathy Hughes stated that the delegation began what can only be described as an exceptionally successful “fact finding mission” to China. She said that it revealed the most advanced, state-of-the-art technologies in the field of ICT. The official delegation included Levi and Clement Henry, Manager of the Citizen Security Strengthening Project.
She informed that government accepted an invitation from the company which was responsible for building Guyana’s Coastal fibre optic network. The visit, she said, afforded the delegation the opportunity to meet with the key officials of the company, which she described as reputable, to discuss all aspects of the ongoing maintenance and expansion of the EGovernment network and to explore opportunities for training – creating new skills and upgrading existing technological talent.
She said that the ministerial team had fruitful meetings with Huawei’s principals on possible areas of co-operation at their Shenzhen headquarters and also toured their factories, universities and installations in Shanghai and Beijing.
Later, when asked about improving the electricity supply to ensure that the intended network expansion is successful, Hughes agreed that there ought to be a stable supply of electricity and that interconnection and connectivity are available. “It therefore means that the telephone services need to work and of course electricity needs to be provided to as many places in Guyana”, she said, adding that she believes it is fair to say that GPL continues to work assiduously to try and improve the service.
Concerns have been raised over the years about Huawei and cyber security. The company has faced close scrutiny in the US, Australia and other places. Australia has banned Huawei from supply contracts for its national broadband network. A US review in 2012 had found that while there was no clear evidence of Huawei spying, it could be risky for other reasons including weaknesses in its networking equipment that made hacking easier.
Smart city
Henry, who was also present, told reporters that the ministry’s involvement in the visit to China was based on its interest in securing smart city technology for the programme.
He said that the benefits of the Smart City programme included better video surveillance, real time analysis and response, improved traffic management where mobile units will have access to the data centre, improved quality and quantity of data available to the crime observatory and the Guyana Police Force’s policy analysis and a faster response to emergency and non-emergency situations.
