Dear Editor,
In relation to the pending negotiations between the Government of Guyana (GOG) and GT&T over the terms of GT&T’s future operations in Guyana it should be noted that cellular service can be used to help increase telephone penetration in Guyana, especially in those interior areas where population is sparse and where running wired telephone lines is very expensive on a per capita basis. For residents of such areas cellular rates for basic telephony services can be lower than those on other parts of the cellular network. A significant proportion of cellular rates is pure profit for the cellular providers with no close relation to costs. The same incidentally is the situation with regard to international calling rates.
In the negotiations the GOG also needs to pay close attention to how the current business model of GT&T is hampering the contribution of the internet to sustainable development in Guyana, especially by the impact of the GT&T’s current business model on the expansion of small businesses, the biggest drivers of employment creation.
Your faithfully,
Fitzgerald Yaw jr