After several delays, GT&T is hosting a ceremony at the Kingston seawall on Saturday to mark the shore-end landing of the Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System (SG-SCS) which will vastly expand the current bandwidth capacity.

In a press release the company said this 1,240km submarine fibre optic cable system will connect Guyana and Suriname to Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world. The cable installation and related marine services will be provided by Global Marine Systems Limited (GMSL) the largest independent provider of submarine cable installation and maintenance. The cable design will rely on Huawei Marine Networks innovative, optical transmission technology, the release said.

GMSL’s vessels, equipment and personnel are already in place to start landing the shore-end cable the company said. The SG-SCS will have the distinction of being the first fibre optic submarine cable that lands directly in Guyana. It is expected to provide, directly and indirectly, secure, high speed, broadband communications capacity to businesses, government and the entire population.

Work on the shore-end landing is to start today. The cable ship and tugs will take up their positions offshore and clearing and preparation of the channel for cable alignment will start. Divers and other personnel will be active closer to shore, making preparation to lay and pull the cable into the beach manhole. GT&T said the work area will be secured for safety and a security cordon will be around the area. The public can witness the activities from the Kingston seawall and east and west of the Pegasus Hotel.

GT&T said the SG-SCS will allow for more than 3,000 times the current bandwidth capacity in use in Guyana. Guyana’s investment in the design and construction of the cable amounts to some US$30M. “Upon completion it will enable current services and future, next-generation services at the highest industry standards and at a competitive cost,” GT&T said. The company said it will also dramatically boost telecommunications delivery and related services thereby putting the enormous potential of ICT within the grasp of every Guyanese.

GT&T said it is proud of its involvement in the SG-SCS project and looks to its completion by mid-2010 when the cable will become operational. This project represents a major milestone in the company’s operational development as well as reason for all Guyana to celebrate. GT&T looks forward to collaborating with government, the private sector, regulatory agencies and all stakeholders to exploit fully the opportunities that the SG-SCS cable will provide.