Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T) RK Sharma on Saturday outlined the company’s strategic direction for the development of telecommunications locally, in the context of what it perceives to be its preeminent role in the sector.
Sharma told guests at the company’s annual media dinner that GT&T sees itself as “the prime player in the ICT arena” in Guyana and as “uniquely poised in the data/broadband space” on account of the fact that it enjoys “the largest existing local access distribution network in the nation.”
And Sharma said that the company would be using its considerable network infrastructure “to increase mobile
data access and penetration—urban centres and rural clusters.” He disclosed that “targeted sites” had been identified and that technical coverage studies are about to commence.
According to Sharma, the company’s continued rollout in the mining areas will focus on “fixed, reliable broadband” in addition to mobile voice and data based on stakeholders’ needs and requirements.
Sharma said that the company’s marketing and field data studies were also being influenced by “changing demographics associated with housing developments” in order to ensure that the company designed a state-of-the-art access network “to meet the ever increasing broadband demand and bundled offering requirements that will occur as a result of shifting demographics.”
Sharma said that the company’s technical enhancement and build out plans for Guyana’s ICT sector were continuing despite challenges including those associated with frequent and costly damage to its operating infrastructure.
According to Sharma, GT&T’s largely unprotected telecommunications infrastructure including its insulated copper cable network continues to be targeted by thieves while other installations remain vulnerable to third-party damage resulting from works undertaken by other contractors. GT&T reportedly suffered 68 instances of third-party damage and 40 instances of vandalism to its line plant facilities last year. He said that the overall restoration costs associated with the damage amounted to around $50 million but these costs did not include “revenue foregone due to lines being out of service,” or further costs associated with the need to divert funds to address the damage leading to delays in scheduled works.
Over the years, additional GT&T expenditure on security and collaboration with the police have failed to deter metal thieves who have found the company’s copper cables to be rich pickings. Copper is a high-priced non-ferrous metal and over time the authorities have uncovered links between metal thieves and scrap metal dealers. Complaints by some local companies, particularly GT&T, have led to official pressures on the industry including the imposition of a ban on the export of non-ferrous metal and stricter monitoring of the export of metal at the country’s legal seaports. However, the ongoing incidence of targeted vandalism of GT&T installations point to the ongoing illegal export of stolen metal.
In an address that touched on both policy and operational issues in the telecommunications sector, Sharma said GT&T not only continued to be supportive of a liberalised sector but also envisaged some distinct advantages to be derived from liberalisation.
“We see within a liberalised sector, tremendous opportunities as a changing local landscape affords GT&T the opportunity to accelerate planning focus [and], business strategic decisions inclusive of capital allocations,” Sharma said.
