The newly rebranded Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) is looking forward to the liberalization of the telecommunications sector and is patiently awaiting the appropriate spectrum needed to make the 3G service available here, Chief Executive Officer Justin Nedd said on Wednesday.
Nedd, who was speaking at the company’s media appreciation cocktail at the Marriott Hotel, also announced that this year will be filled with surprises.
He told the gathering of media workers, special invitees and senior staff that GTT is committed to Guyana. “We have been here for a long time. We have no intention of going anywhere,” he said, making it clear that the company was not there to reap profits from the country and then leave. “We are here to stay; we are Guyanese.”
According to Nedd, who was confirmed as CEO last October, the company’s main initiative is bringing broadband to all of Guyana. “So look out for that in 2016,” he said adding that details will not be given as the intention is to surprise.
Nedd was formerly the company’s Chief Financial Officer and had been acting in the CEO capacity since June 2015
On the issue of 3G, he said GTT remains optimistic about access to a 3G network. He pointed out that several years have passed and a new administration has taken office but the wait continues for the appropriate spectrum which will allow for 3G offerings. “But I am really optimistic that this year is the year when you can look at videos on your phone,” he said adding that GTT is committed to bringing new things to Guyana.
3G and 4G services would allow for faster information transfer rates and broadband internet services for the users of smartphones and other mobile devices.
Both local carriers, GTT and Digicel, continue to use the Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) network, while the vast majority of other Caribbean countries have long moved on to 4G and Long Term Evolution (LTE).
Public Relations Officer Allison Parker stated that 25 years ago, GTT dared “to tread where other investors feared to come.” She said that telecoms access and facilities available today were only made possible because “we blazed the trail.”
Last September, the company rebranded with a new logo and slogan ‘Do More’. It traded in its 1991 blue and white GT&T logo for “a more modern” GTT orange and blue one.
