Price regulation is to be introduced for GTT, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) announced in a notice in today’s Stabroek News.
The Commission says it intends to introduce the price cap regime for the following markets and telecommunications services:
Residential Telecommunications Services
-Residential narrowband (voice) access
-Local and national long-distance calls for residential customers
-Residential local and long-distance calls to mobile subscribers
-Public payphones
Business Telecommunications Services
-Business narrowband (voice) access
-Local and national long-distance calls for business customers
-Business local and long-distance calls to mobile subscribers
-Domestic leased lines
The PUC said that the action was being taken under Section 38 (3) (b) of the Telecommunications Act No.18 of 2016. It pointed out that by virtue of Clause 10 of its licence dated October 5th, 2020, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. Ltd (GTT) is accorded the designation of dominant operator for fixed public telecommunications network and services. GTT, the PUC noted, is also designated jointly dominant for mobile public telecommunications network and services with U-Mobile (Cellular) Inc (Digicel).
The PUC noted that Section 38 (3) (b) of the Telecommunications Act provides that the commission could establish price regulation regimes where:
a) There is only one operator operating a public telecommunications network or service provider providing a public telecommunication service;
b) An operator or a service provider is dominant as to a relevant public telecommunication’s network or public telecommunication service; or
c) The Commission detects anti-competitive cross-subsidization or any other anti-competitive pricing or unfair competition.
The notice said that the detailed consultation document could be found on the Commission’s website at www.puc.org.gy . The closing date for comments is March 23rd, 2023. The comments are to be addressed to Dela Britton, Chairperson of the PUC and submitted electronically to pucommission@gmail.com or via mail to P.O. Box 1081or delivered by hand to:
Public Utilities Commission
106 New Garden Street,
Queenstown,
Georgetown.