Gov’t working towards inviting new Telecoms service providers by year end

The Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 15/2016 was in July 2016 passed in the National Assembly, paving the way for the liberalisation of the sector.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, during her mid-year Press conference on Thursday (June 08, 2017) noted that the Government is working towards setting up of the Telecommunications Agency.

“On the next occasion we will be able to introduce you to some of our new staff and some information on the departments because we are going ahead with that,” the Minister said.

The regulatory agency will encompass the National Management Frequency Unit (NMFU).

Hughes said she’s “hoping that by the final quarter of this year, we would have created an environment where more players can come into the market.”

She disclosed that Government is still in negotiations with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) and its parent company; something which is expected to conclude within two months.

Asked whether anyone has indicated an interest, the Minister said it has received two verbal enquiries thus far, however, nothing official. As such, she said following the conclusion of the negotiations and the establishment of the Telecommunications Agency; a public advisory will be placed for applications from other Telecoms service providers.

Customers have been complaining about the services being offered by local service providers, especially that of GTT which held a monopoly for 20 years.