Resolving Network Problems In Guyana

Guyana Telephone & Telegraph has responded to local media complaints about congestion on their GSM network and published a program to aleviate the situation as soon as possible. For its part, GT&T has responded to what it felt were a number of inaccurate and unfair statements in the press. However, they are concerned that the differences in the positions taken by Government and GT&T on the GSM spectrum allocation issue have come to be construed as a "war of words" between the parties. GT&T wishes to state categorically that Management has never considered itself "at war" with Government.

GT&T says that it continues to believe that, having initially designed its network to operate with the approved one half of the available GSM 900 MHz spectrum, the company ought to have been left with that allocation.

GT&T also says that it has now accepted the Government's suggestion of utilizing the 1800 MHz with a view to re-engineering the GSM network to alleviate the congestion. The company is also working to add new base stations to the network and close several coverage gaps on main roads that have caused the most complaints.

According to The Mobile World, there are two operators in the country. Cel*Star Guyana finished Q3 2005 with 55,000 subscribers compared to GT&T's 219,000 subscribers - although only 75,000 of those are GSM users."

Posted to the site on 13th March 2006