By Leroy Smith
Traditionally, when Digicel commissions a new cell tower or site, the base of the structure is usually kicked to signify that it’s on solid ground.
Today (Saturday, November 04, 2017), Minister of Telecommunications Cathy Hughes did the honours which Digicel commissioned a new tower in the community of Coomacka, Region 10.
Speaking at a simple ceremony on morning, Chairman of the community and councillor on the Region 10 administration, Dexter Harding, explained that the new feature will bring relief to his Coomacka as well as surrounding communities.
He said that the phone company was approached sometime back to assist in taking the community out of his telephone connectivity woes.
“This is good for all of us here and the surrounding communities and we are happy to know this has materialised.
“We were not having proper signal; this will change our lives together,” the chairman told the gathering.
Chief Executive Officer of Digicel Gregory Dean expressed satisfaction that his company was able to yet again serve another section of the country’s population.
He said that the company has not in recent times commissioned any cell sites but were more focused on maintenance and upgrading its existing facilities across the country.
According to Dean, the site towers several hundred feet into the air so that it can also act as a connection point to several other sites within Region 10, which have been having connectivity problems, namely places like Kwakwani and Ituni, among others.
The company plans to continue its upgrading exercises across the country and in a few weeks times, they should complete such works in Regions 1 and 8 and also turn on the 3Gfeature at the site which was commissioned today.
Dean said they commissioned the site ahead of schedule to ease the burden on the citizens, taking into consideration the necessity for internet connection and phone contact.
Minister Hughes, in delivering her feature address, played up the partnership that the government and Digicel have been engaged in as she pointed to it being critical to the government’s aggressive programme of ICT development.
She said that with the approach Guyana is going, it is on the track to being among the developing countries where telecommunications will pay a big role in sustainable and other forms of development.
The Minister said that government has noted the aggression internet services providers, cable service providers, and cell service providers have been adopting to ensure that everyone becomes users of information and communication technologies. She said that such an approach is also another step in the right direction.
She urged the residents of Coomacka and surrounding communities who showed up to witness the launching that they need to make uses of the internet, not only to send messages but also as a platform to find business opportunities and market their products where ever necessary.
