After years of delay Telecoms Sector up for liberalisation next week – Jagdeo

Even a change in Government in 2015 did not result in the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector which Guyanese have been promised for almost a decade but according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, that liberalisation will finally be realised within the next two weeks.

That liberalisation will essentially result in an end to the monopoly the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) held for years on telephone services.

Jagdeo said the People’s Progressive Party had started the process before it was voted out of Government in 2015 and regarded it as sad that the APNU+AFC coalition could not complete it within five years.

“In one week, we reformulated and solved all the issues that have been stuck for years. Liberalisation is a promise we made years ago and we need to get it implemented by next week,” the Vice President told reporters during a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Friday.

Jagdeo reminded that in 2016 a law was passed in Parliament allowing for liberalisation but it was never signed by the then subject Minister to bring it into effect.

He, however, accused the former administration of appearing to be “negotiating” with GTT by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the liberalisation of the telecommunications market.

“We have spent the last few weeks going through this in great detail. It is a promise that we made a long time ago; both parties agreed to this and we need to get it implemented,” the Vice President said.

Once the sector is liberalised, it sets the basis for 5G service, improvement in cell service, better competition in the sector and will allow for more services to be introduced to the local market.