Liberalised telecoms sector attracting major operators

Large-scale telecommunications companies seeking to establish operations in Guyana will allow more operators and consumers to benefit, and drive job creation. Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) CEO, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop made these statements in a recent interview with DPI.

“We have already seen cost reduced from current providers. There is definitely interest from other providers to look at large-scale internet communications, telephones, satellites; the whole telecommunication industry has been opened up where new investors are coming,” Dr. Ramsaroop said.

Liberalisation will also see the establishment of more call centres within the country.  The PPP/C Administration had facilitated this venture prior to 2015, which is now responsible for close to 5,000 jobs.  

“We are going to find and we are getting another influx of those types of investment and those are where a lot of people can get more entry level jobs, they can build their skill sets in the telecommunications and ICT aspects… Investment incentives will be given to companies coming to set up those call centres and back office processing across the nation,” the CEO stated.

Dr. Ramsaroop also noted that this is an area the previous Administration failed to capitalise on over the past five years.

The telecommunications sector was liberalised just two months after the Government acceded to office.

Prime Minister Hon. Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips announced in October that the Telecommunications Act 2016 and the Public Utilities Commission Act 2016 were being brought into full effect immediately.  The liberalisation of the sector broke a 31-year-long monopoly that was held by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT).

Prime Minister Phillips had said “the legislation creates a clear, harmonised framework and a level playing field for the sector that is currently lacking … and price regulation where required to ensure competition and at the same time guarantees equal treatment of stakeholders, to the ultimate benefit and protection of consumers.”

The Telecommunications Act 2016 was first laid in Parliament in 2011 and 2012 by the PPP/C Administration.