Georgetown :Parliament today failed to pass the necessary legislation which would have brought an end to more than twenty years of a monopoly on international calls in Guyana. Despite months of consultations and commitments, the Government pulled the legislation at the 11th hour.
According to the telecommunications provider DIGICEL, Parliament’s decision to allow the current monopoly to continue crushes Guyana’s hope for lower international calling rates within the near future. It also makes one wonder when the needs of the Guyanese public will take priority over the needs of ATN, GT&T’s parent company. Digicel is requesting that details of the late submission, the reason for the withdrawal of the promised legislation from Parliament today be made available to all stakeholders.
Gregory Dean, CEO of Digicel Guyana says “It saddens us to know the people of Guyana will continue to have a lack of choice and sky high prices on international calls as a result of the current international monopoly. This was Guyana’s opportunity to be propelled into a new era of modern, liberalised telecommunications sector where consumers are the real winners. Once again, all of the talk has come to nothing.”
After four years of operating in a monopoly environment, Digicel Guyana was looking forward to finally being able to compete without its hands tied behind its back. Digicel has been able to transform the landscape of domestic telecommunications in Guyana and has expressed commitment to doing the same on the international level. Since Digicel’s entry into the market in 2007, the company has been instrumental in reducing local call rates by more than fifty percent. The barrier to entry resulting from high activation fees of $4,500 was removed and the cost of handsets was reduced significantly even though the quality has improved. The decision today will further impact Digicel’s ability to invest in accordance with its plans in Guyana.
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