The level of efficiency in Guyana’s telecommunications sector advanced today when the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph’s (GT&T’s) Suriname Guyana Submarine Cable System (SG-SCS) was officially launched, bringing with it the prospects of a new generation of opportunities in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

A section of the gathering at the launch of the Suriname Guyana, Submarine Cable System (SG-SCS)

            The SG-SCS which makes use of the high speed fibre optic cable that was officially launched today at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) before President Bharrat Jagdeo, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer Designate of GT&T Yog Mahadeo, and outgoing CEO Major General (retd).
Among the special invitees were representatives of Atlantic Tele Network (ATN), the Caribbean Association of National Communications Organisation (CANTO) and the Telecommunications Company of Suriname (TELESUR).
The auspicious occasion was also marked by the unveiling of a plaque by the President.
 Initially the launch was scheduled for the company’s Earth Station on Carifesta Avenue but shifted as a result of the unpredictable weather.

President Bharrat Jagdeo unveils a plaque in the presence of GT&T’s Chief Financial Officer Yog Mahadel and outgoing CEO Major General (retd) Joe Singh

The cable has a capacity of 1,000 times the current bandwidth and is part of the telephone company’s plan to make Guyana’s telecommunications capacity “light speed”.
The 1,240 kilometre cable will connect Guyana and Suriname to Trinidad and Tobago and hence to the rest of the world. Global Marine Systems Limited (GMSL), a worldwide provider of submarine cable installation and maintenance was contracted to install the cable and related marine services.
The cable laying began on the Northern Coast of Trinidad and Tobago, and proceeded in a south easterly direction over a distance of 654 kilometres to a branching unit in the Atlantic Ocean.
The cable is seen as the instrument to make global communication accessible for businesses, social and personal use.
President Jagdeo spoke of the cable as one that will make a significant difference in the lives of Guyanese especially at a time when the technological gap between developed and developing world is huge.
“We recognise that we are not going to get there all at one day and that we progressively have to work towards that goal; not broadband access as a human right, but broadband access for all.
Given the impact of the financial crisis on world economies, President Jagdeo said the pathway to greater broadband access must be paved solely by the countries and citizens that intend to benefit from these services.
In this regard the Head of State commended the telephone company for taking “the very bold decision,” to pursue such the investment which he said can lead to a growth in demand with the right partnership.
“I want to offer partnership with GT&T to help create that demand in Guyana, to create the content that would allow people to improve their lives,” President Jagdeo said.
The President assured that the reward for the company’s stewardship in thinking big will be immense, particularly in a sector which the government has been promoting with the prospects of having broadband access in every home, cheaper bandwidth and better quality calls.
Included in this vision is the allocation of US$30M for a project to provide one laptop to about 90,000 poor households

President Bharrat Jagdeo speaking at the launch of GT&T’s high speed fibre optic cable system

The GT&T cable will be one of two in Guyana after the second cable is brought from neighbouring Brazil through an initiative of the Government.
Government is also in partnership with Hauwei Technologies, China’s largest networking and telecommunications equipment supplier, to string a fibre optic cable parallel to the stringing of modern transmission main from Crabwood Creek in Region Six to Leonora in Region Three.
The President’s vision for the development of the country’s ICT sector was the motivational factor that drove the telephone company’s plan to enable the growth of the sector according to GT&T’s Designated CEO.
He said the company wasted no effort to pursue the vision after given the green light by the President and began negotiations with Telesur of Suriname, ATN and GSM. The latter was involved in the building of the cable.
During the process, the contract was signed with Telesur and GSM after GT&T’s outgoing CEO travelled to Suriname. On January 9, the shore-end of the Suriname-Guyana submarine cable landed and President Jagdeo accompanied by officials of GT&T, performed the symbolic pulling of the cable at the Kingston seawall.
The telecommunications infrastructure some 20 years ago was described as obsolete and resulted in several challenges such as the quality of international calls. In 1991, ATN assumed control after GT&T ceased operations and rehabilitated the facilities.