One Communications developing interior coverage plans, financial viability key factor

Last Updated on Saturday, 12 September 2026, 17:13 by Writer

Following a recent government admonishment to phone providers, One Communications is crafting hinterland coverage plans for the next five years but financial viability of low-population density areas is a key consideration, Chief Executive Officer Abraham Smith said Friday.

He told a news briefing that by mid-2027, the company would also have its investment plan for 2027–2029.

He could not immediately say how many communities would see such a service expansion.

In small communities such as Imbotero much closer to the border with Venezuela, there is hardly any signal from Guyana’s major telecommunications providers to make phone calls, and those privileged enough access Starlink Internet service.

In response to questions from Demerara Waves Online News, Mr Smith said One Communications takes into consideration national security implications in its planning, but ultimately the company is driven by what is financially viable and sustainable.

At the same time, he floated the idea of working closely with the government to meet those needs.

“Yeah, we do. Although, I will say, when it comes to a competitive environment, we do have to look at how we fund that, and how we look at the returns on that. And we can look at, together with the administration and with government, at one-off separate projects but for our normal capital planning, we have to combine that with all of those other factors,” he said.

Mr Smith said telecommunications providers were still awaiting the government’s timelines on operationalisation of the universal service obligation fund that would allow them to inject monies for the provision of services to low-population communities where it would not be commercially viable to do so. “The TA (Telecommunications Agency) is operationalising that now and I think you’d have to refer to them on timelines on that, but it is something that does exist. There’s not a project right now that we’re contributing to,” he said. 

“We’re waiting on the fund,” he added when pressed on whether One Communications was putting its contributions in an escrow account pending the start-up of the fund.

President Irfaan Ali on 2 September at the launch of Amerindian Heritage Month admonished One Communications, Digicel and ENet for not investing in services to the hinterland.

“We are dissatisfied with the Digicel and the GT&T (now One Communications) and all the other service providers. ENet and everyone. They have to make more investment in the hinterland. They have to invest more in the hinterland. They have to bridge the communication divide and I call upon them to make the investments,” the president had said.

One Communications officials said the company has spent $25 million in expanding its technology in mobile, fixed and subsea infrastructure.

Subscribers from Moleson Creek, Corentyne, in the east to Anna Regina, Essequibo, in the west and Linden in the southeast as well as several interior areas are now getting higher Internet speeds on its 4G LTE service now that 35 cell sites have been upgraded, the officials said. “We won’t do any more 2G or 3G development in the country,” he said.