GTT offers 300 Mbps to business customers; plans “significant expansion”

Last Updated on Thursday, 15 October 2020, 19:42 by Denis Chabrol

Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) on Thursday announced that it would be improving its services over the next 18 months as part of an expansion plan.

Customers should expect a steady stream of upgrades as the technology provider undertakes significant expansion in the next 18 months,” the company said in a statement to announce that Business customers would now get faster Internet as much as as 300 megabits per second (Mbps) .

“The company is already positioned to provide reliable connectivity, and these increased speeds will help to shape new services and technologies that allow businesses to thrive and further propel the growing Guyanese economy,” GTT said.

GTT gave no hint about its expansion plan, but this announcement comes just weeks after the Guyana government scrapped that telecommunications company’s 30-year old monopoly on international voice and data. During that period, GTT had upgraded and expanded its landline network, landed Guyana’s first subsea fibre-optic cable, introduced cellular phone network and International Direct Distance Dialling.

GTT on Thursday announced that its business customers would get faster Internet as much as 300 megabits per second (Mbps) from the country’s “largest fibre network” to help them cope with the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This pandemic has really changed our behavior towards and our reliance on online channels,” GTT’s Vice President (Sales), Eshwar Thakurdin was quoted as saying in a government statement.

At no additional charge to customer, GTT said the configuration to the “significant bandwidth upgrades” to its Biz Fibre services were done at no additional charge to the customers would be 300 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload.

This appears to be the highest speed that the provider has offered this segment of its customer base since government liberalised the telecommunications sector earlier this month.

GTT  noted that as a result of COVID-19 and specific guidelines to implement physical distancing and increase contactless transactions, most businesses have been relying on online methods and transactions to ensure continued success and a smooth transition to the ‘new normal’. “With the increased use of technology, we understood that businesses needed greater capacity to connect with their customers, colleagues and other stakeholders – as such, we are pleased to provide increased broadband speeds at no additional cost. We appreciate that we are in this together; and together we will rise,” Mr. Thakurdin said.

This will be the second time that GTT would be increasing broadband speeds for businesses. Last month the company increased broadband speeds for business organization up to 150Mbps. Mr. Thakurdin said, “We decided to further increase this speed based on the growing usage recorded. As businesses crave more capacity to facilitate video conferencing and to transfer information across their networks, we will be there to continuously support them, as we have been doing over the years.”

The telecommunications provider advised customers that ti take advantage of the speed over WiFi, a specialized router may be required and so customers can contact the Business Department at business@gtt.co.gy in order to schedule a consultation.

E-Networks has already landed its submarine fibre-optic cable and  Digicel Guyana reportedly plans to do so as well.