One Communications announces US$25m network expansion

One Communications (Guyana) Inc. will invest US$25 million in 2026 to expand fibre connectivity, strengthen mobile capacity and enhance network resilience across Guyana, Chief Executive Officer Abraham Smith announced on Thursday at the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo.

Addressing delegates under the theme Building Guyana’s Future Today, Smith positioned telecommunications infrastructure as a critical enabler of the country’s rapid economic expansion, particularly across the energy and industrial sectors. “Real-time communication once supported operations. Today, it powers them,” Smith said.

“As Guyana grows, our responsibility as an essential infrastructure provider is to invest ahead of demand and build systems that allow businesses and communities to scale with confidence,” the company said in a statement.

Over the past 15 years, One Communications has invested more than US$250 million in network development, including US$100 million in fibre infrastructure.

The company said an additional US$25 million investment in 2026 will focus on expanding fibre into emerging economic corridors, strengthening subsea and terrestrial capacity, and improving redundancy for mission-critical operations.

Smith highlighted the Wales corridor, home to Guyana’s gas-to-energy development, as an example of how digital infrastructure must move alongside national projects.

The company has expanded fibre connectivity across surrounding communities including Vriesland, Patentia, Belle Vue and Goed Intent, strengthened transmission routes into the Wales exchange and enhanced redundancy supporting industrial facilities in the area.

LTE cellular coverage is active, with additional mobile sites planned this year to support increasing traffic and industrial demand. “Because when national infrastructure expands, digital infrastructure must expand with it,” Smith noted.

One Communications’ fibre network now serves more than 180,000 homes and businesses nationwide, with approximately 79 percent of the footprint located outside central Georgetown. Expansion priorities for 2026 include Linden, Parika, the East Coast corridor and Berbice.

Smith emphasised that inclusive connectivity is essential to sustaining Guyana’s growth. “Opportunity cannot stop at the city limits,” he said. “Digital infrastructure must reach every region if development is to be real and sustainable.”

The company also highlighted continued upgrades to its mobile wallet platform, MMG, expanding digital payments and financial services to support greater participation in the digital economy.

Smith confirmed that Berbice remains central to One Communications’ forward investment strategy, citing growing consumer and enterprise fibre deployments and the company’s participation in digital infrastructure and data centre initiatives supporting Region Six.

Smith underscored that infrastructure at Guyana’s current scale of development requires coordinated public-private partnerships and long-term investment.

Resilience, he said, is foundational as industries digitise and operations become increasingly dependent on reliable connectivity. “Connectivity is no longer a privilege, it is a promise,” Smith stated. “Our role is clear: to invest ahead of demand, build systems that hold under pressure, ensure inclusion beyond the coast and strengthen the digital backbone that allows this country to move with confidence.”

One Communications is Guyana’s leading telecommunications and technology company.