Guyana - Well Positioned for Future Growth and Success - 11

Information and
Communications Technology

Transportation
The Guyanese government is pressing ahead with the planned
expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, which will
include the construction of a new terminal building, the extension
of the main runway by 3,500 feet, and the addition of eight docking
positions for international flights, including one dedicated to cargo.
The airport will be served by a four-lane highway, which is now
under construction. This development has caught the eyes of major
carriers, with government now in route-extension discussions with
British Airways, Jet Blue, Virgin Atlantic, West Jet, Fly Jamaica, COPA
Airlines and Air Canada. This expansion will create an opportunity
for Guyana to become a transport hub for Latin America, while also
opening more direct routes to the United States and Canada.

Cheddi Jagan International Airport
Guyana: Well Positioned for Future Growth and Success

Guyana is served mostly by one main telecommunications
company, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company
(GT&T), which is majority-owned by the Atlantic Tele-Network.
There are moves afoot to open up the market, but that can only
happen if the government comes to a negotiated agreement
with GT&T, which is two years into a 20-year agreement.
"We have been pushing for market liberalization,
"
says Paul Bowersock, President of International Operations GT&T's parent company, Atlantic Tele-Network.
It would allow us to get into bundling, but it has to be a level
playing field. GT&T has put hundreds of millions of dollars
"
into infrastructure and will only open up its network if there is
some consideration for that investment. As it stands, GT&T's
main competition is Digicel, a cellular provider which pays
GT&T for backhaul services. "Part of what we hope comes
out of liberalization is some much-needed cellular spectrum,
"
says Bowersock. "At present, service in Guyana is 2G, and
we have the software and the codes to turn the market up to
3G. This is something Digicel and GT&T agree on: we need
the spectrum to move the market forward.
"
The government is now engaging in debate on how best
to proceed. They stand to gain from selling spectrum,
yet will likely have to compensate GT&T if their contract
is opened. The spectrum itself is a powerful negotiating
tool, and will surely be put to good purpose to ensure
the market is open to more competition.

Guyana - Well Positioned for Future Growth and Success

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