57,000 households to be equipped with laptops by next year – President Jagdeo

TIMES INT'L

President Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday said by December monthend more than 57,000 households will have laptops, which have already been shipped, in their possession with Internet connections and by the end of the first quarter of next year, another 33,000 will benefit.

He was at the time speaking at the launch of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company’s BlackBerry service on Brickdam. Against this backdrop, Jagdeo also noted that over the next three years every house will become computer literate and every home will be equipped with computers, but that the government will not be able to do it alone, so by working with GT&T and other partners it will ensure that every house in Guyana has access to Internet.

Jagdeo noted that the state will play a major role in having broadband services accessible to every house at an affordable rate. Additionally, the head of state said the move by GT&T to launch its BlackBerry service will aid government in its thrust to have Guyana become the hub of information technology. He said that the launch can put Guyanese into a modern age that will benefit all at the national level.

The president also noted that with the Internet and related connectivity, people will have the modern use of technology, but more importantly, they will be provided with better services by having access to each other and information.

But while the president assured that the country’s communications technology spirit will thrive over the next few years, he noted the need for training. He, however, charged the telephone giant to ensure that internet is provided to the citizenry at an affordable cost. He said that the government is providing the equipment to the people of Guyana, while providing a demand for the services provided by GT&T. He opined that with the One Laptop Per Family project, the government is creating a market for the company.

Jagdeo noted that he is extremely pleased that competition here is ripe, and noted that his administration will work towards having a liberalised market.

Related posts

Comments are closed.