Digicel commissions cell site at Ituni

– company not worried about new Blackberry service

Chief Executive Officer of Digicel, Gregory Deane, said that the company is always ready and open for competition with the view to bringing new services to the Guyanese populace.

Deane was at the time responding to questions posed by this media house regarding the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company’s preparatory efforts to launch its Blackberry service within a few weeks’ time.

The Digicel CEO noted that the company brought competition to Guyana, and as a result sees it as a challenge to maintain the standard set; and moreover, if possible, raise the quality of service provided to customers.

Additionally, the positive Deane told Guyana Times International that he is proud of the developments made by his company since its start here. He believes Digicel has much more to offer its faithful customers, as well as those who plan to use the service in the near future.

“We have the customers already, because we have been providing the service since 2007. A lot of what we are doing is maintaining our service while bringing in new products… what other features customers can have access to on the handsets… The handset is the start… it is the products and services to go with it. We pride ourselves in providing the cutting edge of technology in terms of products and services. We don’t see anything will change now that GT& T says they are planning to launch,” the CEO stated.

Last Saturday, the company launched yet another cell site in Region Ten, where Ituni residents will benefit from improved services with the site being placed there. In his remarks, Deane said it was always his company’s vision to set a site in the Ituni area, noting that it forms part of the company’s plan to link several communities in that area and beyond.

“It is a pleasure to be here in Ituni. We came some time ago in terms of going to Kwakwani and Aroaima, and we have always had in mind to come to Ituni to finish off the link with the three areas. This site here in Ituni not only forms the link here to Kwakwani, but ultimately will be the key link to sites on the way going to Lethem, so long as that road develops. And we are still looking within the next three months to have a site available at Mabura Hill, which would be linked to this site as well,” he told the residents of Ituni.

The CEO emphasised that it is the company’s aim to provide first class service to the residents of that area.

“It is a key site for us both in terms of serving the persons of Ituni but also in terms of giving us the ability to link in terms of some of our other critical sites that are coming along.” Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud told the residents of Ituni that the move by Digicel to expand its services in several rural areas across the country shows promise for the telecommunications industry here.

Telecommunication has been described by Persaud as “a catalyst for economic development”. He stressed the need for job creation to actively engage the young people in the government’s vision.