Increase in pre-paid cell phone owners using top-up service – GT&T

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company has seen an upward trend in cellular phone use, particularly from pre-paid consumers using its top-up service, but lower cellular rates and competition has had an impact on the revenue.

Over the years cellular phone expenditure has increased with more consumers using the instrument, as cell phone prices plummet.

Stabroek News spoke with GT&T about the trends in relation to consumer spending, but was unable to get a comment from Digicel.

GT&T’s Director of Sales and Marketing Wystan Robertson said the vendors who sell credit have reported an increase in persons who use the pre-paid system, topping-up their cellular phones. He attributed the increase to more cellular subscribers coming online.

Last year the revenue from this source was higher, but with the move in February to per second billing, consumers’ credit lasts longer and with the alternative cellular network there is another source for consumers.

In addition, rates had declined from $32 to $23 (the lowest off-net rate) around February too. Calls from GT&T to Digicel cost $23 and calls from Digicel to GT&T are $28.

Robertson remarked that credit top-ups experienced seasonal highs in the months of December, January and February and during the August school holidays.

Both networks, according to Robertson’s estimates, would have added more that 100,000 new subscribers. He said the market was moving closer to saturation and GT&T’s share of it is some 60%-70%.

However, as an operator in the market GT&T has to look at having creative rates so that subscribers can get more value for their minutes in addition to mobile data services to ensure that Guyanese interested in Information Communication Technology can have this through their mobile phones. As it stands now, the marketing director said, mobile internet is free so many children take advantage of it. The company will be looking at ways to ensure some sort of cost recovery shortly, but Robertson explained that any introduction of mobile internet rates will be “very, very competitive.”

He said the company wants to ensure it always provides the best service and addresses the issues raised by consumers.

As the year comes to a close, Robertson remarked that in the New Year GT&T will be playing a big part in culture in general and plans to lead in various categories and in the whole discussion of culture in Guyana and how it affects growth and the nation’s psyche. Robertson was also very pleased with the company’s Christmas promotions.

“We are quite pleased with [the] response to [the] charity drive,” he said, adding that apart from the one per cent that the company donated to charity on every top-up during the season, persons also made separate donations.