GT&T promises top notch cell phone connection for world cup

There will be top notch cellular phone connection for those who are connected with the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph (GT&T) company in time for Cricket World Cup as the company’s GSM facility at the Providence Stadium will be up and ready by March 15, according to GT&T’s Chief Executive Officer Joe Singh.

He said there would be improved connection not only at the stadium but also in its environs, including the Buddy’s International Hotel, and also at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel where it is expected there will be an influx of visitors for the mega event. And if that is not enough, Singh said, they would be moving equipment to Mocha, East Bank Demerara, to boost the connection at the stadium. The company is also providing bandwidth to the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the event and this is awaiting testing by the committee

Singh made this disclosure at yesterday’s launching of the company’s 2007 telephone directory which, according to Terry Holder, Deputy General Manager of the company, has 130,000 telephone entries, 30,000 more than last year’s with thirty-two more white pages. That is testimony to an increase in phone lines, he said.

Singh said the production of the directory, which is done by Guyenterprise, takes a tremendous amount of work as all the names and numbers have to be correct. He said the directory has information on all the firms and agencies operating in Guyana and it can be viewed as a networking tool.

And seeing that the World Cup is the major event for not only Guyana but the region this year, the cover of the directory is all about cricket showing different reactions of persons to the game, players in action and an artist’s impression of what the stadium looks like.

Several pages are dedicated to the event and it includes the names of the 16 participating teams and their flags, the dates that the matches and the practice games would be played, the venues and the prices of the tickets. There is also information on where tickets could be purchased, what information is included on the tickets, a map of the stadium, and a list of items that cannot be taken into the stadium.

Chief Executive Officer of the LOC, Karan Singh was high in praise for the support they have received from the company and those sentiments were echoed by Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony. It is estimated that between $75M to $80M was spent in producing the directory. By next Tuesday customers would start receiving their new directory.