Dear Editor,
Approximately two years ago, GT&T constructed an imposing telecommunication building at 7-Mile community Mahdia. We the residents were elated that our dream of a telephone service had materialized at long last! But that dream was near yet distant because the actual phone service, landline/cellular is yet to be installed. Telephone is a necessity as Mahdia is far away from the city and coastal areas.
Our radio set contact is an ample facility which operates from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm daily. What pleasure it would be if residents, particularly miners in the dense forest could readily call locally and overseas?
At this point we commend GT&T for their efforts but we cannot remain on tenterhooks or on the back burner. Some residents may wish to invite Digicel to Mahdia.
Yours faithfully,
George Carrington
Editor’s note
We sent a copy of this letter to Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Ltd for their comments and received the following response from Ms. Allison Parker, the Public Relations Officer:
“We do appreciate the disappointment shared by residents of the community of Mahdia that their dream of telephone service in the area has not yet materialized. While the exchange building was, in fact, completed two years ago, generators and air-condition facilities needed to be installed for the general efficiency of the service. The building and electrical works are now essentially completed.
It was the intention of the company, though, to have telephone service available by the time, but that intention has been affected by several circumstances:
We do as a national telephone company have to respond to national priorities and to redeploy resources towards providing facilities for national elections, the Rio Summit and the Cricket World Cup. Inevitably this affected the schedule for all other developments.
Then we need to appreciate that, unlike other exchanges where there are 100 foot to 200 foot towers, coverage from an area like Mahdia requires the construction of a 400 foot suspended tower, which would serve as a platform for results and network connectivity via a microwave link.
This unusual height has necessitated negotiations with the Civil Aviation authorities to ensure that it does not represent a risk to aircraft flying over the area.
The weather has not helped to facilitate the work. Residents would know that we have experienced an extended rainy season, with lightning, which has contributed to the delays.
The fact, though, is that all the materials are on site or in the country and Mr. Carrington and other residents should be able to see the riggers at work starting to put up the tower.
Once the tower is up, and there are no further disruptions from the weather, we expect service could begin by the middle of December.
We clearly understand the value of telephone service to the community and to the miners in the area and we share the anxiety of the residents to have the service up and running.”
