Some internet services have not reduced their dial-up rates

Dear Editor,

Broadband customers of GT&T outside the emagine broadband service areas are still awaiting the announcement of slashed DSL rates. September is approaching, two months after the much awaited high speed DSL service launch by the company, and besides promises of prices being lowered, nothing else has since materialized.

DSL customers outside of Georgetown are still paying $9,980 per month for 256Kbps DSL services, a charge which is totally outrageous, since our counterparts in Georgetown and close environs are paying that same price and are receiving 1Gigabyte DSL speeds.

Secondly, several internet cafes nationwide have not dropped the rates they charge for dial-up internet services. I telephoned several the other day in Georgetown and was amazed. The prices of two I spoke to remain $6,000 for one month’s unlimited access to the internet with dial-up. When asked why they have not dropped their prices since GT&T had slashed bandwidth prices on July 1 with the introduction of the new submarine cable, the first had no answer to give me and the second told me that they were awaiting some kind of bandwidth price list from GT&T (whatever that is supposed to mean), and so, until they receive same, they cannot drop the $6,000 fee for dial-up.

Meanwhile, GuyNet and InternetWorks both offer unlimited dial-up for one month at $3,800. The previous price was $6,000. So, as can be seen, they dropped their rates. That is indeed very good. One other internet provider in Berbice has also dropped their rates to a similar fee for one month’s unlimited internet access with dial-up. I am happy now that more and more Guyanese can have affordable internet rates and services to choose from.

The internet can be such a powerful tool to help a child to learn and become au fait with information technology – the way to go these days. Today’s young people, therefore, have that added edge to technology and the opportunity that many of us never had while we were their age, to send e-mails, chat with family and friends, do homework, research, and academic papers online, and utilize this powerful thing we call the internet to the maximum.

We seem to be moving in the right direction when it comes to information technology. With computers becoming more and more available and affordable these days, life, in many aspects has become so much easier.

I have long had it with dial-up internet services. I can surely see GT&T’s DSL Lite becoming a more popular choice across the country, as I am sure, too, that dial-up would soon be phased out countrywide in the years to come.

Yours faithfully,
Leon Jameson Suseran