While the government is hoping that competition in the telecoms sector will see services expanded to unserved areas, it will also be rolling out its own countrywide evaluation soon to determine specific needs, Prime Minister Mark Phillips says.
By the end of February next year, government hopes that the fan-out exercise will provide it with the answers needed to plug in resources from a $360 million Universality fund to cater for those areas getting the needed telecommunication services.
In response to questions from the Sunday Stabroek on the availability of basic telecommunications services in outlying and rural areas, the Prime Minister, who has responsibility for the telecoms sector, underscored that the fundamental philosophy behind the Telecommunications Act, is that universal access to telecommunications services should be achieved through a combination of competition and government intervention.
