Digicel Guyana singled out for best mobile network, coverage & fastest network

Global leaders in internet testing and analysis, Ookla, found that Digicel offers customers in Guyana the best mobile network as well as the best coverage and the best speeds.

According to a statement from the telecommunication company on Saturday, Ookla’s Speedtest testing data for the period July to December 2021 showed Digicel’s mobile network averaging download speeds of an impressive 40 Mbps and fast upload speeds of 10 Mbps, with the Digital operator also winning on coverage and quality – more than four times faster than the competitor network.
Chief Executive Officer of Digicel Guyana, Gregory Dean, said, “Our promise to customers is to give them the best network with the best speeds and the best coverage across the length and breadth of Guyana. Keeping that promise is what gets us up and at it every day.”
He continued, “Ookla’s recognition of our speed, quality and coverage is a testament to the hard work of all of our staff and proof of our commitment to ensuring that our customers can live and enjoy their digital lives to the fullest thanks to Digicel’s superfast connectivity everywhere in Guyana.”
Digicel started operating in Guyana back in February 2008 and has since been lobbying and pushing for the liberalisation of the local telecoms sector. This was eventually realised in October 2020 shortly after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) took office.
At the time, Dean welcomed the move and said the company was getting ready to bring a new era of high-speed connectivity and opportunity to the people of Guyana.
During a sit down with reporters back in March, the CEO said that while the company is looking to expand into new areas, Digicel is also working on upgrading its mobile Long-Term Evolution (LTE) services across Guyana and billions have been invested in this initiative.
“In terms of the mobile side of the network, we’ve invested $4.5 billion to take LTE across Guyana. Currently, we have 86 per cent population coverage with the LTE. And our intention during this year, is to get to 96 per cent.”
“So, throughout our network, we want to ensure we’re able to have LTE service. So, you can have the speeds and the service throughout the network and not just in Georgetown,” Dean explained.
Moreover, the Digicel boss had also disclosed that the company is looking to start offering residential landline services to customers in the next 12 months.
To facilitate this, the company is currently engaged in talks with the Government of Guyana to iron out outstanding issues, including those related to liberalisation.
According to Dean, the provision of fixed residential landline services is just one of the several services that Digicel wants to roll out now that the monopoly on the sector has been lifted by liberalisation.
“Both in terms of the residential and business, we are still engaged in discussions with the Government in terms of having adequate spectrum, and also the necessary permissions for offering residential services,” he said.
“In terms of timeline, we’re quite hopeful that most of the information that has been requested has been provided and we are hopeful, by the end of this month or next month, we will have those issues resolved. I would say, once those things are resolved, we can look at within 12 months, having services live for customers.”
Previously, Digicel had been providing limited fixed services to business clients on an Internet Service Provider (ISP) permit. According to him, Digicel wants to expand this and get into the residential side of service.
Dean had pointed out that “landline” is an umbrella term for the host of services Digicel aims to provide, including internet connectivity. He explained that Digicel will roll out the latest technology in providing these services.
“I’m speaking more in terms of residential fibre services. On those fibre services, you can have both internets, you can have content over the fibre, you can have voice calls as well. So, the service for the customer will be the same, but the technology, obviously, we will use the latest fibre rather than the copper system,” he explained.
Dean also provided an update on the 2000-kilometre sub-sea fibre optic cable it has been laying, that would link Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and French Guiana, while also providing service to the oil and gas sector. Last year, Digicel had partnered with French company Orange, to lay the French Guiana leg of the cable.
“Currently that project is on track. In terms of where we’re going with that subsea fibre, we’re coming off the North Coast of Trinidad, we’re going to Guyana, Suriname and also French Guiana. Currently, we’re working with multiple partners on this project and we’re still hopeful that we’re definitely going to have it landed in Guyana and operational by early 2024.”
“We’re hoping that with the arrival of the sub-sea fibre, both in terms of improved internet capacity in the country and also, we’ll have redundancy. As you know, Guyana already has two subsea fibres here,” Dean said.