Guyana’s minister for public telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, is visiting Huawei in China to discuss extending the existing network, which was built by Huawei along the country’s coastal plain.
The plan is to extend the network to cover unserved areas, said Hughes, quoted in Caribbean media. “The main objectives are to secure the long-term viability of Guyana’s telecommunication networks, and to acquire technical assistance and training capacity,” said the Antigua Observer. The existing network cost $32 million.
Guyana’s president, David Granger, appointed Hughes as public telecommunications minister at the start of 2016. In July she proposed a new law to Guyana’s parliament to set up a regulator, the Telecommunications Agency, and to open up the market to competition. Guyana is one of the few countries in South America without a competitive fixed telecoms market.
