Georgetown: Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr Roger Luncheon during a recent post-Cabinet press briefing called on Digicel to outline its plans to run fibre-optic cable project (FOCP) in Guyana.
Dr Luncheon’s comments came after persons in some quarters accused the Government of refusing to grant permission to the telecommunications company to land fibre-optic cable in Guyana.
The HPS stated that the Government has granted permission to Digicel to land the cable. “What is necessary is for Digicel to advise what the steps are that they plan to take to use the approval given by the Government to land cable in Guyana to make that a reality,” Dr Luncheon said.
Recently, concerns had been raised about the Fibre-optic Cable Project especially after Project Manager Alexei Ramotar disclosed that the project has been suspended since November 2013.
Former Head of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Clinton Urling said such projects should be left in the hands of the Private Sector. He also expressed dissatisfaction over the revelation made by Ramotar.
Urling blasted the Government for getting involved in the project, but Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said the Private Sector did not commit to the project initially.
Early last year, the Digicel Group had announced that it received the required approvals from Government and regulatory authorities with regard to its purchase of a submarine fibre network across the Caribbean region from the Guadeloupe-based Loret Group and Caribbean Fibre Holdings.
Digicel has been on an ongoing quest to become a global communications provider growing out of its mobile provider roots.
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