Telecommunications in Guyana

Telecommunications in Guyana include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

Radio

• Broadcast stations: government-dominated; the state owns and operates two radio stations broadcasting on multiple frequencies capable of reaching the entire country; government limits on licensing of new private radio stations continue to constrain competition (2007).
• Licenses and competition: In 2009 the Court of Appeal ruled that the government had an unlawful monopoly on the airwaves and was not adequately considering radio license applications. In 2011 the government approved applications for ten new radio stations, although the process was controversial and lacked transparency. By year’s end 2012 only one new station had begun operations, and it was closely aligned with the government.
• Press freedom: The government controls most radio stations, which limits the dissemination of diverse views and open public discussion. The NGO Reporters Without Borders criticized press freedom in the country in 2012, due largely to its radio broadcasting monopolies.
• Radios: 420,000 sets (1997).

Television

• Broadcast stations: government-dominated; the National Communications Network (NCN) TV is state-owned; a few private TV stations relay satellite services (2007).
• Televisions: 46,000 dets (1997).
• Censorship: No government-imposed restrictions on television stations or suspensions of broadcasts in 2012. The government largely directs advertising to media houses aligned with the governing party. The government continues to exert heavy control over the content of the National Communications Network (TV), giving government spokespersons extended coverage, while limiting participation of opposition figures.

Telephone

• Calling code: +592
• International call prefix: 001
• Main lines: 154,200 lines in use, 136th in the world (2012); fixed-line teledensity is about 20 per 100 persons (2011).
• Mobile cellular: 547,000 lines, 167th in the world (2012); mobile-cellular teledensity is about 70 per 100 persons (2011).
• Domestic: fair system for long-distance calling; microwave radio relay network for trunk lines, many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services (2012).
• International:
  • Tropospheric scatter to Trinidad (2011).
  • Satellite earth station: One Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011).
  • Communications cables: Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System (SGSCS) linking Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname and the Americas II fiber optic submarine communications cable linking the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Martinique, Curaçao, Trinidad, Venezuela, French Guiana, and Brazil with terrestrial extensions to Suriname and Guyana.

Internet

• Top-level domain: .gy
• Internet users: 254,534 users, 146th in the world; 34.3% of the population, 124th in the world (2012).
• Fixed broadband: 28,593 subscribers, 123rd in the world; 3.9% of population, 112th in the world (2012).
• Wireless broadband: unknown (2012).
• Internet hosts: 24,936, 112th in the world (2012).
• IPv4: 38,912 allocated addresses, less than 0.05% of world total; 52.5 per 1000 people (2012).
• Internet Service Providers: 3 ISPs (2005).
• Broadband and wireless ISPs: 4 WISPs (2005).

Internet censorship and surveillance

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or credible reports that the government monitors e-mail or Internet chat rooms without judicial oversight.

The law provides for freedom of speech including for members of the press, and the government generally respects this right in practice. Government officials use libel laws to suppress criticism. A hearing into a 10 million Guyanese dollars ($50,000) libel suit filed by former President Jagdeo in July 2010 against the Kaieteur News publishers, its editor in chief, and one of its columnists began in August 2011 and remained pending at the end of 2012. The law prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice. A 2008 law allows for the interception of communications through a warrant issued by a judge, exceptions being in the case of a national emergency or where approval for a warrant is impracticable due to the urgency of the matter.

See also

• National Communications Network, the state-owned television and radio broadcasting corporation in Guyana.
• Guyana Broadcasting Corporation, former state-owned radio corporation in Guyana, replaced by the National Communications Network in 2004.

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State.

External links

• Guyana Top Level Domain at the Center for Information Technology, University of Guyana manages the .gy, .co.gy, .org.gy, .net.gy, .edu.gy, and .gov.gy domains.
• DevNet, a Guyana-based not-for-profit NGO working to integrate the use of information and communication technologies (ITCs) in development.

Service Providers

• GT&T, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited.
• Broadband Wireless, WISP.
• E-Networks, WISP.
• RedSpider, hosting.
• K3designz, hosting.
• CSME Jobs (Caricom Single Market Economy), Caribbean job search and career portal.
• Simply Guyana, business search and service listings.