Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has lashed out at local telecommunication providers, particularly Digicel and GTT (now renamed One Communications), for what he has described as “disgraceful” service to customers. According to Jagdeo, during a recent youth forum on the Essequibo Coast, a young female from the Pomeroon had complained about the atrocious service from these two companies in her community. “This is a disaster, and it’s disgraceful… When I came back from Regions One and Nine, I couldn’t even use my phone. The service is so crappy in these areas,” he stated. The Vice President went on to note that these telecommunication providers have the capacity to serve the nation, and so government will be going after them to ensure that they do so. “They have spectrum for the whole country, and they should be utilising the spectrum or lose them, because they’re very valuable – the many bands on the spectrum that they have.” Jagdeo added that these service providers disadvantaged a lot of the riverain and hinterland communities as well as those on the coastland. “And so, the Public Utilities Commission has to really regulate the level of services that people pay for, but they can’t get in these communities, in the hinterland, riverain and sometimes even in the coastal communities,” he said. “This is something I’m personally going to follow up on. I’m going to be on their case for this matter,” the Vice President added. According to Jagdeo, this level of poor service is unacceptable and runs counter to Government’s efforts to bridge the digital divide and expand key initiatives such as online education to remote communities across the country. It is against this backdrop, Jagdeo said, that government has allowed Starlink to set up operations in hinterland communities across the country so that they can have reliable internet access. “So, we are solving this issue by putting in this Starlink for at least the GOAL [scholarship] programmes and stuff,” he noted. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American aerospace company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. Approval for Starlink’s licence was given late last year, and the United States-based company is already operating across Guyana. In fact, the Guyana Government plans to use this service provider to enhance its telemedicine services nationwide. Earlier this month, Guyana’s National Security Advisor, Gerry Gouveia, confirmed that Starlink’s service is currently available all across Guyana. “It started a couple days ago. It’s for everybody. You can buy it online, and I actually just bought one for myself online. Anyone can go and find it online,” Gouveia noted. According to the company’s website, Starlink is currently offering residential plans that include a “no contracts, 30-day trial” period with the equipment shipping in 1-2 weeks. The residential plans include “standard” and “mini” packages that both offer two monthly subscription plans: the “Residential” for $11,000 per month, and the “Residential Lite” for $7400 per month. The one-time equipment also comes in the “Starlink Standard Kit” for $82,000, and the Starlink Mini Kit for $42,000. There are also a number of accessory add-ons for sale. According to the website, “The Starlink Kit arrives with everything needed to get online in minutes. All you need is a clear view of the sky. Download the Starlink App to determine your best install location.”