Public Utilities Commission imposes price cap regime

Durrant Pate/ Contributor

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of Guyana has imposed price regulations on its telecommunications sector.

The Price regulation is introduced for Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. Ltd (GTT), the (PUC) announced in a notice in today’s Stabroek News. The Commission says it intends to introduce the price cap regime for the following markets and telecommunications services:

1.  Residential Telecommunications Services

• Residential Narrowband (voice) access
• Local and national long-distance calls for residential customers
• Residential local and long-distance calls to mobile subscribers
• Public payphones

2.  Business Telecommunications Services

• Business narrowband (voice) access
• Local and national long-distance calls for business customers
• Business local and long-distance calls to mobile subscribers
• Domestic leased lines

The PUC said that the imposition of the price cap regime was taken under Section 38 (3) (b) of the Telecommunications Act No.18 of 2016, which states that by virtue of Clause 10 of its licence dated October 5, 2020, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. Ltd (GTT) is accorded the designation of dominant operator for fixed public telecommunications network and services.

GTT, the public utilities regulator explained is also designated jointly dominant for mobile public telecommunications network and services with U-Mobile (Cellular) Inc. (Digicel).

Section 38 (3) (b) of the Telecommunications Act No. 18 of 2016 provides that, “the Commission may establish price regulation regimes, in the manner set forth in the regulations, in any case where:

(a)  there is only one operator operating a public telecommunications network or service provider providing a public telecommunication service;

(b)  an operator or a service provider is dominant as to a relevant public telecommunication’s network or public telecommunications service; or

(c)  the Commission detects anti-competitive cross-subsidization or any other anti-competitive pricing or unfair competition.