Director of Marketing, Michael George said SMS gives a user the ability to send text messages to email boxes via the internet as well as to transmit logos and rings in near real time. Voice mail allows you to send and receive voice messages on a Cellink handset.

He said the service also allowed messages to be sent to mobile devices from internet ports anywhere in the world and had the capacity to facilitate the transmission of news, sports and advertisements.

SMS, according to George, is a feature very popular with young people who tend to be more aware of the new technology, as well as those older folks who have the capacity to keep up with the changing trends.

The service can initially be activated free of charge and customers must apply to GT&T’s business offices.

Cellular users will acquire the service using four plans for post paid and a flat charge for pre-paid customers.

Under Plan A, a customer will be charged a monthly rental of $170 with 25 free minutes. A charge of $8 per message is levied after the period of free minutes elapses.

In Plan B the rental is $315 with 50-free minutes; Plan C customers are charged a rental of $495 and get 100 free minutes; with Plan D customers paying a monthly rental of $1,000 and receiving unlimited access with no charge for message retrieval or sending.

Prepaid customers will only be required to pay a rate of $8 per message.

Messages once stored in handsets must be cleared if a customer is to continue to receive new messages.

A customer wishing to send a message using their handset must select menu and then select message and go to write a message where they will see the prompt ‘TO’ at which time they will enter the telephone number to which they wish to send a message.

The customer will then type their message using the keypad of their telephones and later press ‘send’ for it to reach its intended destination.

The procedures, according to a guide, are likely to differ in some handsets with customers being asked to check manuals for more details.

The Voicemail for mobile users will start a week earlier than that of landline users and customers can send and receive voicemail messages on their phones be it pre or postpaid.

While there is no activation charge or set up fee for the service, persons leaving messages will be billed for the voice call and persons retrieving emails will be billed at a rate of $10 per minute.

A cellular phone user to access his/her mailbox is required to dial 0444 and after pressing send, enter the pin number (1234 default) and on listening to the instructions, customise the mailbox.

Once they have activated their mailbox, customers are required to change their pin number to one that is known to them.

George used the opportunity to highlight that GT&T, which now has 106,000 mobile customers, will see cellular capacity being enhanced by 40% by the end of August.

He said the company was also keen on facilitating international roaming to allow cellular or mobile users to be able to use their handsets when they travel overseas while maintaining the same number.

He noted that engineering teams were currently working to make the option a reality.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds on hand to witness the introduction of the new services said Guyana had joined a group of countries where cellular phones now exceeded landlines.

He further said that the telephone company might be correctly divining tea leaves in trying to put itself in a state of competitiveness to meet the end of its monopoly, an option government was actively considering.

The event, held at the company’s head office, was attended by the Chairman and members of the Public Utilities Commission and special guests, West Indies Vice-Captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan and promising long distance runner, Cleveland Forde. (Oscar P. Clarke)