Skip to main content

When TSTT launched their internet service in 1995

Image
By
Following up from my blog post: Back in 2017 when Graeme Suite was Manager Brand, Public Relations & External Affairs, I had emailed him asking, "Does TSTT have any information on the history of internet in Trinidad?" He was able to send me a Newsday September 21, 1995 article titled "TSTT surfs the Internet" written by Horace Monsegue. Below are the contents of that article written more than 28 years ago. I was in form five at St Mary's College at that time. I remember Carib-Link and according to my friend Bard, they operated from 1995 to 2003 and initially provided dial-up internet access across Trinidad and Tobago.

Here is the contents of the Newsday article that I carefully converted to text on my mobile phone to make it indexable by the search engines.

Page 4 NEWSDAY Thursday September 21, 1995
NEWS
TSTT surfs the Internet
By HORACE MONSEGUE

MORE TRAFFIC joined the Information Superhighway, yesterday, when Telecommuni- cations Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) launched its Internet Service at a special media communications workshop at Textel House, Edward Street, Port-of-Spain.

Participants were able to "cruise" the Superhighway, as TSTT revealed the latest ad- vancement in technology that is turning the world into a "global village."

Chief Executive Office of TSTT, Samuel Martin said that the speed of technological advancement was so astonishing "that it is all too easy to be left behind."

Martin said that the launching of the TSTT Internet Service will now make it possible for customers to be able to dial-up access or have dedicated access to the Worldwide Web through a local node. Martin said that in early 1996, TSTT expects to introduce Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) which will enable the transport of voice, data and video on a single line.

Martin added: "International incoming 800 serv- ices will be available by the end of this year and Pay- 800 Service in 1996, to allow customers to access overseas 1-800 numbers.

"Public fax, video conferencing and Personal Communication Services are all part of the planned product offering which will complement or be added to the current range of services TSTT now offers."

Jean Wilson, Acting General Manager, of TSTT's Marketing Department explained that significant infrastructural work had to be conducted, in introducing not only Internet, but also CallMaster. "In only six months our engineers were able to complete work on the modernisation of the exchanges.

This feat was accomplished in what Nortel (Northern Telecom) described as 'record industry time'," Wilson said. She said: "Nortel has been so impressed by what has been achieved here that they have requested TSTT's participation in joint presentation with themselves at international fora."

Wilson said there are 10 services being offered. "The services are being sold singly or in multitudes to meet the needs of our customers, satisfying their requirements for privacy, convenience and security."


INTERNET FUN: TSTT's Chief Executive Officer, Sam Martin, (second fron left) makes a jovial point, encouraging smiles from TSTT's Public Relation: Manager, Patt Christopher (left), Newsday reporters Horace Monsegue and Kris Rampersad, along with TSTT's Marketing Analyst, Sherry Ragoo (far right), at yesterday's Internet demonstration. Photo by RATTAN JADOO
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coffee and a prayer

By
It is 245am and I have decided to write. I have no topic and no idea what to write. I am thankful for another day. I see the beauty that surrounds us. I choose to be happy. We are in the last ten nights of Ramadan. Tonight is the 23rd night. It could possibly be the night of power. I wonder if it will rain. Maybe it rained when I was sleeping. I got up and bathed and drank a strong cup of coffee. Today is also Friday the 13th. I keep thinking. Life is beautiful. Life is simple. No need to complicate things. No need to be extravagant. Believe in God. Trust in God. Be guided by God. Imagine we can pray for anything. We can ask God for anything. God is always listening. God wants to hear from us. Maybe I can turn this blog post into a prayer. My God I pray that everyone gets their prayers answered. I pray that everyone gets what they need. I pray that you light our path towards you. Guide us with what you intend for us. Keep us close to you. Soften our hearts. Keep us balanced, consistent...
Post a Comment
Read more

Belief is a part of life

By
I watched this video and I quite like it as a good starting point for this blog post https://youtu.be/t44PFI_V4LE We cannot know everything. We do not have the capacity to know everything. I make plans for tomorrow because I believe there is a tomorrow not because I know that there is a tomorrow. We cannot decide today to say we will only act on things that we know for sure. This would be impractical. As my friend Chatty puts it, to live life, we must believe in things that cannot always be proven with certainty. For example, we believe that the future exists, that our actions matter, and that other people can be trusted. We also tend to believe life has meaning and that things can improve. These beliefs help us make decisions, keep hope, and move forward. Given that belief is a part of life, it is reasonable to have people believe in a God and a particular religion. My point is this. Life cannot happen without belief because we cannot know everything (unless we are God like). Belief i...
Post a Comment
Read more

God of direction

By
It is 323am and I have decided to write. I am thinking that I am a bucket of paint. A beautiful shade of blue. That God uses to paint the sky. How could I turn this into something worth writing about? My friend Chatty tells me that I could develop the idea by exploring the metaphor of myself as a bucket of blue paint and God as the painter using it to color the sky. The meaning comes from reflecting on what it feels like to be "used"—losing some of myself while helping create something beautiful. The paint may not see the whole picture and might fear being emptied, but its purpose is fulfilled when it becomes part of the sky. The piece can reflect on purpose, trust, surrender, and the idea that giving of yourself is how beauty is created. It is now 423am and I cannot think of a way to continue this writing. The sky is silent is what comes to my mind. How do I ask the sky to speak to me? I look through my window and I see patches of clouds against a dark sky. Maybe the night s...
Post a Comment
Read more