FIJI TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR UPDATE INCREASING ICT ACCESSIBILITY TO ALL FIJIANS P R E S E N T A T I O N A T T H E P A C I F I C T E L E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S C O U N C I L M E E T I N G
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION BACKGROUND ICT INDICATORS LAWS AND POLICIES GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES/PROJECTS Case Studies National Broadband Policy Government Community Telecentre Project FUTURE PRIORITIES
BACKGROUND 333 islands across 1,290,000 square km. 110 are inhabited Population - 837,271 (Source : 2007 Census) 49% of population in rural / maritime areas Telecommunications sector liberalized as of 2008 Telecommunications Service Providers: Telecom Fiji Limited Connect Fiji Vodafone Fiji Limited Digicel Fiji Limited Unwired Fiji Kidanet
ICT INDICATORS as of Dec 2012 ICT contribution economy - 6.5%. Source: 2011 Fijian Bureau of Statistics estimation ICT Indicators 2010 2011 2012 Fixed Telephone subscription 129,845 129,845 142,963 Mobile-Cellular Telephone subscription 697,920 727,000 858,809 Wireless Broadband subscription 109,851 Active Mobile Broadband subscription 135,000 94,742 Fixed (wired) Broadband subscription 23,250 23,250 13,516 International Internet bandwidth in Mbit/s 625 1,950 2,725 Mobile penetration: 102% Access to Internet: 26% Access to Broadband Internet (3G, Fixed Line and Wimax): 14% International Internet Bandwidth has increased 4 folds since 2010
FIJI S IDI RANKING Our global ranking improved to 88 out of 155 countries in 2012. 2010 ranking was 93. In the Asia-Pacific region, Fiji ranks 15 out of 30 countries. Fiji is the only Small Island Developing State (SIDS) to feature amongst the most dynamic IDI countries. 5th most dynamic in terms of changes in IDI ranking making an improvement of 5 places in comparison to 2010 ranking 4th most dynamic in terms of IDI % change. We improved by 14%. Doubling of use sub-index (index to measure users) from 0.82 in 2010 to 1.60 in 2011. Ranked 1st in the top 10 economies with greatest 2010-2011 change in the IDI use sub-index based on rank change. Ranked 7th in the top 10 economies with greatest 2010-2011 change in the IDI use subindex based on absolute value change. Our improvement is highly attributed to the: 3G coverage and accessibility Fijian Government s commitment to making access affordable, extending e-government services and connecting schools Reduction in duty of smartphones and dongles
LAWS AND POLICIES Telecommunications Promulgation 2008 Regulations of National Spectrum Decree 2009 (amendment 2013) Determinations Telecommunications Licensing Regulations (2011) Telecommunications Licensing Fees (2012) Policies National Broadband Policy (2011) Reviewed National ICT Policy (2012)
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES/PROJECTS Unified Licensing Government Community Telecentre Project Universal Service Access Programme Modernization of Spectrum Management Practices: 4G LTE Spectrum Auction Digital Television Migration Band planning for FM Broadcast Band planning for microwave linking
NATIONAL BROADBAND POLICY PRINICIPLES Market driven Community involvement and ownership Universal access Affordability Leadership
NATIONAL BROADBAND POLICY GOALS AND HOW ARE WE PERFORMING AGAINST THE TARGETS To have in place a competitive structure for the provision of broadband in Fiji We have a highly competitive ISP sector To support the provision of broadband services to communities that show an active interest in acquiring early broadband access Universal Service Access Programme Government Community Telecentre Project To achieve broadband service availability to 95% to all urban, suburban and rural communities by 2016 3G services are available to 95% of the population Introduction of 4G LTE will offer greater speed access to the people
NATIONAL BROADBAND POLICY To ensure that Broadband Services remain affordable for all people in Fiji Variety of services on the market ensure value for customers Currently cheapest post pay package is priced at $34.99 monthly cost with a cap of 5GB To support all academic institutions to have access to Broadband Government is leading this through the GTC project. Government to lead the broadband evolution by delivering its services online over broadband ITC to lead this by offering services online
GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY TELECENTRE PROJECT Launched by the Prime Minister in 2011 with three pilot sites Currently 15 sites in operation across the 2 main islands and with presence also in the maritime island of Ovalau A further 5 sites have been established and awaiting official launch All equipment, infrastructure and staff (volunteers and security) is paid for by Government Over 47,000 users for the 15 sites in the past 18 months. The telecentres will offer ICT accessibility to more than 60,000 people in the surrounding areas
GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY TELECENTRE PROJECT No cost to the community to access and use Services on offer Emails and internet browsing Scanning and printing Skype and chatting Current model is to co-site at schools Ready infrastructure Easy to upgrade labs Students access during school hours and the community uses it afterhours Students are encouraged to bring their parents and relatives to the centre
GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY TELECENTRE PROJECT
FUTURE PRIORITIES Awarding contracts for Universal Service subsidies Investment into a Spectrum Management System Implementation of DTV Migration Further Strengthening of Regulatory Framework Alternative Dispute Resolution TAF Consultation Guidelines Consumer Code Regulations and Consumer Code of Practice Equipment Type Approval
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