Find Telecommunication expertise in Fiji

The telecommunications sector in Fiji has experienced significant growth since the beginning of the 21st century, which is in part due to the islands’ position with access to theSouthern Cross submarine cable linking Australasia and North America.  This can be seen in the change in internet penetration across the country; in 2007 internet penetration in Fiji was very low standing at just 1.6% of the population, this rose significantly to around 11% in 2010.

In 2006 the telecommunications sector in Fiji contributed 4.7% towards GDP, given the rise in internet penetration from 2007-2010 this is likely to have increased in more recent year (Econstats, 2008). The total labour force employed by the telecommunications sector was 2,000 in 2002, again given the developments in the sector from the turn of the century; this is likely to have noticeably increased.

The telecommunications industry in Fiji centres around three major companies, which held a complete monopoly of power until the pass on the 2007 Telecommunications Bill which partially deregulated the country’s telecommunications sector.  Prior to 2007 Telecom Fiji provided all domestic landline and data services; Vodafone Fiji provided all mobile services; and Fintel provided all international voice and data services. During this time consumers suffered from inadequate services and high prices.

Participants in the sector now include multinational Digicel who launched its first mobile network in 2008 and mobile phone and 3G networks, and Inkkmobile a key provider of mobile phone and broadband services. Since the passing of the 2007 Telecommunications Bill, local internet providers have flourished; Kidanet and Unwired Fiji are examples of local internet companies, both firm supply high speed internet throughout the country.

The Telecommunications Authority of Fiji (TAF) is the regulator for the telecommunications sector. The TAF is responsible for creating a regulatory environment that is conducive to supporting socio-economic growth, as well as ensuring that the sector is regulated in the interest of all citizens of Fiji.

The Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education (CPCS) in Fiji is one of the educational institutions on these islands with a specific emphasis on ICT in education. The CPCS mandates itself to improve the quality of technical and vocational training (TVET) in Fiji. TVET in this respect provides students with the practical skills needed for employment.

A survey of telecommunications in Fiji shows relatively high numbers of mobile phone subscriptions for a small island; in 2014 there were 988 mobile phones for every 1,000 people in the population. By comparison there were just 84 landlines per 1,000 people for the same year. Internet usage in the country is relatively low by world standards, with results for 2014 showing 418 internet users per 1,000 people.  Broadband penetration in Fiji is still relatively low by world standards, according to the Pacific Telecommunications Council in 2011 there were 27.7 fixed broadband subscriptions and 161.2 mobile broadband subscriptions per 1,000 people in the population.