317 sites identified nationwide which is either unconnected or poorly connected – AG

Attorney General and Minister for Communications, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says in their effort to provide the remaining 43,022 Fijians with internet and voice connectivity services, they have identified 317 sites nationwide which is either unconnected or poorly connected.

He says 95% or 817,425 Fijians have mobile and internet connectivity.

These proposed sites cover 4.02 % of the 5% of unconnected Fijians.

According to him, the coverage balance which is 8,432 unconnected Fijians makes up the remaining 0.98 % of the unconnected population.

While giving his ministerial statement on mobile connectivity, Sayed-Khaiyum says there will be ongoing monitoring to assess whether the 8,432 unconnected Fijians move to an area where there is internet and voice connectivity.

He told parliament that a comprehensive assessment will be undertaken to establish the number of unconnected Fijians once the 317 sites are completed.

Sayed-Khaiyum confirms the technical working group is currently collating information of the sites and the availability of other access.

He says one challenge that has been identified in providing internet and voice connectivity services in rural and remote areas is the deployment of infrastructure which is costly and the potential return on the investment is low.

He says based on their assessments, some of these villagers and settlements only have two or three people, while other villages have 200 people and some have 20 people.

Sayed-Khaiyum says public sector interventions is required in these remote locations as none of the mobile companies will go there as it will cost at least half a million dollars to put up one tower in these areas.

He further says mobile phone operators will also not get a rate of return on their investment.

The Minister for Communications adds this is where the Universal Service Fund will come in and with this fund, they intend to build tower sharing arrangements.

Each telecommunication operator pays a levy of 0.5% of their annual gross revenue towards the Universal Service Fund.

Meanwhile, National Federation Party MP, Lenora Qereqeretabua says the statement by Sayed-Khaiyum claims that mobile connectivity in Fiji stands at 95% however mobile connectivity should not be confused with internet or social media connectivity alone, especially if MPaisa or Mobile Money are middle-men conduits who can examine the money flows and charge for these services, like one of them has been doing with e-ticketing.

She says access to the internet is critical for our children who are now resorting to guided learning via zoom because of this COVID-19 crisis.

She says yet, the Government seems to have forgotten all about its one laptop per child promise.

The NFP parliamentarian has urged the Government to rethink its approaches to ensure equitable access to the internet rather than just promote mobile telephony because it is easier and lucrative for some, and the Office of the Auditor-General should also be involved to ensure that proper due diligence parameters are set out.