There will be opportunities that will emanate for Fiji because of Telstra’s participation in the telecommunications market, according to Minister for Economy and Communications, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
With the confirmation that Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company, Telstra has officially acquired Digicel Pacific in partnership with the Australian Government, Sayed-Khaiyum says Fiji is also offering Telstra opportunities to increase their footprint.
Sayed-Khaiyum says there are numerous opportunities in the e-ticketing space and they want to expand it to mini buses, taxis and ships but need technological advancements.
He says they believe technological empowerment and accessibility at affordable pricing is critically important.
Sayed-Khaiyum adds they saw during the height of the pandemic how important it was to have every Fijian connected irrespective of where they lived.
The Minister for Communications says it is also important to note that we still have about 5 percent of Fijians who do not have connectivity.
According to the Financial Review, Telstra has completed its acquisition of Digicel Pacific on behalf of the Australian Government, which funded the majority of the $US1.6 billion purchase price. Telstra contributed $US270 million to the deal. Telstra International CEO, Oliver Camplin-Warner says the deal is an exciting milestone for the Digicel Pacific business and its customers in Fiji.
Camplin-Warner says the Digicel Pacific team in Fiji have amazing local expertise and are leaders in digital experiences for their customers.
He says together, they will work to grow the business into the best telecommunications provider in Fiji.
Camplin-Warner confirms there will not be any local job losses in the Pacific as part of the acquisition and the current Digicel Pacific team would continue the day-to-day running of the business.
He says Digicel Pacific will still have the same people and products that their Fijian customers know and love today and Telstra will add to these strengths.
Camplin-Warner adds Telstra strongly supports Digicel Pacific’s grass roots community investments and disaster recovery efforts in Fiji, and are committed to seeing this work continue.
The Regional CEO of Digicel Pacific, Shally Jannif says Telstra’s expertise in rolling out a world-class network and connecting remote communities would greatly enhance the work to date of Digicel and benefit the people and businesses of Fiji.
She says they are looking forward to Telstra applying its network experience as well as its innovation and technology solutions to Fiji to continue increasing connectivity in the region.
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