Vodafone Fiji Regional Chief Executive Officer, Pradeep Lal has today announced a further investment of $55 million into the company's network infrastructure.
Lal says future investments include financial services for the unbanked, connecting the unconnected, eTransport, eCommerce, working and education needs, health care services, seamless connectivity to support high-definition entertainment consumption and online gaming, and the rising internet of things (IoT).
Lal says with today's digitally driven ecosystem, Vodafone understands the importance of connectivity as an enabler of change.
He says Vodafone, as a Fijian entity, continue to invest in and employ different technologies in order to connect more Fijians every day.
Lal says with the satellite-based solutions, they continue to support initiatives to connect the unconnected with a simple, cost-effective solution for remote and maritime regions.
The CEO says a total of 36 satellite projects have been completed as part of this initiative with another 10 in progress.
Lal says such an investment is essential to deliver on their promise of continuous improvement, and strategic to aim of future-proofing Fiji’s number 1 network.
He says it is also an investment to support the growing digital economy and bridging the digital divide so that no one is left behind.
Over the last two decades, Vodafone Fiji says it has built a robust network infrastructure to deliver the latest, faster, more reliable internet and wi-fi services to Fijians.
Lal says Vodafone Fiji is evolving from a traditional telco to a leading provider of new generation connectivity and digital services provider of scale in Fiji.
He says they are committed to strengthening the existing network infrastructure and will continue to invest in more capacity on their existing platforms to focus on untapped regions in Fiji, especially rural and maritime areas with an injection of 20 new sites.
Lal further says Vodafone Fiji has recorded a five-fold increase in data traffic over the last few years.
He says on an average, data traffic is increasing by up to 50 percent annually and this demonstrates the size and capacity of Vodafone’s network to handle the increased demand.
The Regional Chief Executive Officer says they have over 500,000 data subscribers connected on their network with monthly usage exceeding 10,000TB and growing. He says this clearly indicates a growing demand for data and the internet remains an engine for growth and expansion.
He says it is therefore critical to invest in the expansion of network infrastructure and technology.
Lal says Vodafone Fiji continues to expand its ICT portfolio.
They say they strive to remain a one-stop shop enterprise solutions provider.
They say their connectivity value-chain is in partnership with renowned multi-brands solutions, i.e. Collaboration, Managed Services, Software-Defined Networks, Disaster Recovery, Cloud Computing, Infrastructure, Platform, Software as a Service, Unified Communications, and Cybersecurity.
Lal also says they are valued by their achievements in delivering the best in mobile communications. He says Vodafone is the first and only telecommunications company in Fiji to achieve ISO/IEC 27001:2013 for Information Security Management, demonstrating their commitment to helping clients embrace cloud and digital transformation initiatives.
He says through partnerships with Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle Cloud Platform, Vodafone is consolidating and modernizing the technology infrastructure that supports its data warehouse and back-up systems into a cloud platform capable of supporting and scaling next-generation digital services.
The CEO says Fiji is ranked as one of the leading nations in the Pacific Islands in the GSMA Mobile Economy 2020 report, and they are extremely proud to contribute continuously towards enabling high mobile and internet penetration.
Lal says their continued investments are strategically aligned, having a shared vision with digitalFIJI aiming at developing a $1 billion digital economy in Fiji by 2030.
He says they aim to enable a strong digital Fijian economy by delivering state-of-the-art digital network architecture, delivering next generation core network functions more securely and supporting a full-fledged cloud-based infrastructure.
Lal says having trailblazed the eCommerce sector with their M-PAiSA platform, they are proud to emerge as a key player in the FinTech industry and work towards capitalising on the digitalisation opportunities and look forward to delivering game-changing products and services in the years ahead.
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