Synopsis
Relative to many other South Pacific islands Fiji has a fairly reliable and efficient telecom system with access to the Southern Cross submarine cable linking New Zealand, Australia and North America. Fiji’s telecom industry is based around three major monopolies which were protected through exclusivity licences until regulatory changes occurred in 2007 with passing of the government’s Telecommunications Bill which deregulated elements of the country’s telecom sector. Prior to the bill passing Telecom Fiji had an exclusive licence to provide domestic fixed line voice and data services; Vodafone Fiji was the sole provider of mobile services; and Fintel had a monopoly on international voice and data services. As a result, Fijians were subjected to relatively poor service, high prices and minimal customer care. However Vodafone lost its monopoly status when Digicel Fiji launched its network in 2008. Internet penetration remains relatively low and rural penetration is poor. In 2005 Unwired Fiji launched the country’s first privately-owned broadband wireless network and in 2008 Telecom Fiji completed its NGN upgrade while Vodafone launched the region’s first 3G mobile network. Due to a degree of parliamentary inactivity while the country is temporarily under military rule further reform to telecommunications regulation is unlikely in the short term. Further foreign investment in the domestic market is also likely to be reviewed by multinational firms.