Samoa - Telecoms Market Overview & Statistics

Synopsis

Samoa’s telecom sector is partially liberalised but as yet, there is no independent regulator. The incumbent telco SamoaTel was corporatised in 1999 and holds a 10-year exclusive licence to provide the main telecom services in Samoa. The country’s first cellular network was launched by Telecom Samoa Cellular Ltd in 1997. There are now two new cellular providers in operation – Digicel Samoa Ltd and incumbent fixed-line provider SamoaTel. Digicel has taken the country by storm and within it first two years of operation, rapidly increasing its subscriber base, and also reducing prices through competition. The Internet market is served by three ISPs. Please also note that this report is updated infrequently due to limited availability of information on the local telecoms market.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Key statistics
  
• 3. Telecommunications market
  
  • 3.1 Overview of Samoa’s telecom market
    
    • 3.1.1 Accession to WTO membership
      
• 4. Regulatory environment
  
  • 4.1 Postal and Telecommunication Services Act 1999
    
  • 4.2 Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT)
    
  • 4.3 National ICT strategy
    
  • 4.4 Telecom sector liberalisation in Samoa
    
• 5. Fixed network operator in Samoa
  
  • 5.1 SamoaTel Ltd
    
• 6. Telecommunications infrastructure
  
  • 6.1 National telecom network
    
    • 6.1.1 Infrastructure developments
      
  • 6.2 International infrastructure
    
  • 6.3 Interconnection arrangements
    
• 7. Internet and broadband market
  
  • 7.1 Overview
    
    • 7.1.1 Internet statistics
      
  • 7.2 ISP market
    
    • 7.2.1 Computer Services Ltd (Samoa.ws)
      
    • 7.2.2 iPasifika Samoa Ltd
      
    • 7.2.3 Lesa Telephone Services (Lesamoa.net)
      
  • 7.3 Multipurpose Community Telecentres (MCTs)
    
  • 7.4 E-government
    
  • 7.5 Distant learning and telehealth
    
    • 7.5.1 Samoa-American Samoa (SAS)
      
• 8. Mobile communications
  
  • 8.1 Overview of Samoa’s mobile market
    
  • 8.2 Major mobile operators
    
    • 8.2.1 SamoaTel Ltd
      
    • 8.2.2 Digicel Samoa Ltd
      
• 9. Related reports
  

• Table 1 – Country statistics – 2008
• Table 2 – Telephone network statistics – 2008
• Table 3 – Internet provider statistics – 2008
• Table 4 – Internet user statistics – 2008
• Table 5 – Mobile statistics – 2008
• Table 6 – National telecommunications authority
• Table 7 – Internet users and penetration rate – 1997 - 2008
• Table 11 – Mobile operators, subscribers and annual change – 2007 - 2008
• Table 12 – Mobile subscribers and annual change – 1998 - 2008