Overcoming Challenges to Broadband Internet Access in the Pacific

Report by Elkana Capelle Acting Director for ICT at Ministry of Telecommunication Nauru

TOPIC: Overcoming Challenges to Broadband Internet Access in the Pacific & New Opportunities with enabling regulatory and policy frameworks

DESCRIPTION:
This panel will discuss the digital divides in the region and how new technologies and regulation may enable better access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. These include expansion and diversity of connectivity methods, as well as near-term upgrades to long-used technologies such as sub-marine cable and satellite networks. Regulatory elements such as the impact of the outcomes of WRC-19 and the continued deployment of new satellite networks over the PITA region are creating new opportunities for administrations which can adapt regulatory and policy frameworks to enable these technologies to connect the unconnected.

The PITA discussion group was about Overcoming Challenges to Broadband Internet Access in the Pacific.

Overviews – Key Challenges, Current Regulatory Status, Forecasting the Future, Regulatory Environment

· The panel agreed that most pacific Islands key challenges is geography but individual islands have their own challenges such Economics etc.

Our scheduling was change so we have to work on lesser time than was previously allocated. So the present Aaron subdivided each topic to the panel to discuss each different experience between different countries.

I was given Key challenges – User Experience (What can the private sector do to improve support to government and people in the region?)

My statement was short which I stated Nauru is at the point of establishing a marine fiber optic connection and ongoing local project of installing fiber optic throughout the island.

In Nauru we have face major delay on our in-land fiber optic cable installation due to not enough resource and man power for the project. However, this year ICT Department has sort to private sector to contract to individual company to help with the installation. The installation has improved while ICT department can focus our resource to most import area. Fiber installation have reached 70% connectivity plan from collaboration with the private sector.

Each participants have contributed valuable information based on their countries experience.