Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) is yet to finalise plans on a satellite aggregation initiative for its telecom members.
PITA’s Fiji-based manager Fred Christopher told ISLANDS BUSINESS this project is still in the works, meaning that it might be some time yet before its national telecom members from island countries in the Pacific experience the benefits of this project.
“PITA has already started talks with satellite owners, bandwidth providers, governments and regional organisations for satellite space segment consolidation, but although the key stakeholders are very keen to see this through, the commercial and legal considerations of this initiative are not as simple and everyone’s support is called for,” Christopher said.
He said PITA started its satellite aggregation plans on its own initiatives in recognition of the growing demand of bandwidth, the satellite bandwidth cost factor, and the cost savings that can be achieved through aggregation.
“PITA has members from 22 Pacific islands countries and states, and if combined, the aggregation can relate to a greater degree of improving the scale of economy to realise effective cost savings.
With these cost savings, members will be able to roll out more access and bandwidth in their own countries,” Christopher added.
This project by PITA was driven mainly by technology changes, where the Internet, now being the very basic requirement of communication and value added services, has meant that the bandwidth needs of telecom companies across the Pacific has experienced robust growth.
Buying bandwidth off satellites companies, as most telecom companies in the region do, is said to have become an expensive business for the individual telecom company.
“The first model of aggregation was the PITANet, which enabled companies for the first time to bring Internet to their countries in the 1980s but this has been superseded by individual growth of bandwidth needs,” said Christopher.
“This aggregation project takes this model to another level. Aggregation in other aspects has also been made in the past with tenders on ‘Pacific-Islands Package’ for GSM Mobile Roaming Clearing House provider and Near Real Time Roaming Data Exchange Provider for Mobile andCellular telephones attracting very reputable suppliers offering low group price package for the islands.
“Already, through the close relationships established in PITA, technical cooperation amongst members has allowed cost savings, for example, Cook Islands has obtained savings from aggregating with French Polynesia, enabling them to provide the rural and outer island communities of Cook Islands access to Internet, and to get radio broadcast from its main centre which are converted to IP packages and re-broadcasted at outer islands.
“Such neighbourhood cooperation is encouraged and to date, Samoa has also entered into an agreement with its neighbour American Samoa to extend connectivity to the ASH cable.
"Other instances are when one is hit by a disaster and technical support and equipment are immediately flown from neighbour members. PITA also provides financial assistance to engender technical cooperation between its developing country members.
“With connectivity, there is a need for an overall approach to ensure the overall access needs and maximised benefits are taken into context, and that the outer and rural communities are not left out resulting in greater digital gaps within the countries, causing even greater issues such as urban drifts and social issues.
“This can happen if initiatives, for example cables that are planned only to serve the capital towns, or initiatives for rural Internet are done in isolation,” said Christopher.
Therefore, he added, a connectivity study in the Pacific underway by independent consultants should be supported with aims to providing everyone with information for all connectivity, for urban and rural communities, and to which a more constructive and effective concept of regional approach can be made.
“Access is a critical Internet resource to get the Pacific islands online and the solutions will require a mixture of several technologies including submarine cables.
“With all these, PITA with close working relationships with the International Telecommunication Union, Asia Pacific Telecommunity and regional government bodies, is also to take to the Internet Governance Forum in December the challenges and opportunities for access, and raising its profile as a critical Internet resource to get everyone in the Pacific online is very important,” Christopher said.
In another important development, the South Pacific Information Network (SPIN) project will be discussed at this month’s Next Generation Network (NGN) meeting in Sydney.
Christopher confirmed that the World Bank-funded independent study on Pacific Connectivity will be presented at the NGN meeting, which will run from October 13-16.
It is being organised by the International Telecommunications Union, Asia-Pacific Telecommunity and PITA.
“That study critically looks at SPIN and provides more information on the cable connectivity in the islands.
"So it will make available an overall picture and provide countries with information which they can then use to make their decision on SPIN,” said Christopher.
SPIN is a submarine telecommunication cable project endorsed by Pacific island Leaders in their 2007 meeting in Tonga, which they hope will help in the achievement of connectivity aims in the Pacific Plan’s Digital Strategy.
It is being supported by the French government and carried out by a New Caledonia based French company called API.
The project was recently the subject of some concerns after media reports out of Cook Islands revealed that the Cook Island government was concerned with the financial and legal obligations of the contract.
PITA’s telecom members include operators from American Samoa, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Norfolk Islands, Northern Marianas, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Palau, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Kiribati, Tokelau and Tuvalu. Pacific telecom regulators are also members of PITA.