Internet access possible for people in Pacific

Press release

Internet access possible for people in remote Pacific areas

Friday, October 19 October, 2007, SPC Headquarters – People living in remote islands and rural areas of the Pacific will soon be able to connect to the internet via a new, low-cost, satellite-based system called Pacific RICS (rural interconnectivity system). The system was officially launched during the 38th Pacific Islands Forum meeting (15-17 October, 2007) in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, by Greg Urwin, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). A management contract for implementing Pacific RICS was recently signed between a private Australian-based company, Pacific Teleports Pty Ltd, and SPC.

Dr Rodgers, a strong advocate of the technology, says, ‘Pacific RICS can provide cheaper, faster, and reliable internet connectivity to any rural and remote area in the region. Sixteen pilot sites in nine countries will be installed over the next year The aim of these pilot sites is to show that the technology is sufficiently useful to generate user-pays demand for additional sites – in fact, we’ve already had requests for additional sites.’

Under the Pacific Plan digital strategy, SPC and PIFS worked together on developing the project and securing funding. A design process commissioned by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) validated the concept and the Australian government gave AU$2 million to set up the system. The funds have paid for a dedicated ‘Pacific hub’ in the AMC-23 satellite for the lifetime of the satellite and two years of bandwidth initially.

‘We’ve been very careful in developing this project to work with governments and telecommunication companies,’ stresses Dr Rodgers. ‘Pacific RICS will focus on rural and remote areas that are not covered by commercial providers. Experimental licenses will be issued for all 16 pilot sites and special consideration will be given to educational and health institutions. We see tremendous benefits in being able to give people in these areas easy access to all sorts of education and information. And of course they in turn will be part of the global information network.’

At their own cost, PIFS and SPC will provide a ‘Network in a Box’ kit with inbuilt wireless and servers that will enhance the utility of each pilot site for users. The first six pilot sites are expected to be operational within six months.

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