March, 14th, 2001
Snapshots of ICT in the Pacific
Ian Thomson SPC - ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION 1. SPC role for promoting ICT in the Pacific
2. Snapshot of ICT development
3. Perspectives SPC and ICT
• SPC role – Provide Technical Assistance to 22 Island countries – ICT Outreach section formed under Economic Development Division early 2010 – 3 staff – ICT Ministers nominated SPC to be the ICT Regional Coordinating Agency in Tonga Meeting of 2010
• Strategies – Framework for ICT Development Action approved 2010 – Action Plan to be considered at Nouméa Ministers meeting in April 2011 – Pacific ICT Portal by SPC www.e-pic.info ICT in the Pacific
• Actors – PITA (Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association) – PICISOC (Pacific Internet Society) – USP (University of the South Pacific) – SOPAC (now part of SPC) – ITU (International Telecommunications Union) – UN-APCICT (Asia Pacific Center for ICT) – World Bank – ADB (Asian Development Bank) ICT in the Pacific • Snapshot – Larger countries making good progress – Middle countries following – Small countries struggling – Everyone is struggling with Broadband, some doing wifi well Pacific MAP? – 5 new submarine cables planned • Most recent report from ADB – http://www.e- pic.info/homepage/item/ 284-ict-based-inclusive- growth-and-poverty- reduction-in-the-pacific 1. SPC role for promoting ICT in the Pacific
2. Snapshot of ICT development
3. Perspectives Country Mobile Government Independent Population Competition Ownership Regulator
Cook Islands 19 808
FSM 110 728
Fiji 849 218
Kiribati 98 045
Marshal Islands 61 026
Nauru 10 210
Palau 20 398
Papua New Guinea 6 732 159
Samoa 178 846
Solomon Islands 523 170
Tonga 103 967
Tuvalu 9 929
Vanuatu 239 788 Fixed lines
40 Cook Islands
Fiji 35 FSM
30 Kiribati
Nauru 25 Palau
RMI 15 Samoa
10 Solomon Islands Fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants lines telephone Fixed
Tonga 5 Tuvalu
Vanuatu 0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Mobile phones
90 Cook Islands
Fiji 80
FSM 70 Kiribati
60 Palau
Papua New Guinea 50 RMI 40 Samoa
30 Solomon Islands
Tonga
20 Mobilephone subscirbers per 100 inhabitants Tuvalu
10 Vanuatu
0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Broadband Internet connections 8 Cook Islands
Fiji 7 FSM
6 Palau
Samoa 5 Solomon Islands
4 Tonga
Tuvalu 3
Vanuatu
2 Broadbandsubscriptions per 100 inhabitants
1
0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Affordability Cook Islands
Fiji
FSM
Kiribati
RMI
Nauru Fixed Palau Mobile Dial-up Papua New Guinea Broadband
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Vanuatu
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Percentage of monthly income required to purchase service 1. SPC role for promoting ICT in the Pacific
2. Snapshot of ICT development
3. Perspectives ICT in other sectors
• Health – Some trials of m-health and connecting rural clinics • Education – Forming working group to study, many pilots but no real integrated effort • Emergency Services – Looking at connecting more remote sites • Provincial Government – Becoming important for them Regional Capacity Building
• ITU project – Studies and workshops on 7 topics- Policy, Interconnection, Security, Licensing, Universal Access, Numbering, Spectrum – Papers available
• SPC Project with APCICT and EU – Academy of ICT Essentials – Korea – 10 modules, including ICT for Development, e-Govt, Trends for Leaders, Disaster Management, Security, Climate Change etc. New Developments
• Perspectives – Mobile coverage getting over 80% in 8 countries – m-data and m-Payment taking off – Government drive for rural and remote connection
• Supports – World Bank working with Kiribati, FSM and Marshals to reform the ICT sectors – Pacific Regional Regulatory Resource Center being set up in Fiji – Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team being set up in Fiji