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 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

Fiji 35 FSM

30

Nauru 25

20

RMI 15

10 Solomon Islands Fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants lines telephone Fixed

Tonga 5

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