K
ing George Tupou V
And the Royal Family,
Nobles of the Realm,
Ministers of the Crown,
Excellencies of Foreign Countries,
President Semisi Fonua and Church Leaders,
Interim Chairman, CEO and Staff of TCL,
Distinguished Quests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is a historical day for Tonga in the field of telecommunications, and information and communications technology (ICT). Today marks the beginning of the construction of the first ever submarine cable system for Tonga, after 35 years relying solely on satellite connections. This is an opportunity never to be missed, providing an answer to number of constraints facing the development of Tonga over the years.
Tonga's relative isolation and other constraints to economic development may be mitigated in part by improved access to and more affordable telecommunications, especially high-speed broadband Internet which has become essential for the functioning of modern economies worldwide. Broadband Internet offers new economic opportunities domestically, as well as connections to larger markets, and new avenues for delivery of services, nationally and internationally.
The
principal constraint to further telecommunications development-including new
private investment and market entry-has been identified by all stakeholders as
the limited capacity and high cost of international bandwidth. This is due to Tonga's dependence on
satellite connectivity which is inadequate to meet growing demand for bandwidth
and also very costly by international standards. Total demand for bandwidth is projected to
increase from the current level of about 22 Megabits up to 1.2 Gigabits by
2032, driven primarily by increased demand for fixed and mobile broadband.
The Government and telecommunications industry in Tonga have considered several options to improve access and reduce the cost of international connectivity. The preferred option is to invest in a new submarine fibre-optic cable to the Southern Cross Cable Network landing station in Fiji. This will not only increase the available bandwidth for Tonga, but also reduce international bandwidth costs by at least 60 percent. This submarine cable system is expected to provide substantially higher capacity than through existing satellite links, and reduce international bandwidth costs from their present level of about US$3,500 per megabit per month to US$350-400 per megabit per month, and possibly lower.
I take this opportunity to thank the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, AusAID and NZAID through the Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) for providing a grant to fund 80 per cent of this project, as well as the Tonga Communications Corporation (TCC) for providing the other 20 per cent as investment. This Tonga-Fiji Connectivity Project is the first phase of the Pacific Regional Connectivity Program (PRCP) organized by the World Bank and ADB for a number of Pacific Island Countries.
Specifically, this project aims to improve the enabling environment for telecommunications and ICT in Tonga-including greater competition and increased access to infrastructure and services by reducing the costs of international connectivity and strengthening the telecommunications regulatory framework. The expected sector-specific outcomes include:
(a) increased volume of international, regional, and national traffic and,
(b) decreased in the average price of international, regional, and national communications.
I am fully convinced that the work we are laying today is the cornerstone of developing a new era of communications in Tonga to support our economic and social development, and allowing us the Tongans, to communicate wherever we are around the world. Together, we can jointly realize and share the benefits of telecommunications and ICT in this Information Age.
Thank You.
>>> VIEW Videos of the Ceremony Speechs HERE : Prime Minister; LORD TU'IVAKANO, Inter. Managing Director; MR. ROBERT S. BOLOURI, Rep. of Wold Bank and ADB; Mr. SAIA FALETAU, CEO of Ministry of Information and Communications; MR. PAULA P. MA'U.
ENDS
Issued by the: Ministry of Information and Communications, Nuku'alofa, 2012. Contact: Ministry of Information and Communication, Level 2, Sanft Building, Taufa'ahau Road, Tel: +676 28170 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
