Pacific Islanders seek better access to telephones [1]
Tuesday, December 30, 2003 - 12:00. Updated on Thursday, February 18, 2016 - 18:09.
From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 3, December 2003.
Telecommunications managers in the Pacific are looking at how island communities can take advantage of new telephone and internet technologies.
The workshop on Remote Islands and Rural Technology Management was the focus of the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) together with the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) ICT meeting for the Pacific held in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, on October 1 - 2.
The President of PITA, Peter Loko of Papua New Guinea, said that that the workshop looked at the level, availability and accessibility of the information and communication technologies, especially telecommunications in the Pacific region.
“We plan to see how best island countries can take advantage of technologies that are available and convenient for usage and at the same time cost effective, for example the digital mobile phones and internet services ,” said Peter.
The workshop also studied the need for people living in remote areas to gain access to existing telecommunications technologies.
Peter gave an example, “right now in Papua New Guinea for every 100 people there is just one telephone, so we have a big job to make sure that they gain better access to telephones, but it all comes down to money.”
The workshop was hosted by the Prime Minister’s Office of the Government of Tonga and attended by delegates from 12 Pacific Island countries.