From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 1, March 2003.

Two new mobile telephone base stations for Tongatapu were set up by the Tonga Communications Corporation last year, at a cost of  $500,000 and more stations are planned for other islands of Tonga in 2003.

The Prime Minister of Tonga Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, said at the opening of TCC’s sixth base station at Nakolo recently, that the development was a part of TCC’s on going commitment to provide quality telephone services throughout Tonga.

Michael Skinner the General Manager of TCC said that the Nakolo base station would enable a good and strong coverage of U-Call mobile’s service in the area including the Fua‘amotu International Airport. A similar project was carried out earlier in 2002 at Kolonga, with an investment of over $500,000 for the two projects.

TCC is owned by the Government, but the corporation funded its own developments, he said.  TCC was planning another project for the two islands of the remote Niuas, in the far north of Tonga, requiring an investment of another $500,000.

In December, the island of ‘Eua was brought into the Tongatapu call charge area, thus making it easier and more affordable for people calling relatives in ‘Eua, he said.

However, Michael said that TCC had undertaken a tariff re-balancing that was to come into effect on December 1 last year. “This tariff re- balancing exercise effectively means that some tariffs will be decreased while others will rise.”

In October 2002 TCC and Shoreline Distribution Group signed an Inter–Connection Agreement and were to negotiate tariffs.