by Pesi Fonua

The growth in the use of mobile telephones and the Internet in Tonga since 2002, after government allowed a second telephone company, Tonfön to enter the market and compete with the government's own telephone company, the Tonga Communications Corporation, has been unparalleled in the region.

It is estimated that the mobile telephone capacity of both TCC and Tonfön combined is now enough to provide every adult in Tonga with either a mobile phone or a fixed line telephone connection.

This new ease of communication eliminates isolation for many Tongans with the revival of closer ties between family members who have moved overseas.

The immediate impacts of the entrance of Tonfön with the latest in wireless telephone communication technology, Voice Over Internet Protocol was a drop in the rate of telephone calls. Individuals and businesses who had been waiting for years for a fixed line telephone connection now enjoy wireless or mobile telephone connections.

The mobile telephone subscribers continue to grow since. In August this Tonfön announced that it would expand its telephone service and increase the capacity of its system from 5,000 subscribers to 50,000 before the end of the year. While Tonfön was expanding its service the TCC recorded a big jump in its number of subscribers during the three months before October, from 2,000 to 9,000.

For 2005 both companies are expanding their services, the TCC will introduce two new services, it will adopt the post paid system alongside the existing pre-paid call. This will allow U-Call customers to call unlimited for a limited period of a month with monthly billing. It will also be introducing the International Roaming system. This system will allow U-Call subscribers to call and receive phone calls through their U-Call mobile from Tonga if they are in overseas countries. To begin with they are targeting the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Fiji.

Tonfön on the other hand, with its multi-million dollar expansion will provide new services, such as fax, data PABX, broadcasting short message, voice mailbox and other things.

The big investment in communications technology and lower cost of communication should help to bring prosperity for Tonga in 2005.