Results for Business

Keith Moala is one person who will agree that small is beautiful, because with the small, 1.2m satellite disk that he is hoping will sell like hot cakes in Tonga, he said that viewers will be able to select from the 14 television channels. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 2, August 2002.

Tens of millions of pa‘anga in government expenditure that used to be disregarded in the annual Budget estimates, have this year been incorporated into the figures—beefing it up to $112 million in operational costs. This is a new approach by a new Finance Minister, Siosiua ‘Utoikamanu, to make government operations more “transparent”. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 2, August 2002.

When a new mobile phone provider, Tonfön (Shoreline Communications) launched its telephone service on July 31, Tonga became the only Pacific island country to allow two competing telecommunications companies. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 2, August 2002.

The Informal sector of the Tongan business community is the biggest enemy of the struggling Tongan economy, believes the Vava’u no. 1 People’s Representative, Trevor Guttenbeil. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 2, August 2002.

A new Branch of the Bank of Tonga to deal mainly with Business and Company Loans was officially opened for business by the Minister for Labour and Commerce, Dr Masaso Paunga, at the New Si‘i Kae Ola Building, Hala Taufa‘ahau on April 29. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 1, May 2002.

Shoreline became a household name overnight throughout Tongatapu, Ha‘apai and ‘Eua when it took over the generation and the distribution of electricity from the Tonga Electric Power Board at the beginning of February. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 1, May 2002.

The thrust by Tonga’s two telecommunications companies, the Tonga Communications Corporation to introduce a new cell phone service, and by Tonfön to introduce a wireless telecommunications system, this year met a number of setbacks, which meant that both companies were unable to meet their July deadlines. From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 3, December 2001.

Zhu Xinmin, the Vice President, and Chief of Administration and Management, of the People’s Daily, China’s biggest daily newspaper was in Tonga for the official launching on December 22 of the $5 million renovation project to upgrade the Janfull International Dateline Hotel to a four stars standard. From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 3, December 2001.

The tragedy in America and the possibility of a long drawn out war between the USA and an enemy, which had yet to be clearly identified, could have a negative impact on the Tongan economy, said Tonga’s Minister of Finance, and the Governor of Tonga National Reserve Bank, Hon. Siosiua ‘Otuikamanu. From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 2, September 2001.