Overview
Despite the geographical challenges, Fiji remains one of the most developed economies in the Pacific Island region in terms of ICT infrastructure, with a global ranking of 107th place out of 176 nations in the ITU ICT Development Index. Fiji benefits from an extensive submarine cable network connecting Fiji to neighboring Pacific Island countries and other major telecommunication hubs. Fiji’s main telecommunications operators including Vodafone, Telecom Fiji, and Fiji International Telecommunications Ltd., are owned by Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH), which in turn is majority owned by the Fiji National Provident Fund. Digicel is the other major player in the industry, while satellite internet provider Starlink (subsidiary of SpaceX) has been approved by the government and is soon expected to enter the Fiji market. About 5 percent of the country still does not have mobile network coverage due to the lack of infrastructure development in the rural areas.
Mobile money was introduced in Fiji just over a decade ago, providing customers the ability to transfer funds, pay bills, and deposit or withdraw cash using their mobile phones. Today, over 632,000 people use either M-PAiSA or MyCash for mobile money services, with person-to-person transfers amounting to $352 million (FJ$782.4 million) in 2022. Mastercard recently partnered with Vodafone giving more Fijians access to digital payments through Mastercard’s global payment network.
Recent regional studies indicate that with the increased connectivity, the Pacific region faces significant risk from cyberattack. The potential to cause financial losses through fraud or unauthorized access to banking, as well as harm to the physical well-being of citizens is high. Mobile security and payment applications, and software applications will increasingly be in demand.
Leading sub-sectors:
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Operations
- Cybersecurity Operations
Opportunities
Opportunities exist for application design and software development projects, supply and installation of IT equipment projects, and database management and analysis projects. Fiji’s ITS market has become increasingly competitive given that it has one of the highest rates of ICT penetration in the Oceania region. In June 2023, the Fijian government announced a budget of $44,990 (FJ$100,00) for a review of the government ICT network, and just over $900,000 (FJ$2 million) for upgrade of the IT infrastructure and storage and server system capacity.
Resources
The Telecommunications Authority of Fiji is the regulator and licensing body for the telecommunications industry. Fiji is a member to the International Telecommunication Union, Pacific Islands Telecommunication Association, and Pacific Telecommunications Council. To receive tender notices from Information Technology and Computing (ITC) Services, subscribe to the e-procurement portal: https://portal.tenderlink.com/itcs.
Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications
Telecommunications Authority of Fiji