Page 16 - IB July 2020

ICT ICT

continue their work through digital conferencing. It also rensen, says some of the disruptions faced by Samoans (and
provided a platform so parliamentarians could participate in by extension other Pacific Islands) due to COVID-19 could have
virtual parliamentary committee meetings, deliberate on bills been minimised with effective digital solutions and infrastruc-
and hear submissions from members of the public. Parliament ture.
has been operating virtually with donor support in a number Sorensen points to the example of their work with SkyEye
of other Pacific jurisdictions. Samoa, an ICT/GIS company, to support the Maua App e-
Pacific Trade Invest’s 2020 Pacific Islands Export Survey commerce platform which allows registered vendors to upload
released last month found a growing reliance on e-commerce their goods and services for potential buyers to purchase
channels, underpinning “the necessity of having fast and reli- through digital payments in real time. The project will focus
able IT services throughout the Pacific region. Three-quarters on reaching more customers and making the Maua App more
of exporters are now using online channels to generate export accessible for vulnerable groups such as women, people with
revenue and the proportion of total revenue generated online disabilities, and rural communities.
is increasing. Digital and e-commerce platforms are now an Another company connecting to its suppliers via the Kacific1
essential element of doing business, particularly in the tour- satellite is Jiwaka Coffee in PNG. It has partnered with an ISP
ism industry…The skills gap presents low-hanging fruit for Emstret to connect coffee growers from the PNG highlands
organisations looking to boost Pacific exports, while the lack to affordable Internet through the installation of Very-Small
of an affordable online payment system (36%) remains a key Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite dishes. As a result, JIwaka
barrier for using e-commerce channels.” Coffee can stay in touch via video calls with the growers of its
Faster and cheaper Internet connections could create signature honey coffee in PNG’s highlands.
opportunity and efficiencies at almost every stage of the
business cycle. It could also open up new industries, such as Pricing
offshore processing in countries where the reliance on tourism Of course, businesses and consumers want to know when
has proved economically disastrous this year. the market will see price reductions as a result of improved
Fiji well understands the potential of the Business Pro- submarine cable and satellite connectivity.
cess Outsourcing (BPO) sector, with operators such as the While improvements in performance should be immediate,
1000-strong Mindpearl, Pacific Centrecom and Packleader well providers are coy about price impacts.
established there, and servicing clients including DHL Ex- Pacific Islanders pay an average of $3 per GB according to
press, Lufthansa and ANZ. Fiji government incentives for BPOs a recent report for the Competition and Regulatory Authority
include tax holidays of up to 13 years, duty free imports and of the Cook Islands , although this varies widely from country
VAT exemption on imports of equipment needed to establish to country. Report author, economist John de Ridder says the
businesses. National training institutions offer relevant train- new Manatua cable should enable a 40% reduction in whole-
ing courses for prospective BPO workers. sale prices paid by Vodafone for internet data, but this may
Natasha Beschorner, author of a World Bank report on ICT only translate to a 10% reduction for end users, due to lack of
jobs in the Pacific, wrote that Pacific Island countries have competition. Vodafone Cook Islands has warned the economy,
several advantages that would enable greater participation which has been devastated by the closure of its borders to
in global outsourcing services including a young and qualified tourists, would need to recover significantly before prices
work pool, improving internet infrastructure, and increasing could come down.
levels of political support. However she says for Samoa, Tonga Papua New Guinea is another expensive market. Of the
and other countries to meet this need, they must “increase Coral Sea Cable Network, Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce
investments and encourage skills training, industry promotion and Industry President Rio Fiocco has told The National,
and further improvements to the enabling institutional, policy “while there has been a lot of talk about the cable having
and regulatory environment.” the effect of reducing costs to consumers, the general cost of
“In 2019, the BPO industry employs nearly 3,000 Fijians, business remains the same.”
and its target is to employ a total of 7,000 in the next five Meanwhile in the Solomon Islands, Chamber of Commerce
years. The industry contributes to the Fijian economy US$32 and Industry Advocacy Officer John Ta’amora said “The price
million in foreign exchange every year and has created several on the data and voice plans from our service providers should
working spaces custom-built to support large teams,” said reflect the funding that is invested on the project.
Carol Watkins, GMO at Pacific Centrecom and Chair of the BPO “This might take some robust discussions but hopefully we
Council. can have the best price for the best speed possible within the
Samoa’s communications minister Afamasaga Rico Tupa’i Pacific region.”
would like his country to emulate this success, telling parlia-
ment that a call centre business that could employ up to 300 Cybersecurity and cybercrime
people had expressed an interest in moving to Samoa, while Security experts have warned that increased connectivity
an accounting firm was also interested in setting up shop via undersea cables will increase risk and vulnerability to cy-
there. bercrimes, and that businesses, governments and individuals
The UNDP’s Resident Representative in Samoa, Jorn So- will need to prepare for this. Standards Australia says Pacific

16 Islands Business, July 2020