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partnerships (PPPs) and international support will remain years, it is still significantly below global standards. Generally,
important for strengthening digital infrastructure and the median speed of fixed broadband in Pacific SIDs is only
ensuring end-to-end internet services across the region. one-quarter as fast as in all SIDS and almost half the speed
of least developed economies (LDCs). In Fiji and Papua New
Internet performance Guinea, mobile broadband has faster connection speeds than
While Pacific internet performance has improved in recent fixed line broadband.

ICT

Telco leaders to consider digital

sovereignty and investment gaps

When leaders from the region’s telecommunications sector functions were offline for weeks.
meet in Honiara this month, they will be considering some Australia is working with the region’s governments to
of the biggest issues to face not only the Pacific region but address the issue, supporting the Pacific Cyber Security
economies and societies globally: data sovereignty and Operational Network and the Cyber Rapid Assistance to Pacific
cybersecurity. Incidents and Disasters team.
One research firm, International Data Corporation (IDC), Fiji will release a national cybersecurity strategy this year,
has reported that almost 40% of Asia/Pacific government and Solomon Islands has just launched the Solomon Islands
agencies are using, or plan to implement, sovereign cloud Computer Emergency Response Team (SICERT).
solutions this year. Recently writing for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute,
It is a response to concerns over the need for “digital Blake Johnson, Fitriani, and Jocelinn Kang called for that
self-determination” in the face of geopolitical shifts, and support to be extended to businesses, critical infrastructure
the balancing act between open digital borders and national operators, and civil society.
interests.
In the Pacific, bilateral partners’ funding of strategic Investment
infrastructure has opened up new domains of competition, Also on the PITA agenda are sessions on investment gaps in
resulting in developments such as the Australian government’s the ICT sector.
underwriting of Telstra’s purchase of Digicel’s Pacific network There are concerns that rivalry over the control of
in 2021. telecommunications infrastructure related to the eventual
In 2021, Dr Jane Kelsey, Professor Emeritus at the University rollout of 5G is being influenced by geopolitical jockeying,
of Auckland, wrote that Pacific nations must have sovereignty and that its introduction will widen the digital divide between
over their own data and control the management of their wealthier urban and still-developing rural areas.
data and digital assets. There has been considerable investment in digital
She noted that national and regional digital strategies infrastructure (p14) which needs to extend to other parts of
for the Pacific need to “minimise the risks of capture, the digital environment. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
exploitation and deeper dependency on dominant tech has noted that “governments and international organisations
companies and donor states, and explore innovative and could establish commercial and policy frameworks that
appropriate alternatives that maximise regional integration support the development of ‘meso’ infrastructure (e.g.,
and control by drawing on initiatives underway in the Global data centres, distribution networks, and mobile network
South.” towers), such as by enabling the sharing of mobile network
infrastructure between different operators.”
Cybersecurity Experts continue to examine the role of public private
In February, Samoa issued an advisory calling state- partnerships (PPPs) to enhance Internet infrastructure.
sponsored cyber group, China’s APT40, a “serious threat” to For example in Tonga, government is looking at the role of
the region. PPPs in improving last-mile connectivity and reducing ICT
APT40 has been blamed for a cyberattack on the Pacific service costs, although across the region, there is still room
Islands Forum, the government of Palau, and New Zealand’s to connect multinational investment flows with local needs.
parliament. Regional partnerships and initiatives could address some
In January, Papua New Guinea’s Internal Revenue of the economies of scale challenges in the areas of digital
Commission was also the target of a cyberattack. The attack infrastructure, e-commerce platforms, and digital
led to a system outage and many of the Commission’s core payments.

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