TELECOM Fiji Ltd (TFL) has completed and commissioned its Rakiraki to Korovou optic fibre project which will see a new internet connectivity experience for customers in the area.
The local teleco giant made the announcement today after it initiated project in September last year.
However, the cost of the strategic and long-term infrastructure enhancement project was not enclosed.
The project involved deploying high-speed telecommunications optic fibre infrastructure spanning 90kms along the Rakiraki to Korovou domain along the Kings Road on Viti Levu.
This would see an enhanced capacity of internet connectivity in the area from the previous low bandwidth wireless services to high-capacity optic fibre enabled services.
The two-pronged expansion project was part of TFL’s continuous endeavour to not only improve the overall resilience and reliability of its national high speed backbone network, but to also provide affordable telecommunications services to communities along this under-served corridor.
According to TFL acting chief executive officer Charles Goundar, the completed project also brings a significant addition to Telecom’s existing optic fibre network of over 1,500km that mainly covers the Queen’s Rd corridor and business centric areas.
“Given the complex terrain, this section of Kings Road has always been challenging for operators in terms of providing seamless telecommunication services, but now Telecom will be able to provide backhaul services to other operators that intend to provide ICT services along this corridor,” Mr Goundar said.
The project is also aligned to government’s national broadband plan and ICT policies that aim to bridge the digital gap in the country by ensuring that all communities in Fiji have access to efficient and affordable ICT and broadband services.
The project is also aimed at communities and enterprises in the Korovou to Rakiraki corridor to leapfrog in their internet connectivity experience from the existing low bandwidth wireless services to high-capacity optic fibre enabled services.
Smaller communities are expected to be provided with wi-fi services which would not only be economical but would also provide seamless connectivity for existing user devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.
The expanded optic fibre infrastructure would provide enhanced resiliency to TFL’s existing high-capacity transmission network.
TFL previously had optic fibre back-bone spanning from Suva to Rakiraki along the Queens Rd and from Suva to Korovou along the Kings Rd.
Meanwhile, Telecom Fiji has recently formed partnership with Walesi to provide fiber connectivity to Wi-Fi hotspots around the country under Fiji Governments Digital Fiji initiative, to ensure people are able to enjoy high speed internet access. Some of the identified sites have been covered while Telecom team is working closely with Walesi team to get rest of the sites completed at the earliest.
