Fiji scores major Google investment but Pacific’s connectivity remains uneven

Google is planning to establish a FJ$200 million (NZ$147 million) green data centre in Fiji, deputy prime minister Manoa Kamikamica has told local media.

But while Fiji looks likely to benefit from the investment, the roll out of connectivity services throughout the region remains uneven as countries tackle their own digital challenges.

Kamikamica, who is also Fiji’s Minister for Trade, Cooperatives and Small Medium Enterprises, told media outlet FijiVillage that more business opportunities are expected as a result of Google’s plans to build a FJ$200m data centre.

“Google is not only investing in Fiji, it’s bringing four connections, sub-sea cables into Fiji,” he told Vijay Narayan on Straight Talk.

“Before Google came to see us last year, we only had one sub–sea cable, so if someone cut that cable, Fiji would be like Tonga after the volcano, dead to the world.

“And what the Google connectivity brings, is it brings a serious opportunity for Fiji to become a really genuine ICT player, and become more of a regional hub for the Pacific,” he says.

Kamikamica wouldn’t say where the data centre would be based, but did say it demonstrated the ‘ease of doing business’ in Fiji.

He said it had taken seven months for Google to make the investment decision, after the initial meeting with the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, some Pacific nations are struggling to balance their national economic interests against the internet needs of local businesses and households.

Recently PMN reported on Niue users of the high-speed internet service Starlink being threatened with severe penalties for breaching the Communications Act 1989. Potential consequences can include a fine of up to $200, up to three months imprisonment, or both.

The Niue Government has banned the use of the Elon Musk-owned service, warning users of the potential consequences of breaching the Act.

But renowned musician, entrepreneur, and Starlink advocate Glen Jackson doesn’t believe he breaches the Act and is eager to discuss with the government why Starlink is important to his business.

Cheaper and faster

Mihai Sora, Director of the Pacific Islands Programme at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, says throughout the region, Starlink has presented itself as an affordable, accessible and rapidly deployable tool which suits the geography of Pacific nations, especially those with multiple island groups.

Amazon is also planning a service similar to Starlink called Project Kuiper.

“So where you have an undersea cable connecting to a capital in a country, that’s one step, but then the other step is connecting it to other communities. So Starlink and that sort of service is an opportunity to bypass that infrastructure rollout,” he says.

Fiji has embraced Starlink and allowed locals to use it, as does Papua New Guinea.

Starlink was initially banned in Vanuatu but temporary restricted licences were granted after severe twin cyclones battered the country.

Tonga allowed Starlink to operate after internet services in the kingdom were severely impacted by the devastating volcanic eruption and earthquake of 2022.

It’s even been reported that Elon Musk - the owner of the Starlink company SpaceX - has been invited to attend the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Nuku’alofa that starts on 26 August.

An undersea volcano triggers an earthquake in Tonga in 2022, leading to severe internet disruptions. Photo/Tonga MetService

The Cook Islands has not officially sanctioned the use of Starlink, but Prime Minister Mark Brown has said that he would not restrict the import and use of the service.

Sāmoa initially banned Starlink but has now welcomed the service and is looking at how a portion of the revenue can be retained in the local economy.

And it’s this financial aspect that appears to be causing concern for some Pacific nations. They are worried about protecting existing players in the local market and others are apprehensive about the substantial investments already being made in undersea cable projects.

“Governments are looking to navigate the entry of this new way of accessing the internet without damaging the equities that are already in play,” Sora says.

Mixed signals

He says this is why there are mixed signals from individual Pacific countries.

There are also questions around transparency, cyber security, and content that can be accessed on non-regulated platforms.

“Right now the tech sector globally is going through this quite intensive negotiating process with governments around the world where they're trying to identify what are the risks presented by these technologies, not just the opportunities, they're quite easy to see.

“But what are the risks and how can we protect our communities? How can we protect government systems? But essentially, where do the responsibilities lie?

“So for governments, I think their impulse would be to push as much of that responsibility on to the private sector, the companies that own these technologies and this intellectual property.

“Whereas I think for those companies, they don't want to take on too much overhead and they say, well, you know, government also has a role in protecting communities,” Sora says.

Internet prices are generally high around the Pacific and Starlink introduces competition that could also drive down prices, which might benefit consumers but could threaten the profitability of traditional providers.

Sora says penalties for unsanctioned use of services like Starlink is a matter for governments, but “you would hope that they would take a sympathetic view to something like this”.

“On the face of it, that sounds very severe. Ultimately people are using this access to further education, to work on their business, to connect with communities. The intent behind accessing internet is a positive one,” he says.

Domestic vs regional

Sora says internet and connectivity issues may be discussed broadly at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Tonga next week.

“These things are decided domestically, and they reflect the domestic political and cultural environment. So I think that puts a limitation on how much it can be a part of that mainstream regional level discussion.

“But certainly … one of its (the forum) purposes is to discuss and plan how to improve the region's stability and peace and prosperity and global connectivity is a key part of all of that. So it should feature in some way in the discussion. But that limitation is that countries are managing this at a national level individually,” Sora says.

However, if Elon Musk was to accept the invitation that has reportedly been extended to him and Google makes an appearance in Nuku'alofa, perhaps digital and connectivity matters could be escalated up the agenda.

Watch full interview with Niue Starlink user Glen Jackson: