TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Pacific Telecom Members Meet in Noumea

PACIFIC TELECOM MEMBERS MEET IN NOUMEA

By Patrick Antoine Decloitre

SUVA, Fiji (Oceania Flash, Aug. 7) - Pacific Islands Telecom Association 
(PITA) members are this week gathering in New Caledonia's capital of Nouméa 
to discuss ways of bridging a digital divide that is affecting most of the 
region's island states and territories.

PITA, which groups the Pacific islands' countries and territories telecom 
operators, is also discussing ways of reducing costs that are often perceived 
as exorbitant for larger countries, sometimes due to remote environments and 
monopolistic situations.

The three-day conference was held at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community 
(SPC).

New Caledonia office des postes et télécommunications (OPT), the territorial 
telecom agency, is also taking part in the conference with a renewed 
interest: this sector has recently been handed over from France to local 
authorities.

Discussions include networking among members and the intention to share 
experiences and solutions in a difficult environment.

At the end of the meeting, on Wednesday, SPC and PITA signed a memorandum of 
understanding to signify their common vision to strive and promote a better 
communication within and between states and territories of the region.

One of the expected outcomes would be to harmonize telecom systems and 
procedures, including mobile phones.

August 8, 2003

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SOURCE: Pacific Islands Report