Tokelau selects Kacific to deliver high-speed broadband

Source: Yahoo! New Zealand News; Published: 5th December 2014

Teletok, the local telecommunications company of Tokelau and sole service provider, has selected Kacific to deliver its new generation of high-speed broadband across its territory and surrounding waters.

Tokelau, composed of three small atolls situated north of Samoa, is a Polynesian territory of New Zealand with a population of just 1,400. There is no airport in Tokelau, and a chartered vessel MV PB Matua, operated under an arrangement between New Zealand and Tokelau, is the only means of transport to and from the islands at present: the trip from Apia in Samoa takes over a day. Despite its small size and remoteness, Tokelau is committed to thriving in a digital world. Although connectivity is expensive, the country has seen a pattern of moderate internet usage in recent years and a rate of internet penetration comparable to other, more populous Pacific countries.

Fast, low cost broadband from Kacific will dramatically change the communication landscape of this territory. It will enable affordable, direct-to-premises access to e-Government applications. It will provide better access to online resources for knowledge management and connectivity of assets including energy generation systems and transportation. In particular it will provide high-speed broadband to passengers on-board the passenger vessels while en-route to and from Tokelau. The advent of affordable, resilient, high-rate connectivity will also improve the health, education and social wellbeing of Tokelauan communities. It will help improve monitoring of communicable diseases, enable remote diagnostics, and support training and e-health campaigns. Primary and secondary students and their teachers will be able to access distance learning and curriculum resources from New Zealand. Tokelauans will be able to communicate better with family members who have gone overseas to live. And, for the first time, all Tokelauans will be able to access television services.

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