KEEPING A CHECK ON COMPETITION IN THE TELECOM INDUSTRY

The information age has well and truly established a foothold in Fiji.
The launch of the Walesi OTT television app was the latest innovation introduced in Government’s bid to digitalise Fiji.
Content and internet service providers have come together with Government in a – ’40-20-40’ – revenue-sharing agreement to create the simple and free-to-download app.
The app lets users watch live TV on their smart phones and was launched nearly two weeks after the unveiling of Government’s DigitalFIJI app.
It also comes as Fiji’s smart phone penetration reaches record levels, and demand for fast internet services increase with it.
A submarine Savusavu cable system that will be constructed between Fiji’s two main islands will further fuel this demand.
This rapid shift towards a tech-based society has sparked discussions about competition in Fiji’s telecommunications sector.
The country’s major retail telecommunications providers include Telecom Fiji Limited, FINTEL, Vodafone and Digicel.
Joel Abraham, the chief executive officer of the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC), says he is satisfied with the market conditions so far.
Mr Abraham says the degree of anti-competitive behaviour in the market is low to non-existent.
“Telecommunications are generally very mindful of the provisions relating to respected trade practices and they’ve invested in a legal team to study competition laws as well,” Mr Abraham said.
But Fiji’s competition agency has a dedicated team regularly reviewing competition issues in the sector to ensure consumer interests a protected, he says.
Predatory pricing or selling of goods at low prices to kill competition, price fixing and collusion among competitors are some example of anti-competitive behaviour.
“There’s always room for improvement but I think it’s more about the telecos looking at their own strategy in terms of how they can be more innovative in providing solutions to consumers,” Mr Abraham said.
“The FCCC has a special committee looking at competition and compliance and it is headed by a private sector representative and one of the things we are discussing is maybe reviewing of the rates that are there.”
The agency has also enlisted the help of the World Bank and the Ministry of Economy around capacity building in telecommunications, he said.
He has also expressed desire to work in close conjunction with industry players to iron out any issues that may exist.
“We are looking at competition issues and to see whether Fiji is ready to accept and implement the advances in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector,” he said.
“There is a need for the industry to meet and discuss industry-wide issues such as access and affordability – those are two things that are very important.
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