The Attorney-General and Minister for Economy and Communications, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, is urging Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL) to look at the struc­ture of its business to compete exter­nally.

He made this comment while launching the new National Training and Productivity Centre mySkills App at the Pearl Resort, Pacific Harbour, yesterday.

The theme of the inaugural Fiji National University National Conference on Information Technology at the Pearl was “Digital Transforma­tion towards a Smarter Fiji”.

With technology changing com­panies will need to adjust and Mr Sayed-Khaiyum believes companies such as TFL need to reorient them­selves.

“TFL used to provide landline com­munications and is now the largest owner of fibre optic cable in Fiji,” he said.

“They now need to get into being a landlord of that and opening up that infrastructure for the competi­tion among service providers. They should not be competing with Digicel and Vodafone, they should be allow­ing the infrastructure to be used.”

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said there was a need for change in business models.

“There is some contention in the area of business models and I think TFL will need to relook at their mod­el,” he added.

“When I talk about remodelling, you will also need to look at your busi­nesses and the capacity in your or­ganisations and if you have the right people.”

He reiterated what the Vice Chan­cellor of the Fiji National University Nigel Healy, stated that many people said technology could be the greatest equaliser among people it can also become the greatest disequilibrium.

Why should a high school student in Suva access it while a student on Ka­davu did not have access? he asked.

“You will be creating a bigger di­vide, not just in terms of isolation but also the technology isolation.”

He noted that we should ensure that everybody has access to it.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum stated they have embarked on some major re­forms including things such as the reconfiguration and reallocation of frequencies.

“This is what we refer to as Limited Real Estate of frequency.”

He said those who want to get into 4G technology, or the next 5G, need to ensure that they are able to provide it in a manner that is sustainable.”

Vice Chancellor Healy said the uni­versity was laying the foundations for a radical change in the way edu­cation was provided to ensure sup­port for the Fijian Government’s vi­sion for DigitalFIJI.

Professor Healy said they have reached a point where the national university has to take a lead on clos­ing the digital divide.

“Universities everywhere have worked on the basis that, while most students will access their digital resources using their own devices, they need to maintain large numbers of desktop computers to ensure that all students are guaranteed access,” Professor Healy said.

Building capacity

For Fiji to position itself in this 21st century and not be left behind it will be based on building the Information Communication Technology capac­ity.

About mySkills app

The mySkills App is an in-house product created and designed by NPTC’s very own talented IT train­ing and support staff.

The mySkills App was designed to make communication easier through the use of mobile phones.

mySkills App is a step closer to connecting with the workforce and the industries of Fiji as we target to bridge the existing skills gap and increases customer engagement and offers great promotional support, it is also an opportunity for us to at­tract and expand potential clients.

Edited by Susana Tuilau