Government is looking at further collaboration with Telstra in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector as the giant telco in Australia takes over Digicel Fiji and the Pacific operations.

Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum made the comment during the 63rd Annual General Meeting of the Fiji Nursing Association.

He said Telstra was keen to venture in this sector, which sources its call centres mainly to the Philippines and India.

“We’ve already had discussions with them as to how they can bring those jobs into the country. It will be a game changer,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said at Shangri-La’s Yanuca Island Resort on Saturday.

“There is one sector that grew tremendously.”

“A lot of Australian companies that in fact had the business processing outsourcing in Philippines or India found it a lot better to bring it closer to home.”

“And for them closer to home meant, Fiji.”

He said after regulatory works from Fiji’s end were approved by Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission this month, they now await Papua New Guinea.

Telstra, announced in October last year that it would buy Digicel Pacific with a value of US$1.6 billion (about FJ$3.4 billion).

Another $500 million investment in business improvement.

Telstra will operate all six Digicel Pacific portfolios which are Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

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