Telecom Fiji wins regional award for northern fibre backbone

Telecom (Fiji) Pte Limited has won the Infrastructure Initiative of the Year – Fiji category at the Asian Telecom Awards 2026 for delivering a climate-resilient fibre backbone in the Northern Division.

The accolade recognises the Savusavu–Labasa Fibre Project, a 102-kilometre underground terrestrial fibre link connecting Savusavu, Seaqaqa and Labasa. The project addressed long-standing connectivity disruptions caused by weather-exposed microwave links and introduced a permanent fibre corridor across Vanua Levu.

For years, connectivity constraints in the North affected households, businesses, schools and public services, with existing microwave systems frequently disrupted by adverse weather. The new underground fibre network reduces reliance on those systems and establishes a more stable transmission route. At this scale, it is the first fibre backbone constructed outside Viti Levu.

Built with underground protection and redundant routing, the network was designed to withstand environmental exposure. Optical technology was selected to allow scalable capacity. The system initially operated at 10 gigabits per second, expanded to 100 gigabits per second, and includes an upgrade path to 400 gigabits per second. This aligns with national network planning and preparations for fifth-generation mobile services in the Northern Division.

Construction was completed ahead of schedule and remained within the approved budget of $10 million. Following commissioning, interconnection bandwidth in the Northern Division increased to 100 gigabits per second, while latency levels and service interruptions declined. Recorded network traffic rose from 7 gigabits per second to 12.5 gigabits per second.

Within six months, broadband subscriptions in the region doubled. Business fibre adoption increased by 88 per cent, while connectivity among schools and statutory bodies grew by 77 per cent. Access to online platforms and operational systems became more consistent across sectors.

Public institutions also reported improvements. Healthcare facilities experienced faster access to clinical and administrative systems. Government agencies improved inter-department data exchange, particularly during peak demand. Financial institutions recorded gains in transaction processing speed and reliability, and schools reported improved access to education management systems and digital learning tools.

The Asian Telecom Awards recognises telecom companies across the Asia Pacific region for advancing industry innovation and digital infrastructure development.