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Written by Maryse Benzler
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Friday, 24 October 2008 |
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This initiative aims to address some of the major telecommunication challenges facing rural and remote communities in the Pacific islands region including:
- lack of access to communications technology for rural and remote areas
- high costs of ICTs and access to ICTs
- lack of good utility and public services
- digital and communication divide affecting mostly rural and remote areas
lack of economies of scale to attract better prices and competitive alternatives for acceptable service levels
lack of technical expertise and human resource training opportunities
limited or no opportunities for primary education, public health, information sharing and business development
isolation
inappropriate or outdated regulatory environments
general fatigue levels to change the status quo in rural and remote areas
prevalence thinking to drop ‘improved services to rural and remote areas’ in the ‘too-hard basket’
prevalence acceptance that ‘it will cost millions and unprofitable to improve services in rural and remote areas’.
Project objective
The RICS (Pacific Rural Internet Connectivity System) project provides a low-cost, reliable and easy-to-use opportunity for Pacific rural and remote communities to connect to the Internet and participate in the global connected and information-enabled world.
Short and Medium Term Plan
The Pacific RICS will be required to integrate data communications, particularly the Internet with the use of laptop and desktop PC computers, computer networks and radio broadcast services to maximize the value to remote and rural communities of such interventions. It must therefore have the capacity to convert digital signals to audio for radio broadcast. Any other related and appropriate technology solutions and services that will leverage the impact of the RICS to targeted communities would be welcome.
RICS will:
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deploy sixteen pilot sites in the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu by 30 June 2008
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provide standard equipment, maintenance and service level agreements for all sites
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plan for technical training and support to operators at SPC and the sixteen pilot sites
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develop a business plan for the establishment, registration and support of sixteen pilot sites over a 24-month period
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develop a business plan for the registration of additional sites and de-registration of any existing sites
provide on-going support and enhancement of the RICS
and therefore:
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improve access to communications technology particularly to and from rural and remote areas
reduce of ICTs
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establish higher bandwidth to the global ICT ‘backbone’
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remove inappropriate regulatory environments in order to foster higher levels of investment
strengthen HR capacity
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 February 2010 )
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