Preface

Working on this study was an interesting exercise. Fortunately, it occurred shortly after several other experts assessed different aspects of the Pacific connectivity situation. Those of us involved in this project greatly appreciate those efforts, and their generous sponsors. This study also provided an opportunity to combine several areas of the authors’ own researches and development activities into the study. Thus the report contains:

1. human development index estimates, as well as Connectivity Index values for all Pacific economies covered by the study. Such data, which are often lacking for small economies like the Pacific, enable one to conclude that now may be an excellent time to pursue job, economic and social benefits that come with modern connectivity infrastructure and services.
2. conceptual descriptions for re-deploying first-generation submarine cables, and for designing cost-effective satellite capabilities to serve the Pacific. We have met leaders of communications satellite companies, of various sizes, that are interested in working with Pacific leaders and service providers to improve quality and economy of services to the Pacific.
3. rule of thumb estimates that funds should be available to incubate individual and/or shared access to telephone and Internet connectivity in the Pacific, if useful services are offered under reasonable conditions and prices.
4. general descriptions of institutional arrangements that can help the Pacific to achieve goals of world-class communications infrastructure and services, and benefits therefrom.

We have heard from several people that have doubts about the preparedness of Pacific decision-makers to facilitate an enabling climate for connectivity enhancements, and their benefits. However, we have also been assured that this is not the case in many Pacific economies – witness several recent movements in that direction – with results already visible in some areas.

Another challenge is how to develop a critical mass of expertise, to help decision-makers deal with opportunities, uncertainties, and opportunists in this arena. Fortunately for those in the Pacific, others have faced this challenge, and found that various forms of cooperation, through real and virtual community approaches, help to overcome feelings of isolation, and uncertainties about what to do to achieve success in this arena.

The Pacific has a large diversity of agreements and regional cooperation forums, between governments, telecommunications providers, Internet developers and users, educational and other capacity-building institutions. Some stakeholders in connectivity development for the Pacific point to other parts of the world, such as to the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority, asserting that cooperation via some appropriate form of new institution can be vital to progress. Others assert that no case has yet been made for a new institution to help support and coordinate such development. Some experts assert that regulatory frameworks, or improved expertise and decision-making capability/support, or technical skills and capabilities, or enlarged markets are first needed before major progress is assured. From our studies of this project, and our several decades of working, and travelling, in numerous countries, we have seen almost every circumstance leading to success if people are “considerately and inclusively proactive”, and almost every circumstance leading to failure without the right combination of those four words.

Can a single existing agreement or cooperation body provide the catalytic environment to help guide the Pacific to its dreams of being an information society? If so, will it be a governmental-, industry-, developer- or user-centric body? Might good results in enhancing Pacific connectivity be strengthened if all these sectors shared inputs to, and learned from, the considerate and inclusively proactive among the other sectors?

Fortunately, the twenty-first century has given us virtual discussion forums, wikis, blogs, video conferencing, streaming audio and video, and other forms of communication. We can thus move beyond the limitations of letters, emails, telephone calls, faxes, in-person meetings – and use such tools to achieve our common goals, as stated in the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society, for a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society.

An additional acknowledgement

This report is dependent on the inputs of many people and organizations, summarized on page ii. Special mention should be made to the sustained support, at many stages of its development, by Mr. Ashish Narayan, Mr. Wisit Atipayakoon and Ms. Eun-Ju Kim of the International Telecommunication Union Regional Office for Asia and Pacific. This support included provision of ITU data, reports, and individual perspectives on a wide variety of issues related to the study.