Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
[File Photo]
Fiji has an enormous appetite for data usage as the population consumes 1.1 petabytes (1,000 terabytes) of data daily, making it challenging for telecom companies to meet the demand.
Of this, 15 terabytes are used daily for consuming pornographic content.
Overall, 800,000 users driving the high demand.
Fiji ranks third globally in mobile data affordability, behind Israel and Italy, and is the cheapest in Oceania.
Telecommunications Authority of Fiji CEO Prit Chand says Fijians use data for a wide range of purposes, further fueling the surge in demand.
“Fiji is a rapidly evolving digitally connected society, with data consumption reaching approximately 1.1 petabytes (PB) daily. This surge reflects the increasing reliance on digital platforms for communication, business, education, and entertainment.”
The Chief Executive of TAF says that constant demand for more data puts pressure on data providers for improved infrastructure.
Chand says that in addition, the telecommunications industry is one of the most investment-heavy sectors, requiring substantial capital for infrastructure development and technological upgrades.
He adds that despite these pressures, Fiji’s telecom operators remain committed to expanding and enhancing network services.
Vodafone Chief Executive Elenoa Biukoto also confirms that the appetite for data in our country outweighs the supply which prompts telecommunications companies to continuously add more capacity on their network.
“So one of the things that we’ve seen is that there is quite a demand for data. Whenever we look at the network and we put in additional capacity to the network that is always utilized. So we see quite a demand for data, which also shows that people want different types of content.”
Biukoto states that on average they have noticed an increasing shift in data consumption trends.
She adds that on an average, their customer can use up to three to five gigs of data per day.
With increasing data consumption trends, with an internet penetration standing at 85.2 percent of the total population.
