Nabilah S
Fiji has an insatiable demand for data, with the population consuming approximately 1.1 petabytes (1,000 terabytes) daily. This immense usage poses a challenge for telecom providers striving to meet the growing demand.
Of this total, 15 terabytes are used every day for accessing pornographic content, with around 800,000 users contributing to this high demand.
Globally, Fiji ranks as the third most affordable country for mobile data, following Israel and Italy, and it remains the cheapest option within Oceania.
Telecommunications Authority of Fiji CEO Prit Chand explained that Fijians rely on data for a variety of purposes, which continues to drive this surge in consumption. He described Fiji as a rapidly evolving, digitally connected society, where data usage has reached approximately 1.1 petabytes per day. This trend reflects an increasing dependence on digital platforms for communication, business, education, and entertainment.
The Chief Executive of TAF stated that the growing demand for data puts pressure on service providers, requiring improvements in infrastructure. Chand further noted that the telecommunications industry is among the most investment-heavy sectors, necessitating significant capital for infrastructure expansion and technological advancements.
Despite these challenges, Fiji’s telecom operators remain committed to enhancing and expanding their network services. Vodafone Chief Executive Elenoa Biukoto affirmed that the demand for data in Fiji exceeds supply, prompting telecom companies to continuously increase network capacity.
Biukoto also pointed out a noticeable shift in data consumption trends. She stated that, on average, customers use between three to five gigabytes of data daily.
As data consumption continues to rise and internet penetration reaches 85.2% of the total population, the telecommunications sector faces increasing pressure to keep pace with demand.
