A paper co-authored by a National University of Samoa (NUS) academic has highlighted key challenges for digital connectivity in the region and recommended Quad nations address them.

To overcome the challenges, the paper's two authors have recommended member states of the Quad – Australia, India, Japan and the United States – work with the leaders of the region to enable "access and redundancy" while working with Pacific communication ministries to channel funding "towards national needs and priorities".

The paper titled "Telecommunications in the Pacific Islands region" was published last month by the Australian National University Security College and is co-authored by a research fellow with the ANU Department of Pacific Affairs, Amanda H A Watson and an NUS professor in computing and computing education, Dr. Ioana Chan Mow. 

The co-authors said one of the main objectives of the Pacific Islands Forum's strategic plan was to "ensure a well-connected region" with terms such as "digital transformation becoming popular in recent years. They said countries such as Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Samoa formulated digital transformation strategies.

"As an example, Samoa’s strategy, which is about to be launched, intends to adopt a whole-of-government approach to digital transformation that aims to improve people’s lives, society, economy, and the government," reads the paper. "The four Quad countries have recently announced a new partnership on undersea cables that is aimed at increasing connectivity.

"Prior to this, Quad countries had been engaged in Pacific telecommunication efforts, either individually or in other groupings. Of late, the United States (US) has established a digital connectivity initiative focused on the Pacific region called Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership – Pacific Activity. 

"The US, Australian and Japanese governments have pledged to provide a second cable for Palau, and the same trilateral grouping will fund a new cable in the East Micronesian region."

To assist with connectivity in the region especially PNG and the Solomon Islands, the co-authors wrote that the Australian government majority-funded the Coral Sea Cable System that was launched in late 2019. 

"Australia provided the bulk of the funding for Australian telecommunication company Telstra to purchase Digicel’s Pacific arm, which operates in six Pacific Island countries," the paper added.

Other related developments in the region included the World Bank funding a multi-year project to support internet accessibility in Tuvalu, while the government of New Zealand and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported the Manatua cable, which links Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands and French Polynesia.

The co-authors also made reference to the findings of the GSMA [Global System for Mobile Communications Association], which said that supporting tech start-ups "with adequate investment and support is another critical enabler of digital transformation". As an example, the paper discussed the Technology Innovation Hub in Samoa.

"A pre-feasibility study has now been completed and a pilot is set to commence soon. The Smart Villages and Smart Islands Initiative is a three-phase project funded by the International Telecommunication Union to empower rural and coastal communities using connectivity and digital services. It is being piloted on Manono Island in Samoa."

Nonetheless, challenges facing digital connectivity in the Pacific Islands region remain with the co-authors naming them as cyberattacks, natural disasters and cable protection.

On cyberattacks, the paper cited such incidents in Guam in May 2023 and Vanuatu in November 2022 and pointed out that the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security called for an increasing emphasis on cybersecurity.

"In response, various initiatives are underway. For instance, Samoa launched a national Computer Emergency Response Team in 2019, which provides cybersecurity awareness and technical support for cybersecurity incident responses and threat management."

As for natural disasters, the co-authors warned that extreme weather events such as cyclones can damage telecommunications and electricity infrastructure.

"There have been numerous instances of undersea cable damage, with the most notable communication outage being in Tonga due to a volcanic eruption in January 2022. Tonga’s international cable was repaired after more than a month,10 while domestic cable repair took much longer."

Human action can also lead to damage to telecommunication infrastructure with the co-authors citing the 2019 incident where Tonga's international subsea cable was damaged by a ship's anchor. 

The paper then recommended that the Quad work with Pacific Islands leaders to address these challenges to ensure access and redundancy.

Specifically, to improve access, the Quad could look to extend mobile network coverage to communities that are not yet covered," recommended the co-authors. "To ensure that there is redundancy in terms of internet access, each Pacific Island country should have either more than one cable; or a cable with a suitable and reliable satellite backup option. 

"As fishing and anchoring are major causes of cable damage, the Quad could support Pacific Island nations in establishing best-practice cable protection zones.

"Whenever possible, it would be ideal for Quad countries to coordinate directly with local communication ministries to channel funding towards national needs and priorities, which are articulated in national development strategies."