So Mauritius Telecom, through its subsidiary Skyvision which won the contract to provide additional satellite bandwidth between Mauritius and Rodrigues. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) so decided after the call for tenders in this regard.
This follows the announcement by the Finance Minister Xavier-Luc Duval, in his 2013 budget speech last November, an increase of 37 Megabits per second (Mbps) to 155 Mbps of available Rodrigues connection. Until Rodrigues is connected to a submarine fiber optic cable is the satellite path that allows the improvement of the Internet.
Asked about the contract, the direction of Mauritius Telecom says its technicians already working on this project with the satellite service providers to increase the connection speed to be effective in July.
For cons, the operator remained vague on the evolution of prices of the internet that will follow this improvement. "Mauritius Telecom is a leading provider of telecommunications services in Rodrigues.
You should know that the prices in Rodrigues are aligned with those of Mauritius. It is the same for the service, to the extent possible. Rates, which are in preparation, will be communicated in due course. For us, the important thing is to give the customer service waiting for internet service and provide a better Internet experience for existing customers, "says communications service operator.
Note that according to ICTA, the project aimed at providing more satellite bandwidth, falls under the Universal Service and Universal Access, designed to reduce the "digital divide." "ICTA is mandated to find solutions to these issues through the Universal Service Fund (FSU). FSU is a mechanism that has been established by member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to open the sector Information Technology and Communication (ICT) to compete in their respective countries order to address market failures, "said ICTA.
Rodrigues turns to ICT
Already in July 2011, a prospecting mission was conducted jointly by the ICTA Rodrigues and the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication (ICT). A dozen officers and representatives of the private sector are well aware of the needs of the population Rodrigues in ICT. Several decisions have been taken to address deficiencies on site. Antennas future ICT Academy, and the ICTA and the National Computer Board (NCB) are or are already established on site to allow Rodrigues embarking on the outsourcing industry. In this context, in November 2012, the Prime Minister has made the opening of the ICT Center for Excellence in Port Mathurin and the opening of the first Infotech living on the island at the center of culture and leisure Mont Plaisir.