Vodafone Fiji managing director/chief executive, Aslam Khan addressing guests at the launch of 4G last night at the ANZ Stadium Concourse. Photo: PAULINI RATULAILAI
By RANOBA BAOA
The long wait for 4G is now over! What’s dubbed as the world’s fastest network technology is now LIVE here!
Vodafone’s launch of 4G was witnessed at the ANZ Stadium Concourse last night with the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama as chief guest.
Vodafone managing director/chief executive, Aslam Khan said the launch of a commercial 4G network is a major milestone for not only the company but for Fiji as well.
“This puts us on par with leading mobile networks that have adopted this technology to meet the demands of data explosion,” Mr Khan said.
“Access to information, communication and technology has transformed and will continue to transform – every industry, in every country.”
The potential of the spectrum has many benefits and is unlimited he said.
“First and foremost, the 4th generation of wireless networks provides a massive boost to any activity involving real time transfer of large amounts of data and live streaming of high definition video and television,” Mr Khan said.
LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and is a long term standard which is able to evolve over time.
“Some networks around the world for example are hitting data download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second,” Mr Khan noted.
“Buffering and delays are practically eliminated and applications such as HD video calling, live television streaming, remote video conferencing and even remote health and medicine and e-learning can finally be a reality.”
He said as more Fijians embrace the new technology and upgrading to internet and smart phones, what used to be a luxury will now be as an essential part of the everyone’s daily life.
Rollout
The initial rollout of 4G will cover Suva/Lami and greater Suva corridor and by early next year will also cover Nadi, Nadi Airport and Denarau.
This means that over 65 per cent of Fiji’s population will get to enjoy 4G coverage after the first stage of rollout.
Device capability
It is estimated that over 2,500 Customers on the Vodafone network already have 4G capable devices.
The customer can try the super fast 4G services within the next few days with some firmware upgrade and subscription to a 4G plan.
So far feedback from customers’ trialing 4G has been tremendous, a release by Vodafone said.
Another product
Another innovative product that has been launched with 4G is Data Angel.
Customers can keep control of 4G data use with Vodafone’s exclusive Data Angel® service, which alerts customers when they’re approaching their data allowance limit, and when their limit is reached.
This lets the use their device freely while staying in control of how much they spend.
Background
Only last year had Vodafone upgraded its entire network and extended 3G coverage to 95 per cent of Fiji’s population, providing faster broadband speeds.
Vodafone is thanked Government’s efforts to connect people to the Internet, as broadband penetration has a direct impact on the country’s Gross Domestic growth.
This also includes labour productivity, creation of employment and entrepreneurial initiatives.
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