Minister of Finance Crossley Tatui says that the government has yet to make a final decision on allowing Starlink units to operate legally in Niue.
In an interview with BCN news last week, Minister Tatui said that the government is awaiting a report from the Regulator from the Crown Law Office and Telecom Niue who were tasked to engage with SpaceX and present a report with recommendations on the use of Starlink on the island.
The minister who is also the single shareholder of government’s State owned enterprise (SOE) Telecom Niue says that Starlink units operating in Niue will have an impact on Telecoms Niue, saying that the government is heavily aware of the impacts but he needs certainty from Telecom Niue that they can guarantee 100 percent 4G coverage around the island.
Last month Telecom Niue announced the “successful installation of optical fibre cable (OFC) repeaters in the village of Liku in its latest infrastructure enhancement as part of Telecom Niue’s ongoing commitment to improving connectivity and ensuring more reliable and faster internet services for the people of Niue”.
Minister Tatui said that the government will also take into account what is happening around the region with other islands permitting the use of the Starlink units.
However sources from the Telecom Niue Board says that Niue cannot be compared to other Pacific islands because Niue is a single island, whereas the Cook Islands and Fiji for example have to cater for their remote islands and it benefits those islands to have Starlink services.
Whatever the decision of the government would be for Starlink, it must be noted that money paid for Telecom Niue services stays in Niue, through their in-country operations and expansion, the salaries to their staff and the government through an annual dividend.
Whatever money is paid to Starlink, that money is of no benefit to Niue because that money does not stay in Niue.
In September last year, the government and the ICT Advisory committee held a public consultation meeting with stakeholders about the future of Starlink in Niue. Telecom Niue CEO Mr Anurag Tandon did a presentation about Telecom’s future plans for the island.
Minister Tatui told BCN News that the government is aware of approximately fifty (50) Starlink units in use on the island right now.