By John Tanner
Digicel Fiji announced on Friday it is working with Nokia to upgrade its cell sites to support its 5G rollout across the archipelago, less than a month after rival telco Vodafone Fiji received clearance for a non-commercial 5G pilot.
Digicel Fiji CEO Farid Mohammed said in a statement that the tower upgrades with Nokia’s AirScale portfolio are progressing rapidly in Suva. He also said the operator anticipates the “imminent completion” of 5G testing and the granting of regulatory approvals by the Fiji Government.
The government first revealed plans to adopt 5G technology in April 2023. That month, the Ministry of Communications awarded Digicel Fiji a licence to test 5G technology. Digicel started testing 5G a month later.
Last month, Vodafone Fiji announced it had received a 5G non-commercial license to conduct live end-user trials on its 5G pilot network, with a full commercial license expected to be issued later this year.
Vodafone Fiji CEO Elenoa Biukoto said Vodafone has invested over US$100 million to upgrade and enhance its network for 5G. The live user trials will be conducted in select parts of Suva’s Central Business District, with further expansion to the greater Suva area in the coming months.
Digicel Fiji is the second Digicel telco in a week to announce a 5G deal with Nokia. Last week, Digicel Samoa made a similar announcement that it was also working with Nokia to upgrade its cell tower sites to 5G after receiving conditional approval from the Government of Samoa.
