BYTE MARKS
Internet revolution is still arriving in Fiji

This column is the second on Byte Marks author Burt Lum's recent trip to Fiji.

By Burt Lum

The pro-techno book I was reading during my time in Fiji sure contrasted with my surroundings. "Smart Mobs," by Howard Rheingold (www.smartmobs.com),recognizes the revolutionary impact technology has on social interaction.

Apparently, Rheingold's theory hasn't quite caught on in Fiji, where my search for Internet availability put the islands and the book on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Wherever I visit, one of the first things I usually do is plug in my laptop and dial out to my global ISP. Unfortunately, the hotel I stayed at in Suva ran a phone system that had an abnormal dial tone, one that my modem could not respond to.

I also noticed that while manually punching out numbers, I would hear the phone send clicks, those sounds familiar in the days of step-by-step analog switches.

This is quite bizarre when staying at a business hotel in a place that boasts connections to the Southern Cross fiber cable. But that is the conundrum of Fiji.

The hotel's Internet business center consisted of two computers and cost the equivalent of about 25 cents per minute.

My eyes must have shown my disbelief at his inability to connect, because a hotel staffer immediately told me about some places in downtown Suva that charge the equivalent of about 5 cents per minute.

I found two places at that price. One was the office of a multinational Internet provider and financial services company called Fintel, where there were about 10 computers. All seats were taken; I understand they had more bandwidth there than their sister company Connect — the only local ISP.

I ended up at a nearby Internet café called Enjoy that was the same price but considerably slower. It had atmosphere, though.

In "Smart Mobs," Rheingold recognizes that technology is not only about the social groups that form around mobile communications, as seen in Japan.

It's also about the group consciousness that results from the way this technology keeps everyone in touch, both socially and intellectually. Imagine cheap access in cities such as Suva or Nadi, and wi-fi access in Fiji resort areas.

With or without the government's support, it is happening on Fiji, albeit at a slower pace, but happening nevertheless. ;-)

Burt Lum is a click away at www.brouhaha.net.