needs of the community best to succeed.
When creating an enabling environment attractive to private investments,
the Government will pay significant attention to the sustainability of such
environment. The Government considers that such sustainability requires for
private investments to deliver demonstrably tangible value to the national
socio-economic development. Therefore its policies aimed at attracting
such investments and investor-targeting will consider both: (a) comparative
attractiveness of Vanuatu; and (b) public value of such investments (in terms of
jobs, public sector revenues and other factors).
The Government will also promote and, where appropriate, ensure that
publicly or centrally controlled resources (such as radio spectrum, numbering,
IP addresses, and national “.vu” domain names), necessary to support provision
of infrastructure and services, contributing to the socio-economic development,
are readily available and accessible in a transparent, fair, non-discriminatory and
efficient manner as per swift procedures, based on objective and proportionate
criteria, conditions and procedures, and are utilised in an efficient manner for the
benefit of Vanuatu users, citizens and residents. A level of public control exercised
over such resources should be minimum necessary to achieve the overall objective
of this Policy.
Having regard to the above, the Government’s preference is for a Universal
Access Policy (UAP) that would, where feasible, be implemented not by
redistributing levies, collected from market players (“pay” approach), but by
service providers directly undertaking and implementing commitments to
expand the reach of telecommunications services beyond profitable areas (“play”
approach).
In the context above, the Government generally considers that it is prudent
to restrict provision of retail services of Government-owned or operated
telecommunications networks (specifically the Government Broadband Network
(GBN)) for the Government use only.
To the extent permitted by its international commitments, the Government
will put a special emphasis on the development of the local ICT-related private
sector and its participation in the implementation of this Policy. A sustainably
vibrant local ICT sector is essential in significantly enhancing the sustainability
of ICT sector development efforts. It ensures that resources and skills, needed to
maintain and further develop ICT solutions, are readily available in a cost-efficient
manner. Furthermore, development of such sector provides positive broader
socio-economic externalities, including higher-skilled and higher-paid local jobs,
greater economic multiplier effect of funds spent for ICT solutions, and fostering
emergence and development of business activities needed to support the local
ICT sector45.
Therefore, when undertaking any actions related to this Policy or the ICT
sector in general, the Government will seek for a deliberate externality—to foster
the local ICT industry. Importantly, however, the Government considers that any
45
Porter and Kramer (2011) note (specifically referring to firms that actively engage in shaping local business
environment, especially by participating in developing local clusters) that “[w]hen a firm builds clusters in its key
locations, it also amplifies the connection between its success and its communities’ success. A firm’s growth has
multiplier effects, as jobs are created in supporting industries, new companies are seeded, and demand for ancillary services rises.” Ibid.
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National Information and Communication Technology Policy