VANUATU INTERCHANGE LTD
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Vanuatu joined the international sub marine cable network when the 1259km submarine fibre optic cable connecting it to Fiji landed on its shores on the November 25th 2013.
It was a historic moment for Vanuatu especially in ICT development through the vision of Simon Fletcher, CEO of Interchange, in taking the country a step further into the world of Ecommerce solutions and most importantly giving the local people access to cheap yet high speed internet connectivity.
Interchange Limited lodged its application with the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority in March 2007 and with the prospective ICT developments and high value investment that it proposed to generate, a Foreign Investment Approval Certificate was awarded shortly after to the company.
The fibre optic cable “ICN1” is a $30 million investment that marked the beginning of Interchange’s region wide vision to have the best IT infrastructure in place for Melanesia. Vanuatu’s ideal geographical position made it even better for the company to embark on the project here due to the right time zones for Europe.
“Our daytime staff will be servicing Europe at night and our evening staff servicing North America in the daytime” said Simon Fletcher to China Daily in an exclusive report covering the success of Interchange to date.
“Now we are building upon that initial investment by working to turn Vanuatu into an attractive e-business hub for the entire region. It’s a logical progression, especially given all of the advantages Vanuatu has to offer. The government has been looking forward to attract foreign investment, and we are looking for ways to facilitate many investments with China in the form of investment packages.”
Interchange will have two more fibre optic cables coming in to Vanuatu, “ICN2” and “ICN3” that will be connected through Sydney and Fiji to the United States or through Fiji to Guam to the United States. ICN2 will link Port Vila to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. The cable routes will ensure that Vanuatu attracts more E-commerce businesses to a region that is already a developing information and communication technology hub.
Interchange’s next big projects which are already underway are ensuring the landing of the second fibre optic cable in 2016 and the Vanuatu Technology Park.
Vanuatu’s Technology Park will be a 20 hectare secured site built especially for foreign investment. It is a facility that will house data centres, opportunities and a venue for e-businesses.
“The new Technology Park represent the perfect environment for international e-commerce operators and this opportunity is considerably enhanced by a pro-investment government, a stable economy, a strategic location close to Asian and Australian markets, along with a favourable taxation and investment structure for business” said Fletcher.
VIPA welcomes and is genuinely appreciative towards these investments that will greatly encourage joint venture partnerships and a range of opportunities for foreign investors who wish to set up shop in Vanuatu.