The government of New Caledonia has reportedly approved of guidelines set out by the recent Strategic Plan for the Digital Economy (PSEN), and, as such, has authorised a total investment of CFP8 billion (USD88.7 million) to help combat the so-called ‘digital divide’ on the Pacific nation. Among the 33 separate action plans falling under the remit of the PSEN is a scheme to install wireless access points in capital city Noumea, as a precursor to rolling out connectivity to selected parts of the North Province, South Province and Loyalty Islands Province. The PSEN is expected to be initiated in the first half of 2014.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, telecoms services in New Caledonia are provided by government-owned OPT Nouvelle-Caledonie, which was believed to account for around 80,000 wireline subscribers at the end of 2012 and around 236,000 mobile users, as of 31 March 2013. As per a government report dated November 2011, all of the country’s districts have access to ADSL connectivity, with fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology also said to be in the pipeline.