Fiji has officially stepped into the 5G era. On 11 September 2025, the government announced it had issued spectrum licences to Vodafone Fiji, Digicel Fiji, and Telecom Fiji. The licences take effect from 15 September, enabling the operators to begin rolling out next-generation services.
The issuance aligns with Fiji’s National Development Plan (2025–2029) and the National Digital Strategy (2025–2030), both of which emphasize digital transformation as a key pillar of economic growth.
Each operator welcomed the move as transformative. Digicel CEO Farid Mohammed said the licence unlocks new possibilities beyond faster connectivity—key sectors like healthcare, agriculture, finance, and tourism can now benefit from ultra-low latency and high-bandwidth applications. Meanwhile, Vodafone Fiji is gearing up to deploy infrastructure across major urban and tourism centres, bringing its testing capability online in preparation for rollout.
The rollout is being planned phase-by-phase. In the first phase in 2025, coverage will focus on Suva, Nadi, Lautoka, and Denarau—areas central to commerce, tourism, health and government services. Subsequent phases in 2026 and 2027 will expand coverage to towns such as Nasinu, Lami, Labasa, Savusavu, Nausori, Sigatoka, Navua and beyond.
Already, both Vodafone and Digicel have launched live 5G services in initial zones. Vodafone’s coverage spans Suva, Nadi and Lautoka; Digicel reports throughput of 600–700 Mbps in tested areas, even reaching up to 1 Gbps in ideal conditions.
Telecom Fiji, though quieter in public statements, is expected to ramp up similarly. The new licences and rollout pave the way for innovations in e-government, IoT (Internet of Things), remote education, smart agriculture, and telemedicine—opportunities Fiji has long sought.
Challenges remain: infrastructure in rural zones, power constraints, regulatory coordination, and adopting 5G-capable devices among citizens. But with the licences in hand, Fiji has cleared a major hurdle on its pathway to a digital future that supports broader economic and social ambitions.
