Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[Photo: File]
More than 11,000 Fijians in Kadavu, Tailevu, Lau, Lomaiviti and Navosa now have access to the internet with safeguards against harmful online content.
Telecommunications Authority of Fiji Chief Executive Prit Chand confirmed this at the launch of the National Universal Service yesterday.
Chand says the beneficiaries are from 2,557 households that have now been connected to the digital world.
He says the National Universal Service is a partnership between TAF and telecommunications service providers to establish satellite internet services in previously unserved communities.
The project is funded through the Universal Service Fund, which is financed by telecommunications service providers and had remained unused for more than 16 years.
Chand says firewalls have been installed to block access to harmful content, including pornography.
He says each community has at least two access points, with internet coverage extending roughly 100 metres from each installation.
The next phase of the project will connect around 104 more unserved sites to the internet.
