[ Source : Fiji Government/ Facebook]

President Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere has commended the founder of Starlink, Elon Musk, for creating opportunities for wider bandwidth connectivity and high-speed internet connections in remote and rural areas of Fiji.

The president was in a meeting with the multi-billionaire in Bali, where he thanked Musk for Starlink’s massive satellite network, which now covers 100 countries.

Ratu Wiliame noted the network’s durability, demonstrated after the 2021 underwater volcano disaster in Tonga.

Musk stated that Starlink views the internet as a necessity for financial services and e-commerce, citing the loss of internet connectivity that costs billions of dollars for six

East African countries following the cutting of an undersea cable last week.

Musk is expected to make a stopover in Fiji in October on its route to the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Samoa, which would provide an opportunity to engage in further interaction.

Musk believes that when Fiji takes the lead, others in the region will follow.