PEACESAT Celebrates 30 Years in the Pacific Islands: A Program Update and Look at Public Service Telecommunications in the Region

摘要

The year 2001 marks the 30th anniversary of the Pan Pacific Education and Communication Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT) Program. The initial founding concepts of the program are the same today with a primary objective of providing public service satellite telecommunications to the Pacific Islands Region. Even with the advancement of technology and applications, the program is just as vital today as it was 30 years ago. PEACESAT is currently using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-7 satellite. From a single simplex circuit for voice teleconferencing and experimental packet data applications, current services include interactive video and voice teleconferencing and access to the Internet. The technical solutions were available several years ago, however the forging partnerships among agencies contributed to the recent digital roll-out and enhanced programming. Cooperation and collaboration are key program elements that have been sustained for 30-years. PEACESAT is committed to assisting in lessening the digital divide in the Pacific Islands. The PEACESAT network provides limited bandwidth capacity, however as other opportunities arise and Pacific Island entities migrate to commercial networks, the limited PEACESAT satellite capacity will be made available to the underserved and the very remote areas where telephone capacity may be limited or not currently available. This paper provides an overview of the PEACESAT program development, current update and also covers prevailing issues regarding telecommunications in the Pacific Islands in particular the growing digital divide happening even within the region.