Telecom Services Kiribati Limited
Encyclopedia
Telecom Services Kiribati Limited, often abbreviated as TSKL, is the sole communication
s provider to the Republic of Kiribati
. In addition to traditional telecommunication
, TSKL offers such services as telegram
and facsimile
services. Until 2007 the company maintained the country's ccTLD
, .ki
, which is now under the control of a separate agency, Telecommunications Authority of Kiribati.
Although originally a venture between the Kiribati government and the Overseas Telecommunications Commission International of Australia
, it was quickly privatised
. In 2001 the government of Kiribati signed a Joint venture
agreement with TSKL, once again giving the government full ownership.
services. TSKL has installed 28 pay phones not only on Tarawa
but also on some outer islands. Phone card
s are the only payment option for such calls. The company has started a yellow pages
directory to list the ever growing citizens with telephone numbers. International Direct Dial is a service which allows the caller to have a direct call to international telephone users. A High Frequency Radio Telephone
makes communication between islands possible. In 2005 the radio telephone was replaced with a more modern traditional telephone connection on five outer islands. The user is charged per-minute and IDD is only available for some three hours per day. In the event that the police department, fire department or an ambulance are needed, 992, 993 and 994, respectively, are to be telephoned.
The mobile telephone system originally used analog technology but in 2005 this was switched to a GSM
variant. Also as part of this upgrade GSM phone service is now available on Kiritimati
and Fanning Island
.
, Coconut Wireless, utilizes a satellite uplink and wireless modem system in unison with equipment from NextNet Wireless, which is now owned by AT&T
. Billing and integration is handled by SSI Micro. Service is available in South Tarawa and five other islands, as TSKL mandates that service be available to all of the outer islands. A second satellite has since been installed to handle more users and speed.
Because of its location, Internet in Kiribati is much more expensive than in other regions. 500MB
can be downloaded for A$
30 a month at a burst speed of 128kbit/s. Once the 500 MB is exceeded, speed will be reduced to that of dial up
. Three additional tiers exist each with more speed, included usage, and of course cost. A modem needs to be purchased or rented. TSKL sells modems for $399 for an indoor modem, and $759 for an out of doors version. A modem may also be rented for $25 a month.
As of early 2008 Coconut Wireless's website,
As of February 2009 TSKL's website is down too.
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s provider to the Republic of Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
. In addition to traditional telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
, TSKL offers such services as telegram
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
and facsimile
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
services. Until 2007 the company maintained the country's ccTLD
Country code top-level domain
A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
, .ki
.ki
.ki is the Internet country code top-level domain for Kiribati.From the early 1990s to the early 2000s the domain was managed on behalf of the Republic of Kiribati by an Australian ISP, Connect.com.au with the Forum Fisheries Agency, based in Honiara, Solomon Islands as original sponsor, then...
, which is now under the control of a separate agency, Telecommunications Authority of Kiribati.
Although originally a venture between the Kiribati government and the Overseas Telecommunications Commission International of Australia
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, it was quickly privatised
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
. In 2001 the government of Kiribati signed a Joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
agreement with TSKL, once again giving the government full ownership.
Telephonics
Currently TSKL operates a mobile telephone network as well as traditionalLandline
A landline was originally an overland telegraph wire, as opposed to an undersea cable. Currently, landline refers to a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre, as distinguished from a mobile cellular line, where transmission is via radio waves...
services. TSKL has installed 28 pay phones not only on Tarawa
Tarawa Atoll
Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
but also on some outer islands. Phone card
Telephone card
A telephone card, calling card or phone card for short, is a small plastic card, sized and shaped like a credit card, used to pay for telephone services. It is not necessary to have the physical card except with a stored-value system; knowledge of the access telephone number to dial and the PIN is...
s are the only payment option for such calls. The company has started a yellow pages
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
directory to list the ever growing citizens with telephone numbers. International Direct Dial is a service which allows the caller to have a direct call to international telephone users. A High Frequency Radio Telephone
Radiotelephone
A radiotelephone is a communications system for transmission of speech over radio. Radiotelephone systems are not necessarily interconnected with the public "land line" telephone network. "Radiotelephone" is often used to describe the usage of radio spectrum where it is important to distinguish the...
makes communication between islands possible. In 2005 the radio telephone was replaced with a more modern traditional telephone connection on five outer islands. The user is charged per-minute and IDD is only available for some three hours per day. In the event that the police department, fire department or an ambulance are needed, 992, 993 and 994, respectively, are to be telephoned.
The mobile telephone system originally used analog technology but in 2005 this was switched to a GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications
GSM , is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to describe technologies for second generation digital cellular networks...
variant. Also as part of this upgrade GSM phone service is now available on Kiritimati
Kiritimati
Kiritimati or Christmas Island is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands, and part of the Republic of Kiribati....
and Fanning Island
Tabuaeran
Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island or Fanning Atoll is one of the Line Islands of the central Pacific Ocean, and part of Kiribati. It is an atoll located at...
.
Coconut Wireless
TSKL's ISPInternet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
, Coconut Wireless, utilizes a satellite uplink and wireless modem system in unison with equipment from NextNet Wireless, which is now owned by AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
. Billing and integration is handled by SSI Micro. Service is available in South Tarawa and five other islands, as TSKL mandates that service be available to all of the outer islands. A second satellite has since been installed to handle more users and speed.
Because of its location, Internet in Kiribati is much more expensive than in other regions. 500MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
can be downloaded for A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
30 a month at a burst speed of 128kbit/s. Once the 500 MB is exceeded, speed will be reduced to that of dial up
Dial-up access
Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network to establish a dialled connection to an Internet service provider via telephone lines...
. Three additional tiers exist each with more speed, included usage, and of course cost. A modem needs to be purchased or rented. TSKL sells modems for $399 for an indoor modem, and $759 for an out of doors version. A modem may also be rented for $25 a month.
As of early 2008 Coconut Wireless's website,
coconutwireless.ki, has been inoperable.As of February 2009 TSKL's website is down too.