Getting fast internet on demand around Port Vila and surrounding suburbs can be a very tricky task, some places even impossible. The broadband network run by TVL is mainly concentrated in the CBD through the existing ancient copper cable network. This, at times is very slow and unreliable. TVL has ventured into wireless broadband (WiMAX) as an alternative solution to provide broadband internet service to residents and commercial enterprises in the rural areas of Efate albeit within a 17km radius of the two telecom towers in Vila.
Telecom Vanuatu Limited is working towards extending its WiMAX network further into the rural areas of Efate and other islands in the country. There currently is the 3.5GHz Alvarion Breezemax system running for the past 7 months however there has been a few complaints coming from a satellite application company that a channel on their C band has had some interference with it since TVL installed their WiMAX equipments. A few tests were done to try to confirm this accusation and also determine the soucre of this noise, it was found that the WiMAX equipments were not the source of this noise but TVL has taken measures to change its frequency range from the current 3.5GHz frequency to 2.3GHz as ITU is also thinking of relocating the 3.5GHz range else where.
The new 2.3GHz WiMAX equipments have arrived in Vila from the Israeli manufacturer; Alvarion, and are ready for deployment. So I’m just putting the word out there for anybody traveling or thinking to relocate to Vila that YES!!! wireless broadband is available and rapidly picking up momentum in Vanuatu.
Now you can either buy your equipment overseas and then rent the broadband internet package from TVL or you can just purchase the subscriber units from TVL. I suggest you buy the equipment overseas to make things easier. Here is a picture of the equipment TVL currently supports:
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