Conference Plenary
Monday 23rd June 2025
Venue: Banyan Room, Holiday Inn, Suva
08:30: Registration opens
09:00: Welcoming Remarks
- Fred Christopher, Manager, PITA
09:05: Networking in the Pacific
- Ivan Fong, CEO, Amalgamated Telecom Holdings
09:25: Global Networking Trends and Challenges
- Philip Smith, Network Startup Resource Center
09:45: Recent ICANN initiatives, new gTLD and meeting updates
10:00: ICANN Technical Update on INFERMAL and ICANN Domain Metrica
- Champika Wijayatunga, ICANN
10:20: APNIC Services Update
10:30: Group Photo
10:35: Morning Break
11:00: Infrastructure Changes & Cyber @ USP
- Edwin Sandys, Manager Enterprise Systems, Network Infrastructure
& IT Services, University of the South Pacific
- The University of the South Pacific (USP) is undergoing a
dynamic transformation to bolster its digital infrastructure
and cybersecurity, ensuring a secure and resilient architecture
across our 12 member countries. IT Services currently
operates as a technical support division to the teaching and
learning community, operates it own ISP connectivity in Fiji
and currently maintains the Dot FJ ccTLD. Given its current
portfolio, the university is investing heavily in enhancing its
ICT Infrastructure to provide reliable, high-speed internet and
robust digital services. These upgrades supports and empower
students, academics and communities by fostering its new
strategic plan on a journey of digital transformation. However,
improving our digital access exposes the university to cyber
threats; what can be done to maintain resilience locally
and regionally.
11:30: Peering across the Pacific
- Warren Finch, Internet Society
11:50: Root server in the Pacific region
- Kazuhiro Kitamura, JPRS
- The countries and economies in the Pacific region are mostly
surrounded by ocean and make the Internet infrastructure
resiliencet and stabie is very crucial in this region. I
will present this significance from the point of root server
operator and would like to discuss with audience about how
we can manage it.
12:10: Overview of growing Network Connections via the FINTEL
Landing Stations + Regional Telecommunications Hub
- Filipe Gauna, Manager Network and Technology, FINTEL
- FINTEL is the submarine cable landing station operator and
regional carrier in FIJI, Initially connecting Fiji to New
Zealand, Australia and the USA as early as 1902, today more
cable schemes are now connected via FINTEL, with the Southern
Cross Cable and NEXT being the major player, and other direct
cables to Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and New Caledonia. With more
Pacific Island countries to be connected, this presentation
will share on the growing traffic trends for Fiji and the
Pacific, and the network developments and operations required,
challenges, experiences, in particular with the emerging
digital transformation of SMEs, governments, the growth of
edge intelligences, CDNs and cloud, and national digital
economy vision-missions. This presentation will also discuss
anticipations with the role of FINTEL as a connectivity hub
that has resulted from the landing of the new cable schemes
connecting via FINTEL.
12:30: Lunch Break
14:00: Ransomware incident response
- Melvin Quemado, University of Hawaii
14:45: KINDNS ("DNS & DNSSEC operational best practices)
- Philip Paeps, Network Startup Resource Center
15:30: Afternoon Break
16:00: Walesi Network Infrastructure Update
- Ritesh Bilash, Head of Technical Operations, Walesi Pte Ltd
- Walesi is a government-owned digital television and multimedia
platform in Fiji, established to provide nationwide access
to free-to-air digital TV services. Designed to enhance
information accessibility and digital inclusion, Walesi
operates across terrestrial, satellite, and IP-based networks
to reach both urban and remote areas. Its services include
high-definition digital TV broadcasting, educational content,
government information, and public service announcements. A
key feature of the platform is its mobile application and
set-top box offerings, which allow users to stream content
via the internet, making use of IP-based technologies.
Walesi’s network architecture relies heavily on IP
for content distribution, delivery, and user access
management. IP enables seamless integration across its
terrestrial broadcast systems, satellite backhaul, and
internet streaming platforms—allowing for centralized
control, flexible service expansion, and improved delivery
efficiency to diverse geographies across Fiji.
16:20: Government Enterprise Networks
- Epeli Tagi, ITC Services, Government of Fiji
16:40: Building the Highway Network for Fiji: Telecom Fiji’s Road map and Operational Challenges.
- Paula Taloga, Team Leader Network Operations Centre, Telecom Fiji Ltd
- The presentation provides an overview of Telecom Fiji Limited’s
current operational landscape and its strategic direction towards
building the Highway Network for Fiji. Highlighting the current
national footprint, infrastructure development, core operational
challenges and shifting customer expectations driven by emerging
trends. Additionally, it outlines the operational targets and future
roadmap aimed at enhancing the reliability and resiliency of our
services.
17:00: Round Table & Closing
18:00-19:30: Networking Reception
|
