Web Profits From Coup
posted 12th January 200
(Photo shows Ratu Inoke who launched HelloFiji)

The media group credited with scoring a major scoop in its news coverage of Fiji's coup last May has launched the country's first internet portal and search engine website. Information Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola launched hellofiji.com last night, describing it as a "mini-Yahoo" and calling on Fiji's telecommunications monopolies to do more so that the country's people could "reap the benefits of the information technology revolution". Hellofiji, developed by Webmasters Ltd, features what the company called Fiji's first major search engine and directory of websites. Fijilive.com, the media group's ground-breaking news website, described HelloFiji.com as "the window on Fiji¹s past, present and future". "Much needs to be done within Fiji to improve access to IT, especially to rural areas, otherwise we will be facing the consequences of this in years to come in the form of a digital divide between the rural and urban areas, and between the poor and the rich," Kubuabola said. "This must not be the case. If people in the isolated rural areas of Fiji - and they are mostly indigenous Fijians - are to play a meaningful part in the economy, they must have access to IT." Kubuabola appealed for internet access "at school, at work, in the community, in village halls - everywhere." He described the country's monopoly telecom operators, such as Telecom Fiji and Fintel, as lacking competition and this had caused "a sense of complacency and lethargy".

A new Information Technology Advisory Council has been established with Fijilive managing director and The Review news magazine publisher Yashwant Gaunder as its chair to map out a national strategy. Webmasters acting manager Verleshwar Singh said that for the first time in Fiji the Hellofiji site allowed users to personalise their home page in a similar way to other international portals. Users also had access to news, weather information, free e-mail, TV guide, events calendar and a community forum. Other features included shopping, e-cards, games, jokes, movie info, restaurant listings, chat, and dating. "Expect more features over the next few months as we aim to make it the South Pacific¹s premier portal," said Singh. "We expect HelloFiji to become Fiji¹s first one million monthly hits site by July." The company also launched 25 other websites, including the revamped fijilive.com - which has a news link with the Daily Post newspaper. Fijilive.com was launched just before the 1999 general election and it quickly established itself as the leading news site in Fiji. In the wake of last year's May 19 coup, the website gained international popularity, registering a high of 175,000 hits in a 24-hour period. While pre-coup hits were around 150,000 a month, hits are now reported to be around 700,000 monthly..