News & Releases

World Consumer Rights Day 2015

Building on from the 2014 World Consumer Rights Day celebration with the theme ‘Fix our Phone Rights’ - this year, 2015, one of TRR’s projects is the coordination and facilitation of the gaining of national recognition of World Consumer Rights Day, celebrated on 15 March each year. To commemorate this day the Minister responsible has requested the office of Telecommunications and Radiocommunications Regulator (TRR) to coordinate the event (see this letter) to be held on the 16th of March in the Sea Front Park in Port Vila.

The celebration of World Consumer Rights day will assist with the increase of a citizen’s awareness of their rights and responsibilities as consumers of goods and services, but more importantly, to gain the Vanuatu Government’s and relevant stakeholder national recognition of this special day.

Global trends are indicating a significant shift of power in favor of consumers. Consumers in Vanuatu need to be aware of this as well as to ensure this power is appropriately utilized and not abused.

Additionally, TRR proposes to use this initiative to progress relevant government policy objectives as well as the Vanuatu’s National Vision.

World Consumer Rights Day 2015 Promotional video clips:

• Consumer rights to clean and safe water

• Consumer rights to healthy food

• Consumer rights to ICT (Use of ICT to enable healthy diet and abuse of ICT will lead to unhealthy diet)

Details

New Telecommunications Licence issued to Global Telecom Pacific Ltd

On 6th March 2015, TRR issued a telecommunications licence to a new player within the market. The new telecom operator intends to provide internet services within the telecom sector.

The new licensee is “Global Telecom Pacific Ltd”.

TRR wishes the new entrant all the best and urges current licensees to work in partnership with them to develop the sector and provide further quality services to the people of Vanuatu.

Details

Relief Efforts Notice

Dear Stakeholder or Radio frequency spectrum user,
 
The Office of the Telecommunications and Radiocommunications Regulator (TRR) wishes to advise that all radio communications equipment using either licensed/unlicensed spectrum bands, brought into the country for disaster relief work, whether for coordination or for the restoration of communications services must be made known to TRR. This also includes any spectrum intended to be used especially for the purpose of disaster relief.
 
TRR must be advised and fully aware of the entry of all of these equipment and or spectrum requirement so that we can ensure appropriate clearance and utility of radio frequencies that will need to be utilized for the operation of the equipment and provided for and allocated by TRR. This is to ensure successful compatibility with, and to avoid any harmful interference caused to, existing licensed services and the new equipment that will need to operate successfully.
 
This notice applies to all radio communications equipment except for radio communications equipment operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz unlicensed bands and those that comply with Vanuatu General User Radio Licenses (GURL) conditions for certain categories of telecommunications and radiofrequency emitting devices. The Vanuatu GURL is available  on our website, at www.trr.vu.
For example, the New Zealand High Commission worked with TRR to facilitate the clearance of a range of HF and VHF frequencies for use by the New Zealand Defence Force for disaster relief and coordination; and that is the way we wish it to work for all other aid agencies/providers of equipment.
 
Port Vila particularly, has suffered major interferences late last year and recently, due to mainly ubiquitous equipment used and transmitting in wrong bands and affecting the licenced bands - which in turn caused major and serious downtime for a couple of telecom operators. TRR would like to ensure none to very minimal interference to radio equipment and transmission bands during the relief efforts and the period of months during which the equipment will be used.
 
TRR will smoothly and promptly facilitate the frequency clearance process and will ensure the fastest possible provision of suitable spectrum. Please contact us on telephone 27621 or the following TRR staff are on standby to assist on any radio frequency spectrum related matters:

•  Louise Nasak                  -  555 1257
•  Barnabas Boe                 -  77 43577
•  Matthew Tasale              -  54 02305
 
If you have any further query, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Details

Radio Frequency Spectrum Cleared for Cyclone Pam Disaster Relief Coordination

The Telecommunication and Radiocommunications Regulator (TRR) wishes to advice, that the following frequencies (licensed and unlicensed band) has been cleared by TRR for use by specified agencies, for the coordination of Cyclone Pam disaster relief efforts.

The cleared frequencies have a defined start and end date and the locations of use.

TRR, kindly requests other agencies who wish to operate radio communications equipment using either licensed/unlicensed spectrum bands, brought into the country for disaster relief work, whether for coordination or for the restoration of communications services must be made known to TRR. This also includes any spectrum intended to be used especially for the purpose of disaster relief.

This is to ensure successful compatibility with, and to avoid any harmful interference caused to, existing licensed services and the new equipment that will need to operate successfully.

Details

New extension of public consultation on .vu Domain Names Management and Administration Regulation

TRR wishes to inform all .vu country code top level domain stakeholders, and interested persons/parties that due to the many various efforts being currently concentrated on relief and restoration processes on the aftermath of severe and devastating cyclone PAM, the deadline for the consultation period for comment and input to the TRR Public Consultation on the Vanuatu Domain Names Management and Administration draft Regulation, has been extended for another month.

The new consultation period end date is Monday 27th April 2015, at 4:00 pm.

Details
  1. First Pacific Islands capacity building workshop on Child Online Protection – Outcome Report
  2. Consultation on "Telecommunications Class Exception"
  3. MOE hands Over ‘Classroom without Walls’ Aptus device to TRR
  4. Consumer Handbook
  5. Vanuatu TRBR Request for Expressions of Interest - The Regulator
  6. Consumer Fact Sheets
  7. Telecommunications Class Exception issued to Suppliers of Wi-Fi Internet
  8. TRBR announces TVL, Telsat and Digicel Universal Access Policy telecommunications service rollout commitment
  9. Annual Report 2014
  10. TRBR released its 3rd UAP Update Public Report

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