Vodafone livesunderprivilegedandconnectionsCultivatingFiji:enhancing DIGITAL REPORT 2022 IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
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Becoming the largest telco network in Fiji Parent company Vodafone is itself a global telecommunications company that dips its toes successfully in a wide array of industry sub-sectors, though it does so with a customercentric ethos that builds “strong customer affiliation and brand loyalty”. It is this approach to which Prasad attributes Vodafone Fiji’s success.
The archipelago, made up of over 300 islands and 500 islets, was formed as a result of volcanic activity over 150 million years ago. The two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu – which contain almost 90% of Fiji’s total population between them –are the beating heart of the economy, with tourism accompanying minerals, sugar cane and fishing as one of its largest drivers, aiding Fiji in being one of the most developed economies in the Pacific.
“When it comes to connectivity, we no longer treat it as a want, but as a basic need for customers now,” establishes Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Vikash Prasad, “especially in a developing country like Fiji, where there's lots of people who still live in these rural or maritime areas.”
VIKASH PRASAD CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, VODAFONE FIJI
Despite this, though, the reality of daily life on Fiji’s islands belies the image most of us possess; it is a developing nation, after all – one that’s still battling with the brutal blows inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and the economy.
W ith its many islands hemmed by crystalline waters that wash onto white sand and greencarpeted mountains, Fiji is a vista of immense natural beauty.
Pockets of rural Fijian communities still function day-to-day with just 2G or, if they’re lucky, 3G connectivity, lacking the infrastructure needed to enhance this further for the time being. But this is where Vodafone Fiji steps in. The company, which is “the main telecommunications player in Fiji” (with 85% market share), is committed to “enriching people’s lives” and overcoming the obstacles currently plaguing the archipelago.
“Vodafone Fiji is a dynamic and fast-paced business, operating in an essential industry,” Prasad states, highlighting the differentiating factors of the company. “Our vision is to be the most admired At Vodafone Fiji, Vikash Prasad dedicates himself to the pursuit of technological advancement to provide digital equality and equity to those most in need vodafone.com.fj
“IT'S ALWAYS VITAL TO HAVE A GOOD PLAN IN PLACE. IF YOU HAVE A GOOD PLAN IN PLACE, YOU HAVE THE FIRST PART DONE”
company in Fiji, and our mission is to enrich people’sPrasadlives.”alsocredits the telco’s “exceptional frontline, customer care teams and business account managers” with helping it to stay on top of the competition and reach 95% of the Fijian population. “Apart from the traditional voice, data and SMS offerings, we offer the best ICT solutions in the region, such as Cloud, SDWAN, and many other innovative solutions that are tailor-made for many of our ICT customers.”
“We are also an emerging FinTech company, providing digital services in terms of financial and e-business at a national level,” says Prasad. “Being an incumbent, we have to be agile in all our operations, so it's all about creating value in our products and services.” about the ways Vodafone Fiji is enriching Fijian lives
In addition to customer-centricity being a defining element of Vodafone Fiji’s success, its recent foray into the FinTech world is opening up new doors.
“WHEN IT COMES TO CONNECTIVITY, WE NO LONGER TREAT IT AS A WANT, BUT AS A BASIC NEED FOR CUSTOMERS NOW – ESPECIALLY IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY LIKE FIJI, WHERE THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO STILL LIVE IN THESE RURAL OR MARITIME AREAS” Hear
VIKASH PRASAD CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, VODAFONE FIJI 6 vodafone.com.fj VODAFONE FIJI
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VIKASH
Vikash Prasad is responsible for providing leadership direction and innovation ownership to drive overall technology strategy, operational excellence, and innovation for Vodafone Fiji. He is recognised for building strong technology platforms and delivering several network transformation initiatives for Vodafone.
This approach has enabled steady yearon-year growth for Vodafone Fiji, which the company hopes will continue as it sets out on its 5G journey, becomes more established in FinTech and finds innovative ways to ensure its customers receive the connectivity needed to boost its tourism-heavy economy. Moulding attitudes for the future of telco innovation Innovation is essential to the longevity of a business – as Prasad well knows. In the postCOVID age of rapid digital transformation and detailed data analysis, impacted by geopolitical and climate-related events, this is particularly true. But having a skilled team that thinks out of the box requires a change in management and strategy, which is often the product of company-wide cultural overhauls.
BIOEXECUTIVE PRASAD TITLE: CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Vikash leads a dynamic team responsible for continued network growth and adopting technology evolution, ensuring Vodafone delivers next generation network initiatives to create the most innovative and reliable networks in Fiji and across the Pacific. In his 19 years with Vodafone, Vikash has successfully driven a number of multi-million dollar mobile network projects. Vikash previously held the roles of Manager Access Networks, Engineer Network Services and Systems Support Analyst. He holds a Masters in Business Administration (Technology) from the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New
“One of the things we are also doing as part of our transformation revolves around our workforce – we’re focusing on increasing the capabilities of our people and investing in our talent pool. That means putting our staff through specialised training, and providing for and equipping them so that they strive for greatness in the new digital world,” Prasad states, going on to explain how his personal ethos is woven throughout this process to promote excellence.
So, Vodafone Fiji has invested in its staff – via training, enabling work-from-home capabilities and providing leadership coaching – and employees have, in turn, ‘invested’ in the business, allowing innovation to flourish. “Our staff believe in our vision,” he says.
“A life lesson that I live by is that we have to do things right the first time, and that what is right to do is not always easy. We need to put in the hard yards now so that we can reap the benefits of it in the future.”
Now, this doesn’t mean that Prasad’s team has no room to make mistakes; it means
Metric: a powerful platform for network optimisation
Vikash Prasad, Chief Technology Officer for Vodafone Fiji, describes this platform as “efficient and user-friendly, a powerful tool that allows us to have access to almost real-time information out in the field, all of which is web-based,” explains Prasad.
Multivision has been a key partner of Vodafone Fiji for almost four years now, with the two companies joining forces in 2019 when Vodafone Fiji subscribed to Metric, a SaaS offering owned, delivered, and remotely managed by Multivision. A company that also provides professional and strategic advice alongside bespoke IT solutions and co-sourcing of IT talents, Multivision has worked with a host of bigname businesses such as Siemens, Unitel, and SinceIce.net.itsinception in 2007, Multivision has based its work around one core philosophy: ‘Grow to make you grow’, which is threaded through each aspect of the company´s daily work.
Multivision and Vodafone Fiji work together via Metric, an efficient and powerful platform, which enhances the critical role that partnerships play in achieving growth.
With Metric and this fruitful partnership, Vodafone has been able to conduct in-the-field quality audits of network performance. This has allowed Vodafone Fiji to continue its two-year 5G infrastructure build while ensuring that existing connections are stable and secure for even the most rurally isolated Fijians.
“In addition to monitoring daily network operations, when optimising networks, the platform allows us to efficiently provide automated solutions’ reporting. This information can then be shared with Vodafone Directors and easily related to network KPIs, reducing the need for multiple platforms and screens.”
Vikash Prasad is vocal when praising the Metric team for their “timely and responsive communication, the quality of their support, and their ability to solve a variety of issues, no matter the “Multivisioncomplexity.”promotes innovation and simplicity, and Metric is a powerful tool for us,” he adds.
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that, by investing time in the planning, research, design or training aspects of a task or process, the final result itself will be right the first time. And this thread continues throughout everything Prasad oversees, particularly Vodafone Fiji’s digital transformation.
A popular theme to many a business discussion over the last two years has been the unexpected boost that COVID-19 gave to digital transformation. In some cases, the pandemic merely spurred on a pre-existing idea or sped up the pace; in others, it created an urgent business need in order to survive.
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VIKASH PRASAD CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, VODAFONE FIJI
“During COVID, there was a surge in demand for data, and this would've been the same story for a lot of telcos around the world. That put a lot of stress on the network, and during that time, the boundaries of our mobile network services were being tested.”
“DEVICE STRATEGY WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE, WITH ONE OF THE MAIN DRIVERS WHEN IT COMES TO DEVICES BEING AFFORDABILITY”
“It's always vital to have a good plan in place. If you have a good plan in place, you have the first part done.”
Not only were Vodafone Fiji’s networks being tested in the short-term, but there were also long-term economic effects that created a need for digitisation. “For Fiji, tourism has always been one of the biggest economic drivers. So, when the borders closed down, the economy suffered.”
WITHPARTNERINGMULTIVISION
MultiVision has been a partner of Vodafone Fiji’s for four years now. From this fruitful partnership, Vodafone has been able to undergo an in-the-field, quality audit of its network performance, subsequently acquiring the Metric platform for network optimisation. Prasad describes this platform as “efficient and userfriendly”, “a powerful tool” that collates “KPI data with other data” to allow for a correlation of issues.
Vodafone Fiji engineers have so far only worked with those at MultiVision via virtual means, often on other sides of the world – though this will no longer be the case soon. These meetings have allowed the fine-tuning and customisation of the platform, despite the time difference, with Prasad describing the MultiVision team of engineers as “timely and responsive” and providing “excellent support”.vodafone.com.fj
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VIKASH PRASAD CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, VODAFONE FIJI
“A LESSON THAT I LIVE BY IS THAT WE HAVE TO DO THINGS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, AND THAT WHAT IS RIGHT TO DO IS NOT ALWAYS EASY. WE NEED TO PUT IN THE HARD YARDS NOW SO THAT WE CAN REAP THE BENEFITS OF IT IN THE FUTURE”
LIFE
As such, Vodafone Fiji is investing not just in its team, but in expanding technological infrastructure across the whole of Fiji to develop the cloud, 5G connectivity and its FinTech arm. The road to 5G is paved with good intentions Being a developing country situated on an archipelago means progress can be slow. Across Fiji, which is predominantly made up of rural or coastal locations, developing connectivity to wireless mobile networks is difficult – and that’s without considering regulatory requirements, different frequency spectrums, and affordability for all customers, which is why Prasad refers to 5G in that respect as “a double-edged sword”.
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This directly impacted the telco’s ability to put the necessary infrastructure in place to support citizens and tourists alike in the immediate wake of the pandemic. “But everything is changing now,” Prasad smiles. “Our customers want connectivity everywhere, so businesses are shifting priorities. One of the buzzwords right now is the cloud and having cloud platforms or migrating to cloud platforms, but with that comes a lot of risks, as well. Cyber threats are one of the biggest challenges that we face right now.”
Prasad hopes that, by delivering connectivity to the entirety of Fiji, he can uplift the digitally ‘poor’ – those with basic or limited connectivity, hindering personal progress – ensuring digital equality and, most importantly, equity.
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VIKASH PRASAD CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, VODAFONE FIJI “VODAFONE FIJI IS A DYNAMIC AND FAST-PACED BUSINESS, OPERATING IN AN ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY” “A lot of focus for us is also about covering these assetsthemakingareas,useofexistingthat we have, and trying to sweat them as much as possible so that we deliver the connectivity that people are after.”
Vodafone Fiji may be an estimated two years away from full 5G connectivity, but with Prasad at the helm developing and solidifying plans, as well as encouraging his team to think differently, the rollout is likely to be free of any kinks or issues.
Arguably the biggest move for Vodafone Fiji in recent years is the development of its Mobile Money platform, which marks the company’s move into the FinTech space to complement the different industries within the local Fijian market and, therefore, the economy.“Mobile Money is one of the greatest examples and pride of Vodafone Fiji,” Prasad enthuses. “M-PAiSA is an in-housedeveloped digital wallet platform that
Shifting priorities and expanding verticals In the face of globally-shifting priorities, it’s become necessary for businesses to expand their verticals, breaching into multi-cloud terrain as part of their digital transformation. For example, Vodafone Fiji has merged its private cloud with that of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, which, in Prasad’s words, is “bringing the best of private and public clouds together with our expertise so that we offer our customers a unified cloud platform for all their needs”.
IT TAKES TWO (OR MORE) TO MAKE A THING GO RIGHT
“So having the right device strategy, where we have a pool of low-end 5G devices that are prepaid, will really help.”
But another obstacle to overcome is the Fijian terrain itself, which prevents the telco from “using the traditional mobile towers or cell towers” across every area.
“We needed to think outside the box. And one of the very cost-effective solutions that we have deployed here is broadband satellite: it’s quick to deploy, easy to install, easy to operate, and can be done within days,” Prasad explains.
“Fiji is a developing country, so the average user may not spend up to a thousand dollars to get a 5G phone; a normal, basic phone would meet their requirements. And Fiji is also predominantly a prepaid market.
Apart from partners such as ZTE, Cisco, Aviat Networks, we also work very closely with partners such as MultiVision, Ciena, umlaut, InfoBip and many others to deliver the best value not only for Vodafone, but for our customers as well.”
Ultimately, the company’s approach is not to rush ahead, but instead to “wait, watch and then act”. This will help the team to build an “understanding of the 5G ecosystem and how it will bridge the current digital gaps”, as well as informing them of “any investments needed to fully grasp this”.
“Device strategy will play a key role, with one of the main drivers when it comes to devices being affordability,” Prasad affirms.
As established, affordability for all customers is key to both Vodafone Fiji and Prasad. You see, 5G infrastructure is all well and good, but the vast majority of the devices designed for such capabilities are high-end and, as such, have high-end prices attached.
For a telco & ICT provider like Vodafone Fiji, acquiring accreditation and certifications from world-class vertical companies such as Cisco, Oracle and Microsoft is key for us as we strategise to further enhance our position in the ICT sector
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Simply put, collaboration with vertical industries is now the mainstay when it comes to delivering best-in-class valueadded services to our customers, resulting in new revenue streams.
“We are always on the lookout for new partnerships. It’s no secret that to succeed, having trusted partners is a must –it’s no longer about operating in a silo.
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“We have taken an advantageous position by being the first to market with our innovative payment services using QR pay. Month-on-month, we see new merchants come onboard with us. Next on the horizon for Vodafone Fiji is to become a scheme
“FOR FIJI, TOURISM HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST ECONOMIC DRIVERS. SO, WHEN THE BORDERS CLOSED DOWN, THE ECONOMY SUFFERED”
VIKASH PRASAD CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, VODAFONE FIJI provides a number of basic financial and digital payment services.
Prasad details the effect this success has had in the years since M-PAiSA’s launch: “One of Fiji’s fastest growing economic drivers is inward International Remittance. Within a space of 12 months, M-PAiSA has gained a 25% market share of all inward remits into Fiji.
“Launched in 2010, M-PAiSA now processes over $200mn in monthly M-PAiSA transactions, making it a significant player in Fiji’s digital and cashless payment space.” This bespoke digital wallet platform, M-PAiSA, has established itself as a market leader in the mobile and digital payment space, with “high brand equity” and “trust as a reliable and robust digital payment platform”. 16 vodafone.com.fj
At the very core of realising this aim of enabling connectivity in underprivileged rural vodafone.com.fj
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The future outlook for Vodafone Fiji will feature “digitalisation, data and virtualisation” on a large scale, which, of course, includes the continuation of its mobile networks' rollout with focus on 5G and beyond, as well as the development of its FinTech arm. This means “evolving legacy platforms into world class systems that can be supported through cloud” and obtaining “deeper insights through collaboration in terms of analytics and forging partnerships” to allow for “detailed, real-time insights of customers’ pain points”.
Digitalisation, data and virtualisation
“When it comes to analytics, it’s a move to fresher, more dynamic ways of understanding our customers using crowdsourced data,” Prasad explains. “It’s no longer just about using data from your OSS & BSS platforms. Detailed insights from near realtime systems gives another level of clarity on what the pain points are exactly.” This means that, no matter where in Fiji someone resides – whether on the most remote islet or the centre of the capital, Suva – they aren’t held back by being digitally poor.
“All-in-all, Vodafone is not only a CSP but offers services that can be offered by a FinTech organisation.” Exciting, indeed.
and coastal regions sits data and analytics –and in the modern world, data is king.
Providing digital equality and equity to those who are underprivileged is a noble endeavour, particularly when the aim is to do so carefully and steadily to make sure it lasts for the foreseeable future. payment provider. This is a whole new ball game for Fiji as a nation.
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