Connecting the Unconnected: The Use of VSAT Technology in Four Regions of East Timor

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) play an important role in Asia and the Pacific. In East Timor, one of the world’s newest nations in Southeast Asia, the rise of telephony and computerization is rapidly accelerating. In the last four years, the mobile telephone penetration rate has increased from 12. 6% to 60.2%. The telecommunication infrastructure covers almost all 13 districts of East Timor. The current government has proposed telecommunications liberalization and is looking ways to strengthen the communication infrastructure and provide Internet access via submarine, fiber-optic cable. This paper evaluates the use of Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) technology for Internet service in four regions of East Timor using an ethnographic approach. The data was collected based on direct field observation and participant interviews with thirteen individuals who use VSAT on a daily basis. The results show that communities from four different, geographically isolated locations adopt the Internet technology differently based on their social and economic conditions. Community adoption varied with differing development goals of each region. Further, there is a need to develop technical support in all regions to maintain the systems, as relying on centralized service can delay repairs for up to several months.