Vodafone Fiji has installed a new base station at South Ridge in Northern Viti Levu, improving coverage at Nadarivatu and the greater Tavua/Ra region.

The base station, Vodafone Fiji’s 118th, comes soon after new base stations at Sonaisali Island and at RC Manubhai’s outlet at Raiwaqa, went live.

The South Ridge base station will improve coverage around the area, including Monasavu, Tavua and Rakiraki.

Villages and settlements covered include Nadarivatu, Lewa, Naiyaca, Nadala, Navai and Nadelei.

The building of the base station will help the people of Nadarivatu stay in touch with relatives as well as young people who are studying or working in urban centres, says Nadarivatu High School
manager Josefa Vauvau.

The school has 165 students and 16 teachers. Lewa Village and the Lewa SDA Primary School also benefits from mobile coverage now.

Nadala and Naiyaca villages have about 35 houses which can now receive and make mobile phone calls.

Being able to access Vodafone Fiji’s mobile network will also help the staff at the District Office at Nadarivatu and the Government Station stay in touch with relevant Government departments and ministries.

With villages in the area spread out over a large area, mobile phone access will enable residents to contact the Government Station at Nadarivatu in emergencies.

Vodafone now has a total of 118 base stations, providing mobile coverage for over 70% of the Fiji population.

More base stations, based on increasing coverage and capacity as well as better rural coverage and taking access to tourism resorts on outlying islands, are to be put in place this year.

Vodafone Fiji managing director Aslam Khan says every base station the company builds boosts the economy of the surrounding areas as well as connects residents to the outside world.