By Ulamila Kurai-Marrie
RAROTONGA, Cook Islands (Cook Islands News, Nov. 17) – Internet costs in the Cook Islands cannot be compared with New Zealand, says Telecom Cook Islands’ chief executive Stuart Davies, even though Telecom New Zealand is a majority shareholder in the company.
Davies made this comment when shown a comparison table on high-speed internet costs in the two countries.
Local Internet charges are the same for private and commercial users.
Two weeks ago, Davies announced a reduced cost with high-speed Internet, from NZ$1,585 (US$1,105) per month to NZ$999 (US$696) but still three times more than New Zealand’s $299 (US$208).
Davies says the Cook Islands is more expensive for a number reasons.
"Firstly we suffer from the lack of economy of scale that every business suffers from in the Cook Islands," he says. "Secondly, New Zealand gets Internet access via huge fibre optic cable links which are not accessible by the Cook Islands...