Nabilah S
Project Semata was started by Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), Digicel Fiji, and Southern Cross. It will give three schools in Savusavu, Fiji, access to high-speed internet and online learning tools. Thanks to this project, all students and teachers at the Kamendra School, Savusavu Secondary School, and St. Bedes Secondary School will be able to use the Digicel Fiji network at 10Mbps.
Only a few students at these Savusavu schools can access high-speed internet at home right now. This project will give students and teachers at these schools the tools they need and the chance to learn skills essential for a digital economy.
Russia Musudroka, the principal of Savusavu Secondary School, thanked everyone who worked to ensure the school had free internet.
With the installation of interactive boards and overhead projectors for our 12th and 13th graders, we have been moving toward e-learning. With the help of free internet, we can now give our students the best learning tools. Musudroka said, “Giving our teachers access to online resources is also a good way to improve the education process.”
Farid Mohammed, the CEO of Digicel Fiji, said, “During the pandemic, Digicel promised to keep everyone in touch. We partnered with the Ministry of Education to give students access to virtual learning sites and classes at their schools. We also gave students discounted data plans and accessible access to essential learning sites.
With Project Semata, we keep our promise by working with Ciena and Southern Cross to connect these schools in Savusavu to the internet.
As a firm that focuses on building advanced networks, it’s important to us that everyone has access to the digital tools and resources they need to do well in life.
Ivan Polizzi, Regional Managing Director, Ciena Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific, said, “Project Semata is part of the Ciena Digital Inclusion program, which aims to help close the digital divide by improving connectivity, access to technology, and digital skills.”
Laurie Miller, the CEO of Southern Cross, said, “During the pandemic, we all saw firsthand how vital broadband connectivity is, especially in areas like education and learning.
Southern Cross next opens up the vast potential for socioeconomic and cross-sectoral development but doesn’t connect directly to schools and institutions. We help these benefits come true by working with Ciena and Digicel Fiji to ensure high-speed connections reach secondary school students in Savusavu.
For the next two years, Project Semata will help schools in Pacific Island communities.
About Ciena
Ciena is the world’s leading provider of networking systems, services, and software (NYSE: CIEN). We build the most flexible networks in the industry, so our customers can plan for and meet the growing digital needs of their businesses.
For more than 30 years, Ciena has added a human touch to our never-ending quest for innovation. By putting collaboration with our customers, partners, and communities at the top of our list of priorities, we build flexible, open, and long-lasting networks that are better for all users now and in the future.
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and the Ciena Insights blog, or go to www.ciena.com for news about Ciena.
About Digicel
At Digicel, we bring the future into the present by making our customers’ digital lives better. Our people show how much we want to be the best at providing digital services, experiences, and connections to our six markets in the South Pacific. Together, we can do more, see more, learn, laugh, make, share, listen, and play more.
About Southern Cross
Southern Cross Cables Limited (SCCL) is the leading independent Australasian provider of international capacity solutions to Carriers, Content Providers, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region.
SCCL was created in 1997 to build the Southern Cross Cable Network, which is a pair of underwater cables connecting Australia and the West Coast of the United States. Southern Cross launched the Southern Cross NEXT system in July 2022, giving the network ecosystem a third high-capacity, low-latency path.
Southern Cross brings the first international fiber connections to Tokelau and Kiribati and global fiber connections to Savusavu.
