Joining The Dots: In Vanuatu

This is the first article of the "Joining The Dots" interview series with telecommunications professionals from all around the world helping us understand how one's country influences one's daily life.

Today we speak with Dalsie Green Baniala and Winston Bramwell, both located in the Republic of Vanuatu, a South Pacific Ocean nation composed of 83 islands,got its independence from the UK and France in 1980. Dalsie is CEO of the Telecommunications and Radiocommunications Regulator (TRR) of Vanuatu and her mission is to get the 63 inhabited islands covered by the network as well as making sure women born in Vanuatu have access to management positions. Winston, originally from Jamaica, has lived in 3 different countries and worked as the Operations Director for a mobile phone company in Vanuatu, where he held responsibility for product distribution, retail and customer care. 

In this interview, Dalsie and Winston share their passion for telecommunications and connecting people. They also share the issues that they face in order to roll out data and communications services in Vanuatu where villages are isolated and scattered over 1,300 kilometers in the South Pacific Ocean and cyclones and earthquakes are relatively frequent.

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What made you choose to work in the Telecom industry?

Dalsie: "I found out about this exciting project of establishing a Telecommunications Regulator Institution in Vanuatu and applied for it. I first started as an administrator, had the opportunity to prove myself, and was consequently appointed CEO."

Winston : "Having started as a part timer in a Telecom call center, this experience opened my eyes to the world of Telecoms. I was introduced to various new Telco acronyms and learned about exciting and ‘first to market’ Telecom products and services, all of which were very exciting for me and the Telco sector at the time, so it was an easy decision to continue in Telecoms."

What is your best professional memory so far? 

Winston: "During my 14 years in the field, I have been blessed to have travelled to over 18 countries and lived in 5 countries besides my home country Jamaica. It is really tough to pick only one memory as there have been so many good ones!"

What does a typical work week look like?

Dalsie: "It’s a mix of meeting after meeting… After meeting! Then, onto reviewing documents to make sure my decisions are sound before external release. As the Telecommunications and Radiocommunications Regulator, there is no room for error! Our mission is to facilitate the development of the telecommunications sector and to regulate communications services in Vanuatu and we are working diligently to make sure we are up to the task."

"The geographical and cultural situation is a big challenge: we have more than 200 languages here."

In terms of technology, importance in the business and means at your disposal, how has your job changed since you started your career?

Winston: "It is easy to overlook the smaller changes that have impacted my day-to-day job over the years as they seem very second nature now. I am now more connected to my work than I was when I had just started my career. I think this is mainly due to faster internet connections, the proliferation of smart devices/phones and better software technology that now allows me to work from virtually anywhere in the world. We have 4G here!

Video conferencing has also evolved and become a more vital and popular tool for communications between our offices. Other less obvious changes have occurred in regards to in-office automation. For example, we have automated some of our internal processes using software. One simple example of this is the use of an electronic purchase order system. Previously, people would lug around the office with pieces of paper seeking signature approvals, which took up valuable time and human effort. Now this is all done electronically with approvals over mobile phones (so from anywhere) which is much faster and more efficient."

How does the country you live in influence your job?

Dalsie: "Vanuatu is a developing country and, in terms of technology, we are still developing by rolling out data services to outer islands of Vanuatu from two urban towns. The geographical and cultural situation (we have more than 200 languages here) have caused a lot of challenges to my work given that we are also looking at consumer protection, managing the rolling out of telecommunications accesses, while facing logistical issues, illiteracy and so on."

"There was a cyclone in 2015 which had a big impact on the Telecom sector, as well as other sectors."

Winston: "The islands topography itself is a challenge in terms of distribution. Sending products via boats to rural islands for which transportation schedules are sometimes unreliable, has its challenges. The sometimes extreme weather conditions also have a lot of influence on my work here in the Pacific. In Vanuatu, there was a cyclone in 2015, Cyclone Pam, which has been regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in Vanuatu’s history. This naturally had a big impact on the Telecom sector in Vanuatu, as well as other sectors."

"Now, we can talk on the phone instead of waiting one or two weeks for the boat or plane to bring in the letters!"

What do you consider being successful in your career?

Dalsie: "Being the first Ni-Vanuatu (inhabitants of Vanuatu) and the first female in the region to be taking on such a challenging role is quite an achievement which I am proud of!"

If you had a magic wand and wanted to change something you deal with on a daily basis, what would it be?

Dalsie: "Visiting my 79 year-old father every day after work given that he is on another island in the North of Vanuatu (Maewo) and I live in Port Vila (Efate). It normally takes two days to reach home by cargo boat or one and a half hours by plane. Now, we can talk on the phone instead of waiting one or two weeks for the boat or plane to bring in the letters!"

If telecommunications did not exist, what career path would you have chosen?

Dalsie: "Being a sports leader as I love working with young people and helping them to become successful in their lives."

Winston: "I think I would want to work with people, and would pursue a career as a counsellor."

Which slogan best describes your job/mission?

Dalsie: "Fairness, respect and care all go hand-in-hand."

Winston: "My mission is to help people."

Thank you very much !

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I will publish testimonials from telecommunications professionals all around the world throughout 2017. Stay tuned... and feel free to comment or share your own experiences!

Victor Vatus

* If you are an experienced telecom professional and would like to participate, feel free to reach out on: [email protected] and I’ll walk you through it.