Focussing on telecommunications on the Falkland Islands
The headline points for busy readers In 2016, when the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) was deciding how to structure a new exclusive telecommunications licence for Sure, it did not lack for warnings. Its own consultants had set out a menu of alternatives to straight renegotiation. The Chamber of Commerce, individual residents and even the Select Committee’s own line of questioning […] Read More
The headline points for busy readers This post is not about what the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) will propose on the future of telecommunications in August. It examines something more fundamental: the organisational culture that may shape that decision. Drawing on publicly available documents and events, it considers whether a pattern has emerged of delaying difficult decisions, preferring incremental change […] Read More
The headline numbers to remember for busy readers: While Sure South Atlantic’s (Sure) exclusive licence remains active, the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) pays the company approximately £653,000 per quarter, or £2.6 million annually, through two financial arrangements. The VSAT compensation agreement accounts for about £393,000 per quarter, and the broadband capacity obligation adds £260,000 per quarter. These payments represent a […] Read More
On Tuesday, 22nd June 2026, Traighana Smith, Editor of Falklands Radio, interviewed MLA Roger Spink and asked him about the current status of FIG’s telecommunications strategy. Although quite short, it is probably one of the most impactful interviews on Falklands telecommunications since Starlink took centre stage in the dialogue. PDF version For many months, the public debate about the future […] Read More
Everything written so far on telecommunications in OpenFalklands has been grounded in publicly available facts and documented statements, except for my recent speculative post on the Google undersea cable. This post is my second attempt at pure speculation, an exercise in understanding the incentives – the driving forces that influence choices and actions – facing the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) […] Read More
I wrote about the major change in telecommunications on Ascension Island back in January 2026 – Ascension’s Telecoms Turning Point and What It May Signal for the Falklands. Consider this an update with the benefit of several more months of evidence. When the Ascension Island Government (AIG) announced in December 2025 that it had selected Omnitouch Network Services to replace […] Read More
In yesterday’s OpenFalklands post, I speculated on what the MV Fugro Supporter surveying vessel was doing while visiting the Falkland Islands – Could the South Atlantic Be The Next Cable Frontier? As a follow-up to that post, I asked a colleague (Thank you!) to extract recent track data for the MV Fugro Supporter from various Automatic Identification System (AIS) sources […] Read More
8th June update: AIS Data Offers Clues to the MV Fugro Supporter’s Activities in the Falklands Original Post I’ve never indulged in speculation on OpenFalklands before, but I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. Why not, I said to myself? So yes, this post is total conjecture and pure speculation, but it is also interesting and fun. I came across this […] Read More
Image Credit: Sure Falkland Islands graphic used when the 4G service was launched in 2018 I would like to thank several islanders who told me about this issue. On 25 May 2026, Sure Falkland Islands announced that from 1 June, mobile data speeds would increase from 12 Mbit/s to 30 Mbit/s, a headline improvement of two and a half times […] Read More
While much of the public discussion about the future of telecommunications in the Falkland Islands on OpenFalklands has focused on the expiry of Sure’s exclusive licence in December 2027, a potentially significant new development has emerged that deserves closer attention. MissionNEX, a US-based company, announced the South Atlantic Digital Gateway on 30 May 2026, a planned secure communications and space […] Read More
The two previous OpenFalklands posts examined the importance of the 2-year notice period for ending the existing exclusive telecommunications licence and the potential impact of delaying such notice. This post argues that FIG now faces a clear choice between genuine structural reform and the comfort of familiar ground, and makes the case that only the former will deliver what islanders actually […] Read More
The subject of the previous OpenFalklands post was – Falklands Telecommunications: Why the Two-Year Notice Matters, while this post examines the potential consequences of delaying notice. That post concluded that approximately 20 months have passed since an external consultancy began developing proposals for the Falkland Islands Government’s (FIG) telecommunications licence-expiration strategy. Based on public reporting, it now appears that it […] Read More
Telecommunications in the Falkland Islands, particularly the exclusive licence held by Sure International (Sure), continues to attract attention. One point that comes to the fore is the requirement for the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) to give two years’ notice before any change. But what does that actually mean in practice? The Director of Development and Commercial Services outlined the current […] Read More
I would like to thank FIRS and FITV for letting me have recordings of the public meeting held by Alistair Beak, the CEO of Sure South Atlantic, on Wednesday, 22nd April 2026. Roma Stewart, CEO of Sure Falkland Islands, was also in attendance. Please find below the 1-hour 25-minute recording and an OpenFalklands analysis of some of the significant points […] Read More
Executive summary The arrival of Starlink in the Falkland Islands has rapidly reshaped the connectivity landscape, introducing faster speeds, lower costs, and, for the first time in years, meaningful consumer choice. While some view it as merely a temporary “sticking plaster,” the reality is more nuanced. This piece explores how Starlink’s direct-to-consumer model is disrupting the existing global telecommunications framework, […] Read More
Executive Overview The Communications Regulator’s latest attempt to establish a broadband speed KPI for Sure Falkland Islands, based on newly installed network probes, risks repeating the shortcomings of earlier efforts. While these probes may provide insight into internal network performance, they are not designed to reflect real user experience and may exclude key factors such as satellite connectivity and ADSL […] Read More
To avoid any confusion at the outset, the CMC report has NOT been made public and is unlikely to be released by FIG any time soon, but it will go to EXCO in the near future. This post instead draws on and seeks to explain the high-level outcomes outlined in the case study published by Cambridge Management Consulting in March […] Read More
In recent OpenFalklands posts, we discussed the Chris Doyle, 2006 telecommunications report, the 2016 Cartesian telecommunications report and the resultant 2017 Communications Ordinance. It’s now time to look at some of the impacts on the Falkland Islands’ telecommunications landscape as experienced by consumers and businesses in their everyday communication activities over the last decade. Of course, it is not possible […] Read More
In the previous two OpenFalklands posts, we looked at two telecommunications consultants’ reports published in 2005 and 2015. One of the major activities following the 2015 report was the drafting of the 2017 Communications Ordinance, which represented a significant overhaul of telecommunications law in the Falkland Islands, replacing the outdated 1988 Ordinance with a broader, more modern regulatory framework. It expanded regulation […] Read More
Sure’s Earth Station in 2015 In the previous OpenFalklands post, we focused on Chris Doyle’s 2005 review of Falkland Islands telecommunications. Ten years on, in 2014, the Falkland Islands Government commissioned a further strategic review – Part A: Landscape Report of telecommunications to assess the sector’s performance and inform future decisions on licensing, regulation and investment. The public version of this […] Read More
In 2004, the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) commissioned an independent review of telecommunications to assess proposals from Cable and Wireless (C&W) to upgrade the Camp communications system and to consider the sector’s future direction. The report, written by Dr Chris Doyle of Warwick Business School and published in January 2005, examined the structure, performance and regulation of telecommunications across the […] Read More
I think we can all agree that the licensing of Starlink in the Falkland Islands marked a genuinely transformational moment for residents and businesses alike. For the first time, many households and enterprises gained access to reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity that meets modern expectations. The scale of uptake, reflected in the Communications Regulator’s remarkably high number of VSAT licences issued […] Read More
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons Readers cannot have missed the recent news indicating a very significant shift: the United States is now distancing itself from the proposed transfer of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, undermining earlier claims of consistent US support. However, this post examines consumer telecommunications services on the island and will not digress into these other […] Read More
A previous post titled “St Helena terrestrial fibre optic network disaster” discussed problems with St Helena’s terrestrial telecommunications network. As of the start of 2026, the original exclusive telecommunications licence held by Sure South Atlantic in Saint Helena expired under its original terms, having reached its stated duration on 31 December 2025. However, under the transitional provisions of the new Communications […] Read More
February 27th update from the AIG: Temporary Changes to International Calling on Ascension Island Ascension Island Mobile (AIM) has recently launched mobile phone services on Ascension Island. The priority during the network launch has been to ensure that the local island network is up-and-running in advance of Sure South Atlantic exiting on 28 February 2026. There will be some disruption […] Read More
On December 19th 2025, the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC) published its 2025 Business Climate Survey with the statement: “FIDC is pleased to release its latest edition of the Business Climate Survey, a biennial survey conducted with its business association partners, Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce, Falkland Islands Tourism Association, and Rural Business Association.” You can download the 2025 Business […] Read More
I had the pleasure of another visit to the Falkland Islands that coincided with the MLA elections in December 2025. This rather unusual OpenFalklands post looks at the trip and what I got up to on this South Atlantic archipelago. I hope you find it entertaining. Northbound travel woes. Let’s begin with the end. The challenges of flying to the […] Read More
Next week I’ll be visiting the Falkland Islands, a place I know well and have long supported in its efforts to improve connectivity. As one of the original members of the Starlink Petition Group, I am genuinely pleased to see that Starlink has finally arrived on the islands and is providing a modern, high-performance option for many residents and businesses. […] Read More
On the 30th October 2025, the Falkland Islands government issued a press release stating that FIG and Sure have reached a VSAT Licensing Agreement. The press release can be seen here – Falklands Government Press Statement: FIG and Sure Reach VSAT Licensing Agreement The Starlink website now shows that Starlink is available in the Falkland Islands. 31st October 2025: Falkland […] Read More
In this week’s Penguin News, Sure South Atlantic (Sure SA) shared its perspective in an interview about taking legal action against the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) over its approval for Starlink to operate in the Falkland Islands. This legal challenge came at a time when the Falklands community had been eagerly awaiting improved connectivity, with Starlink’s low-orbit satellite service seen […] Read More
“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” On November 3rd, 2025, the Falkland Islands reached a milestone many once believed impossible: unrestricted access to Starlink and the right for residents to obtain their own VSAT licences. Starlink Freedom Day is not simply the arrival of a new internet service; it marks the end of enforced technological […] Read More
FIG PRESS STATEMENT 30 October 2025 FIG and Sure Reach VSAT Licensing Agreement The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and Sure South Atlantic (Sure) have reached an agreement to allow Sure to continue to discharge its universal service obligations under its exclusive telecommunications licence, alongside the more permissive VSAT licensing scheme approved by Executive Council in June this year. This also […] Read More
This week I had the privilege of spending a brilliant half-day on a personal visit to BFBS’s headquarters in Buckinghamshire. The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) isn’t just a media organisation; it’s a charity and also a defence contractor dedicated to supporting the well-being of the UK armed forces community. The history of BFBS The Army Kinematograph Service (AKS) was […] Read More
Caveat: The views expressed in this OpenFalklands post are solely my own. While I do not speak for others, I hope they may resonate with many Falkland Islanders. Over the past few weeks, several readers have inquired about the potential implications of the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) adopting a different approach to telecoms management; one that retains public ownership while leveraging […] Read More
Light at the end of the road in Camp Photo credit: Simon Verrechia This post has been reviewed in the 16th October issue of Penguin News. While the previous OpenFalklands post, “Stanley’s Broadband Crossroads: From Copper Legacy to Fibre Future,” explored upgrading Stanley’s legacy ADSL network, this post looks at the possibilities of upgrading Camp telecommunications. The rapid adoption of Starlink […] Read More
Photo Credit TravelPhotograpyGuru From a technological perspective, Stanley’s broadband network can be considered a legacy, end-of-life network that is long overdue for an upgrade. The network is still based on copper cable, utilising a mix of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and ADSL2 standards, as far as can be ascertained, which is often considered a stopgap solution in the absence of optical fibre networks in […] Read More
Caveat: The views expressed in this OpenFalklands post are solely my own. While I cannot speak for others, I hope they may also resonate with many Falkland Islanders. I last wrote about the alternative telecommunications business models that could be adopted after Sure SA’s exclusive licence expires in December 2027 in the post – Holding islands hostage Part III: Telecommunications Options […] Read More
The Falkland Islands experienced a major unplanned broadband outage on Sunday, 21st September 2025. From my perspective in the UK, this appeared to be one of the most severe and prolonged outages in many years. As an example of déjà vu, the scope and impact appear to be similar to those of the major outage that occurred in December 2019. […] Read More
Caveat: The views expressed in this OpenFalklands post are solely my own. While I cannot speak for others, I hope they may also resonate with many Falkland Islanders. A recent insightful comment on Facebook about an OpenFalklands post – ‘Falklands Telecoms: £8 Million Broadband Spend: Sure SA and FIG Under Scrutiny’- resonated with many, and I would like to talk […] Read More
The Falkland Islands Government (FIG), in collaboration with its telecommunications consultancy, Cambridge Management Consulting (Cambridge MC), has outlined an ambitious vision: to transform telecommunications across the islands, enabling residents, businesses, and public services to enjoy connectivity that meets global standards. To make this vision a reality, FIG is taking a careful and consultative first step, the Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) […] Read More
The Falkland Islands Public Accounts Committee (PAC) released an important report this week on payments from the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) to Sure South Atlantic (Sure SA), dated May 2025. The report is subtitled as: “Report of an investigation into payments of over £8 million made (or to be made) by FIG to Sure South Atlantic Limited between 2018/19 and […] Read More
15th August 2025: The following message was posted by the Communications Regulator on the Regulator’s website on the 15th August 2025: August updates: Starlink, VSAT and spectrum updates Today, a proposed Licence for Starlink Internet Services Limited has been published. This can be viewed here: Proposed licence for Starlink Internet Services Limited.pdf(2.18 MB) I am receiving representations on the proposed […] Read More
The Starlink Petition Group has announced a change of focus and a change of name once Starlink VSAT licences are issued in the Falkland Islands. Starlink Petition Group Press Release 24th August 2025 – Starlink Win – But the Fight for Fair Telecoms Continues – Thanks to your incredible support, dedication, and determination, we have achieved a historic milestone: Starlink […] Read More
Lynk’s D2D messaging trial in 2022 (Credit: Lynk) The Falklands’ telecommunications landscape will experience a significant shift with the emergence of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite Direct-to-Device (D2D) technology. D2D promises to enhance connectivity in Camp and islands, support tourism, improve resilience, and reduce costs. However, it is not a replacement for existing 4G/5G networks, as true reliability comes from […] Read More
Reader overview In the opinion of many, Sure Ascension’s public notice to withdraw from Ascension Island is a deliberate negotiation tactic aimed at pressuring the local government amid Starlink licensing debates. While legally sound, the move raises serious ethical concerns by prioritising Sure’s monopoly over essential communications in a small community. The timing suggests a strategic play extending beyond Ascension, […] Read More
When a company’s reputation takes a hit, due to poor communication, poor management, poor market or product strategies, it doesn’t just hurt morale, it threatens long-term performance and even survival. Turning things around requires more than rebranding; it demands cultural transformation embedded into company strategy. That’s where an internal change agent or change champion comes in: someone in the organisation […] Read More
– Sometimes the biggest battles are fought not in courtrooms, but in the court of public opinion – Sure South Atlantic (Sure) is at a crossroads as its exclusive telecom licence in the Falkland Islands nears expiration in 2027. This analysis, based on public sentiment and independent observation, outlines a hypothetical path for the company to rebuild trust with the […] Read More
I have now read the two highly redacted public June 2025 ExCo papers, 100-25P and 120-25P, written by the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and its telecommunications consultants, Cambridge Management Consulting and Incyte Consulting, regarding changes to the operation of VSAT licences in the Falkland Islands. After agreeing with the papers’ recommendations, for the first time in decades, FIG and MLAs […] Read More
To download a PDF copy of all the Holding Islands Hostage posts please click here. This is the final post in the Holding Islands Hostage six-part series that has examined the current state of telecommunications in the Falkland Islands, highlighting a recurring pattern: ageing infrastructure, slow improvements, limited competition, and a single company, Sure South Atlantic and its subsidiary company, […] Read More
Parts I, II, III and IV of the Holding Islands Hostage series have extensively discussed the impact of an exclusive telecommunications licence in the Falklands Part V of this series delves into a murky world of secrecy, closed doors, commercial confidentiality, and redacted documents. This post examines the opaque financial position of Sure South Atlantic and its Falkland Islands operations, in light of […] Read More
Parts I, II, and III of the Holding Islands Hostage series have extensively discussed the impact of an exclusive telecommunications licence in the Falklands, which expires on December 29, 2027. I suggest taking a look at these before proceeding to Part IV, if you haven’t already done so. As the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) navigates a rapidly changing telecommunications landscape, especially […] Read More
With the expiry of Sure South Atlantic’s (Sure) exclusive telecommunications licence approaching in December 2027, the Falkland Islands face a pivotal decision on how to structure their future telecoms market. The Sure Exclusive licence ends only after the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) serves notice on them. The exclusive licence then specifies a 6-month transition period, which can be extended to […] Read More
This post follows up on the two major service announcements made by Sure Falkland Islands (Sure) on 19th March 2025: the introduction of “cheaper and unlimited broadband packages for all“ and a “low-latency” broadband service based on their OneWeb LEO satellite platform. Not unexpectedly, these announcements were met with significant interest and high expectations from residents and businesses. This is […] Read More
I last wrote about telecommunications in St Helena in February 2024, so it could be worthwhile reviewing St Helena terrestrial fibre optic network disaster if you are not familiar with the background of the issues discussed here. This post examines the recent breakdown in telecommunications negotiations between the St Helena Government (SHG) and Sure South Atlantic (Sure), and what it portends […] Read More
20th June 2025: Chloe Freeman, Communications Regulator of the Falkland Islands, provides an update on the status of Starlink’s application to provide service in the islands. (Thanks FITV) 13th June 2025: The Starlink Petition Group sent the following letter, raising concerns about the government’s press release regarding the change to VSAT policies announced on June 10 2025, 2025. The letter and the response […] Read More
Perhaps this could be an alternative title for this post? “The People Chose Starlink – Will Sure Try to Overrule Them? As Starlink’s long-awaited arrival in the Falkland Islands draws closer, the region’s digital landscape is poised for a historic transformation. Yet not everyone welcomes the change. The local telecommunications provider, Sure South Atlantic (Sure), has expressed significant concern about […] Read More
Nearly twelve months after submitting the Starlink Petition Group’s petition to the Falkland Islands Government in the Town Hall, Stanley, the government has formally revised the VSAT policy and fee level. This is a momentous occasion for all businesses and consumers on the island – Starlink (or, more accurately, VSAT) Freedom has finally arrived! This is the Starlink Petition Group’s […] Read More
25th April 2025 Penguin News 17 April 2025 BBC News Northern Ireland The BBC has delayed blocking BBC Sounds app for audiences outside the UK. “It comes after a decision made by the corporation meant listeners outside the UK would only be able to access Radio 4 and the World Service via a new audio section on BBC.com. In a […] Read More
3rd May Update: Rajeev Badyal, Amazon’s VP of Technology, belatedly posted a video showing the launch of the Kuiper satellites at the end of the mission on LinkedIn – “The sequence takes about 15 minutes to complete, and all satellites were successfully deployed right on time 36 minutes into the mission.” It’s a phrase we all know – “you wait […] Read More
Starlink’s Community Gateway on the island of Unalaska. Source: Starlink We’re all familiar with Starlink’s direct-to-consumer-focused low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service, which offers global low-cost, high-speed internet access. It has quickly become one of the most disruptive innovations in the worldwide telecommunications market. Since launching its first batch of satellites in May 2019, Starlink has experienced phenomenal growth. Today, […] Read More
A further update on the media discussions in April about Starlink, further to an earlier post dated 8th April 2025. 10th April 2025: “Public frustration”.. Credit: Penguin News: Friday 18th April 2025 April 11th 2025 Credit FITV Chris Gare, OpenFalklands April 2025, copyright OpenFalklands
On March 17th 2025, two presentations were given by Sure Falkland Islands in Stanley. The first was to the islands’ businesses who are members of the islands’ Chamber of Commerce, followed by a public meeting at 17:30. The main speaker at the two presentations was Alistair Beak, Group Chief Executive Officer of Sure International. Sure International provide telecommunications services in the […] Read More
FIG’s Consultation extended 8th April 2025: A press statement from the Falkland Islands Government announcing an extension to the current consultation. “VSAT Public Consultation Period Extended The public consultation period on the proposed changes to the policy that guides the issuing of VSAT licences and the associated fee level has been extended by a month. The proposed changes were considered […] Read More
There was a lot of activity during March 2025, and it’s still taking a high priority in early April. Here is how the local media reported on the public meetings Sure Falkland Islands and Cambridge Management Consulting held in late March 2025 – and my letter to the Penguin News! 28th March 2025: My letter to the Penguin News Credit: Penguin […] Read More
This post examines the Falkland Islands Government’s initiative to install network ‘probes’ in the Sure network to measure broadband speed as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI). This initiative was the main driver behind introducing the KPI concept. The post does not cover basic network KPIs such as availability, reachability, or mean time between failures. This is the longest post ever […] Read More
Picture source: Mike Kemp I feel I should apologise for the flurry of posts from OpenFalklands in recent days. But can you blame me with everything happening at warp speed in the Falklands? That has to be a good thing? I have been asked to comment on Sure’s surprising proposal to probably offer two new broadband plans with no quotas […] Read More
Stanley, Falkland Islands town hall Hot on the heels of the Sure Falkland Islands presentation last week and my critiques of some of the comments made over the weekend – post 1, post 2 and post 3 follows the presentation by Cambridge Management Consultants discussing some aspects of the future of telecommunications on the islands. But first: Thursday 20th March 2025: […] Read More
A typical data centre where Points of Presence (PoPs) are hosted (Photo Source: datacenterfrontier.com) This is the final post in a three-part follow-up series covering the presentations delivered by Sure Falkland Islands on March 19th, 2025, in Stanley. You can listen to the public presentation and view the accompanying slides here. In a previous OpenFalklands post, I examined the technical […] Read More
This post is a follow-up to the presentation delivered by Sure Falkland Islands on March 19th, 2025, in Stanley. You can listen to the presentation and view the accompanying slides here. In my last OpenFalklands post, I focused on the technical aspects discussed during the meeting – specifically, the comparison between Starlink and OneWeb’s technical performance in the Falkland Islands. However, […] Read More
In yesterday’s post focussing on Sure Falkland Island’s public presentation, I talked about some observations asserted by the presenter about their technical views of Starlink. Although I am far from being a technical expert in satellite technology. It is a fact that Starlink is the highest capacity system in existence today. Here are my ‘expert’ technical views (with help from […] Read More
March 19th 2025: Two presentations were given by Sure Falkland Islands in Stanley. The first was to the islands’ businesses who are members of the islands’ Chamber of Commerce and a public meeting at 17:30. The main speaker at the two presentations was Alistair Beak, Group Chief Executive Officer of Sure International. Sure International provide telecommunications services in the Isle […] Read More
Tom Clarke of Sky News in Stanley This is the latest update in the long process of gaining approval for the use of Starlink in the Falkland Islands following the Executive Committee (ExCo) meeting in early March 2025. More on that meeting can be seen in this post – Falkland Islands Government Greenlights Starlink. March 7th 2025: Comment on the […] Read More
The wait is over – the light at the end of the tunnel is here! The Executive Committee (ExCo) of the Falkland Islands Government has officially approved a considerable reduction in the VSAT licence fee – it is “minded” to slash it from £5,400 to just £180 but it will stay at £5,400 until final agreement in ExCo in early […] Read More
(and a bit about the possible OneWeb LEO service in St Helena) I’ve discussed the arrival of the Equiano cable in St Helena several times on OpenFalklands with optimism for improved broadband services for islanders. It goes without saying that this was the whole point of the years-long campaign to bring the undersea cable to the island. The focus then […] Read More
This is a very brief OpenFalklands post—probably the shortest I’ve ever published! My last two posts covered the extraordinary week regarding Starlink usage in the Falkland Islands, culminating on Friday with the concerning news that Starlink was discontinuing service to users on the islands. It’s now Monday 10th of February 2025. I highly recommend reading those previous posts to understand […] Read More
In yesterday’s (Thursday) OpenFalklands blog, I noted that while a week may seem long in politics, even a single day can feel like an eternity when it comes to Starlink developments in the Falklands. And then, ‘Black Friday’ arrived on Friday, 7th of February! This morning, some Falkland Islands Starlink users began experiencing service terminations as their 60-day roaming period […] Read More
“Thursday, February 7th 2025: These past few days have been the most contentious since the Starlink Petition Group began its activities in May 2024 to legalise Starlink usage in the Falkland Islands. Boy, what a week so far it has been! They say a week is a long time in politics, but even a day feels like an eternity when […] Read More
KEMH hospital in Stanley, Falkland Islands This post shows the public updates in November and December 2024 in regards to the adoption of Starlink in the Falkland Islands. For new readers who are unfamiliar with the reasons as to why a £5,400 annual licence fee and an exceedingly complex licence process were implemented to prevent VSAT usage on the Falkland […] Read More
These are the last few days until the end of this most essential telecommunications survey. Think of all those times when you wished the islands had a more reliable telecommunications service. Last Sunday’s most recent outage had a big impact on all islanders, so please, please, if you haven’t already done so, take a few minutes to provide the information required […] Read More
Part 2: Updated 10th November 2024 The following item is courtesy of 31st November 2024 Penguin News. An update on several issues concerning Starlink and an interview with Tim Passingham, Chairman of Cambridge Management Consultants. (Source Falkland Islands TV). Thanks FITV! Legislative Assembly meeting formally approving the Starlink Petition Select Committee recommendations. (Source Falkland Islands TV). The drive the Cambridge […] Read More
Updated 25th October 2024 Sure Falkland Islands’ Intelsat satellite dishes in Stanley With the Sure Falkland Islands Exclusive Telecommunications Agreement ending on December 29th 2027, the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) has issued an Invitation to Tender (ITT) document in June 2024 entitled: “Invitation to Tender for the Provision of Telecommunications Consultancy Services”. The closing date was the 30th of July […] Read More
The petition objectives were supported by all eight MLA Select Committee members. The final public Starlink Select Committee will be held at 09:00 Falkland Islands time on Thursday 3rd October 2024 held at the Chamber of Commerce. October 2nd 2024: Draft Recommendations of Select Committee of the Legislative Assembly into the Petition: Download PDF: MLA Gavin Short’s statement at the […] Read More
This is the official website for the Starlink Select Committee. The agenda of the 20th September 2024 Starlink Select Committee. Listen to an interview by Kris Ball with Roma Stewart, CEO of Sure Falkland Islands, broadcast on the 18th of September on Falkland Islands Radio service. On September 16th, Sure Falkland Islands updated their new ‘unlimited’ service by an additional a […] Read More
This is the first for OpenFalklands, as all previous posts have focused on topics related to telecommunications on the Falkland Islands. However, exciting times call for something different, so I thought I would like to lighten things up. Trip to Stanley But first, I’d like to let you know that I will visit the Falkland Islands later this month. I […] Read More
The previous OpenFalklands post discussed the first Falkland Islands Government Select Committee concerning the Starlink Petition. It can be found here: Starlink in the Falklands Part 8: First meeting of the Starlink Select Committee. On August 28th, 2024, just a few days before the second Select Committee meeting on the 5th of September 2024, Sure announced several revised Internet access […] Read More
The first meeting of the Starlink Select Committee can be found at the end of this post. 15th July: Peter Biggs interview on Falkland Islands Radio Service. 18th July 2024: 25th July Order paper has been published: July 19th 2024 Credit: (Penguin News) 25th July 2024: MLA Roger Spink presenting the Starlink Petition to the Legislative Assembly (Credit Falkland Islands Radio) […] Read More
Even allowing the affordable use of Starlink in the Falkland Islands represents a significant transformation opportunity, Starlink’s current status in the Falkland Islands is just one small battle in the global war between Geostationary High-Throughput Satellites (GEO-HTS) and Low-Earth-Orbit High-Throughput Satellites (LEO-HTS). Many systems, applications, and services depend on cloud-based infrastructures in today’s interconnected world. The Falkland Islands are no […] Read More
A UK government Select Committee The public meeting organised by the Starlink Petition Group (live-streamed over Starlink) in Stanley Town Hall was considered a great success by those attending. The Petition was handed over to MLA Roger Spink and is ready to be presented to the Legislative Assembly on July 25th, 2024. With its first meeting on August 1st, 2024, […] Read More
On July 11th, 2024, the team’s hard work in the Falkland Islands culminated in a public meeting in Stanley Falkland Islands’ Town Hall. The meeting presented the results of a Petition demanding changes in the law to allow the use of Starlink on the islands and significantly reduce the cost of the £5,400 VSAT licence. This was intended to disincentivise […] Read More
These are all the final media publications relating to the use of Starlink in the Falkland Islands before the public meeting on July 11th 2024. 5th July 2024: Gavin Short’s interview with Penguin News: 6th July 2024: Andrea Clausen interview on FITV. Hannah Newton reading the news. 6th July 2024: Falkland Islands Public Accounts Committee investigation into the Falkland Islands […] Read More
Please remember the Starlink Petition Group’s public meeting tonight in the Town Hall in Stanley, Falkland Islands. It is also being live-streamed on YouTube. Doors open at 18:00 Falklands time (22:00 UK time), and the presentation starts at 18:30 (22:30 UK time). I would like to thank the team and all the others in the background who helped. In recent […] Read More
Goose Green School By guest author, Andy Trish An Introduction My first visit to the Falkland Islands was in 1982 aboard HMS Hermes. Although I couldn’t come ashore due to my workload, I returned in 1986 and developed a deep love for the islands and their people. Over the years, I have made several visits, each time striving to positively […] Read More
A short post for a change, about the status of Starlink in the Falkland Islands -18th June to 1st July 2024. 18th June 2024: MLA Leona Roberts interview with Kris Ball. Courtesy of Falkland Islands Radio, 27th June 2024: Someone’s been busy being artistic. Let’s hope they are right! 29th June 2024: IT department Starlink trial. Courtesy of FITV 1st […] Read More
Observations. This is a long and very technical post, but it is necessary to examine the issues. Before I start, I wish to clarify three points. Sure’s ‘low-latency’ LEO service isn’t likely to compete with Starlink from a performance perspective and will probably remain, for some considerable time, the second-choice solution for the Falkland Islands’ low-latency needs to Europe (assuming […] Read More
Warning! This is a long issue, as it captures all the action concerning Starlink use in the Falkland Islands since Part 4 was published in late May 2024; this takes us through to 14th June 2024. Enjoy! I want to thank the islands’ media, Penguin News, Falkland Islands Radio, and Falkland Islands TV, for their excellent reporting of the Starlink […] Read More
In September 2022, the history behind the £5,400 VSAT (Starlink) licence fee. In Part 1, The Ascension Island Story, I outlined the history of Starlink adoption on Ascension Island. Part 2, The Falkland Islands Enigma, focused on the Starlink situation in the Falkland Islands. Part 3 broadens things by proposing a workable digital service strategy that provides a win-win solution for consumers, […] Read More
In Part 1, The Ascension Island Story, I outlined the history of Starlink adoption on Ascension Island. Part 2, The Falkland Islands Enigma, focused on the Starlink situation in the Falkland Islands. Part 3 broadens things by proposing a workable digital service strategy that provides a win-win solution for consumers, businesses, FIG, and Sure Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands deserve […] Read More
In Part 1, The Ascension Island story, the history of Starlink adoption on Ascension Island was outlined, although this story is far from finished. Part 2 focuses on Starlink in the Falkland Islands. Much has been written and discussed about Starlink in the islands’ media recently, as things seem to be coming to a head. If you are interested, please […] Read More
21st June 2024 update: It’s been a while since I published the history of VSAT legislation in the Falkland Islands in September 2022, which describes what led to sky-high VSAT licence fees of £5,300 to deter applicants. However, much recent activity has about Starlink in the islands where Sure Falkland Islands has a communications monopoly until 31st December 2027. Through […] Read More
Update: September 28th 2022. Although this is ‘old news’, it is still worth publishing; I’ve managed to get hold of a recording of the 10th May 2021 public meeting hosted by Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) where questions were raised about Starlink and where it was confirmed that LEOs are being treated as VSATs from a legal perspective. Source: […] Read More
Source: About St Helena The 16th September 2022 issue of the St Helena Independent newspaper on page 3 discusses the plan for an island-wide fibre-optic network. You can read the original article here: St Helena Independent. Note: Please remember that this has only been enabled through the Google Equiano undersea cable coming to St Helena. An undersea cable to the […] Read More
Since 2020 there has been a tremendous increase in consumer interest in LEOs in the Falkland Islands, but this has been myopically focused on SpaceX’s Starlink service. A OneWeb LEO satellite (Source: OneWeb) Caveat: This post is based on public information. Its views are those of the author alone. I last wrote about Starlink in 2021 when the company announced […] Read More
The Falkland Islands Communications Regulator has directed Seba, VP8/SQ1SGB to cease his amateur radio operation from Halley Research Station, Antarctica forthwith. This post shows the email exchange that is currently taking place with the Regulator. Seba’s press release: OCTOBER 11, 2021 – Seba, SQ1SGB will again be active from Halley VI(a) Base, Antarctica as VP8/SQ1SGB starting November 18, 2021 and staying until January 31, […] Read More
Update 28th October 2021 The South Georgia Government have now completed their consultation so now it is the turn of the British Antarctic Territory Government which is now undergoing a similar exercise. This is good news! Dear All, Today we have published new draft Wireless Telegraphy legislation for the British Antarctic Territory. This new legislation will provide power to issue […] Read More
Open Letter to the Falkland Islands Communications Regulator Alan Cheshire MInstP MIET MIEEE G4EEL VK6CQ VKØLD VP8PJ Telecoms Engineer, Perth Western Australia Chris Gare FIET G3WOS VP8DBL VP8WOS ZD8SIX Board Advisor, Farnborough UK Dr. Gerard Bulger FRCGP G3WIP VP8DPD VK4BGL VKØGB Medical Officer, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Stanley FI Michael Gloistein PM GMØHCQ VP8CMH/MM Radio & Electronics Officer, RRS Sir […] Read More
Update: 28th April 2021 After several months of protracted discussions, the Falkland Islands Communications Regulator has provided a final opportunity for non-resident lifetime, VP8 licence owners to have their VP8 callsigns revalidated. The Regulator issued the following direction on the 27th April 2021. Notice of Direction made by the Falkland Islands Communications Regulator addressed to those who hold or have held […] Read More
Update: 27th March 2021 The annual Falkland Islands Regulator’s report was recently issued and this was what was said about South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) and British Antarctic Territory (BAT) Amateur Radio Licencing: “South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) and British AntarcticTerritory (BAT) Amateur Radio Licences. Following an EXCO decision in mid2020 to enable the Regulator to issue SGSSI […] Read More
On the 12th March 2021, the Falkland Islands Communications Regulator (Regulator) posted “Problems Receiving Some UK Texts” on Facebook, which can be read below. OpenFalklands addressed the same issues in May 2019 and June 2019, so I am disappointed that it seems little has changed. However, I am more disappointed about what was NOT discussed in the post – a possible […] Read More
It’s been a quiet year on OpenFalklands with less opportunity to write technical articles about Falkland Islands telecommunications subjects (I’ve done most!) and with a move towards practical involvement and engagement in real issues. So it’s with great pleasure to bring to readers attention the opportunity to radically transform Falkland Islands telecommunications one step nearer – Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite […] Read More
News about telecommunications that would be interesting to Falkland Island consumers or businesses.
Source: St Helena Independent – VOLUME XV ISSUE 48, 6th NOVEMBER 2020 A new Telecommunications company is being proposed for St Helena.
There has been confusion about the legality of local IP services or applications with Sure South Atlantic’s Exclusive Operating Licence in place. This concern has now been removed. As discussed in a previous post, I found there was a caveat in the Licence that allowed for the creation of local OTT applications without breaking Sure’s exclusive communications licence: “for the […] Read More
Update #4: 23rd October 2020 This will probably be the last update on this issue. I am pleased to report that I have been notified by many non-resident VP8 licence holders that their lifetime VP8 licences have been restored for use in the Falkland Islands only. This is a continuing issue for those who want to use their VP8 licences […] Read More
Previous updates concerning the Communications Regulator Notice of Appeal maybe seen here and here. UPDATE #5: 7th August 2020. Here is the Falkland Islands TV’s report on the first hearing of the Gare v. Communications Regulator case held in the Magistrates court in Stanley, Falkland Islands. UPDATE #4: 1st August 2020. Yes, you read the title of this post correctly. […] Read More
The full background to this issue can be read in a previous post here Update #3 17th July 2020. A short video on the Appeal was shown on FITV‘s Falklands in Focus. No, it’s not me in the video, unfortunately! Thank you for the coverage FITV! Original Post Following the email received from the Falkland Islands Communications Regulator, on Friday […] Read More
Please read the original post that may be found further down. Then Update #2 and #3. Update #3 – 15th July 2020 This later post describes the current status of the issue. I’ve raised a Notice of Appeal for this decision to be be decided by a judge in the Magistrates Court. Update #2 – 1st July 2020 I received […] Read More
It has been proposed by several Falkland Island hams that a new amateur radio society should be formed in the Falkland Islands that would be open to membership from any resident or non-resident individuals interested in amateur radio. A proposed name could be the ‘Falkland Islands Amateur Radio Society’ (FIARS). Most countries have a national amateur radio society and many […] Read More
The original post can be found further down. Update #9: 7th August 2020 I have today sent a further email to Sure Falkland Islands. To: Chief Executive, Sure South Atlantic Subject: OTT service provider oriented Internet Access product Dear Sir I sent an email on June 30th 2020, which is now over one month ago, concerning the availability of a […] Read More
The original post may be found below. Update #2: 3rd July 2020 The PCC’s report in January stated that an apology and compensation of £5,000 be made to KTV Ltd by the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) for the interference they experienced. That has now been agreed by the Executive Council and the recommendations have been accordingly implemented. The Executive Council’s […] Read More
In a recent post, I added a footnote talking about the competence requirements needed to obtain a full Falkland Islands amateur radio licence in the new licencing regime. I thought I would delve into it a little more. Photo credit: RSGB “In the new VP8 amateur radio licence Terms and Conditions, visiting radio amateurs applying for a Full Temporary licence […] Read More
Update, 21st MaRCH 2020 I’ve sent an email to MLAs To: Falkland Islands MLAs cc: Falkland Islands Attorney General Although this is an important issue for the Falkland Islands, but because I’m sure that all your focus and time is being spent on Corona Virus issues, I would like to withdraw this request until things have calmed down a bit. […] Read More
Update; 7th February, CoC meeting Please take a look at the FITV‘s short report on the closed meeting held at The Chamber of Commerce (CoC) on Thursday 6th February 2020. The presentations made by the Falkland Islands Government and Sure South Atlantic were intended to update CoC members about the National Broadband Strategy. The FITV video included an interview […] Read More
Following my previous post – National Broadband Strategy: Subsea cable study, there is a subject that has not had sufficient public debate – Internet blackout resilience and business continuity. With two Internet significant outages in the last year in April and November, Falkland Islanders know all too well about the consequences of an unavailable Internet. I’ll always remember the November […] Read More
I have waited with high expectation for the publication of the Falkland Islands Broadband Strategy as proposed in the March 2019 Telecommunications Week. The only associated release so far was the 25th September EXCO paper on the doubling of satellite capacity in December 2019. One of the reasons I wanted to see it was to get a better understanding of […] Read More
I had a busy trip to the Falkland Islands in November and I want to thank all those individuals that helped make my visit so enjoyable – they know who they are! I was surprised that many people recognised my face and stopped me in the street to say that they enjoyed OpenFalklands as it provided much more information about […] Read More
Final Update #12: 12th December 2019 I am pleased to report that I have heard from IANA that diversity has at long last been added to the FK .ccTLD DNS that was only located on the Falkland Islands breaking IANA’s fundamental policy for a need of diversity on a Top Level Domain such as .FK. Dear Chris, I am writing […] Read More
On Thursday 28th November 2019, I gave a presentation in the Chamber of Commerce in Stanley, Falkland Islands concerning the Islands’ Internet service. This was attended by the editor of Penguin News and was included in last week’s issue. I would like to thank them for allowing me to publish this on OpenFalklands and would wholeheartedly encourage anyone to subscribe […] Read More
On Thursday 28th November 2019, I gave a presentation in the Chamber of Commerce in Stanley, Falkland Islands concerning the Islands’ Internet. This was videoed by Falkland Islands TV and an overview was included in their weekly show. I would like to thank FITV for allowing me to publish this segment on OpenFalklands and would wholeheartedly encourage anyone to subscribe […] Read More
I gave the following well-attended presentation to an audience in the Chamber of Commerce in Stanley, Falkland Islands at 17:00 Thursday, 28th November 2019. The title of the presentation was “Falkland Islands Internet – some thoughts”. You can see the presentation by using the viewer below. [slideshare id=202305393&doc=novemberopenfalklandspresentation-linkedinonlineversion-191206142009] You can also access, share or download the presentation on the LinkedIn […] Read More
Update #4: 6th December. Following comments on Facebook, there seem to be continuing issues with regard to unstable Internet routes to the Falkland Islands since the November 25th planned outage. This will result in unpredictable performance as experienced by users. Update #3: 09:30 Wednesday, 27th November. Sure Falkland islands announced a further planned outage yesterday: By the look of it, […] Read More
Update #8: 10th November 2019 Sadly, it looks like there are still ongoing issues with the Falkland Islands Internet service after receiving several emails and social media messages yesterday about unreliable connections to some web sites. This is a classic symptom of the instability of Internet routing paths caused by connectivity dropouts or DDoS attacks. Whatever the cause(s), it is […] Read More
In October 2019 the Falkland Islands TV channel published a report on the proposed December 2019 FIG-financed doubling of satellite capacity to 400Mbit/s. Kyle Knappett and Caroline Scott of FITV This is that report by FITV’s reporter, Tom Stockting. Full details of this increase can be found in the Falkland Islands Government Executive Council (EXCO) paper 133/19P: Broadband Provision […] Read More
Back now in what now seems the dim and distant past, during Communications Week in March 2019, Jason Lewis hosted a Let’s Talk interview on Falkland Islands Radio Service (FIRS) with individuals talking about telecommunications on the Falkland Islands. These individuals participating were: Roger Spink, MLA responsible for telecommunications portfolio. And the consultants: Richard Womersley, Director, Spectrum Consulting at LStelcom […] Read More
On July 1st 2019, the Falkland Islands’ Communications Regulator issued a “Direction to Sure Falkland Islands, No 2019/01a Quality of Service” which requires Sure Falkland Islands to provide data on broadband Quality of Service (QoS), i.e. the performance of the island’s broadband services. All points discussed apply to both fixed and mobile data network performance Quality of Service (QoS) testing. […] Read More
On July 1st 2019, the Falkland Islands’ Communications Regulator issued a “Direction to Sure Falkland Islands, No 2019/01a Quality of Service” which requires Sure Falkland Islands to provide data on broadband Quality of Service (QoS) in the form of download speeds of the island’s broadband services using ETSI specifications. To do justice to this important subject, I have split the […] Read More
Update: 12th June 2019 In regard to the footnote, the old Roaming Partner list has now been deleted from the Sure Falkland Island’s web server. I have written about Falkland Islands’ mobile services in my posts about the issues concerning overseas’ SMS texts, Two-Factor Authentication and the background to the new 4G service. In this post, I’d like to focus […] Read More
I’ve seen many Facebook posts and heard many comments made over the years expressing the desire for Sure Falkland Islands to offer data ‘Carry-Over’ or ‘Roll-Over’ of unused monthly broadband usage quotas rather than expiring. Nobody likes losing something they’ve paid for. With the high cost of broadband services, this could be an appropriate option to implement on the Falkland […] Read More
Update: 30th May 2019 Batelco signed the original Agreement with Star Solutions to install 4G LTE in the South Atlantic islands in March 2015. I wrote about the history of 4G LTE in Part 1 of this post – A peek under the bonnet of the Falkland Islands’ 4G service: Part 1, 4G history. and I would advise looking at […] Read More
Although consumers generally only care about whether their mobile phones work and that they get a ‘signal’ when they want to make a call, I thought it might be interesting to take a small look under the bonnet of the Falkland Islands’ new 4G service. It’s a little bit of an acronym hell in there but there are only a […] Read More
Synopsis The Falkland Islands Communications Regulator has just issued a report in May 2019 entitled “A Report on Complaints to Sure Falkland Islands”. This report is a step in the right direction but is the data provided appropriate for a monopoly telecommunications environment as experienced in the Falkland Islands and is it what islanders actually want to see? Background Let’s […] Read More
Synopsis It’s critical for Falkland Islanders to be able to fully participate in the world of on-line services which are now driven by concerns of security as never before. None of us can avoid this. Two-Step Authentication based on SMS texts lies at its heart. This maybe one of my shorter posts but it is right up there in importance. […] Read More
Updates are located at the end of the post. Background Back in mid-April 2019, a Falkland Island Internet user posted the following message on Facebook: “For any HSBC customers who hold a UK account: HSBC have now moved to text messaging for authorising any new online transactions on HSBC Visa cards, and it doesn’t currently work with the mobile network […] Read More
Synopsis. This is a very technical post so it will only be of interest if you are involved in managing a website hosted OUTSIDE of the Falkland Islands that uses a .fk based domain. This includes www.falklands.gov.fk. If that is the case, when the Falkland Islands’ Internet is down (as it was on the 30th April 2019) then that site […] Read More
I was pleased to see Household [Internet] User Habits survey on the Falkland Islands as an element of Communications Week in March 2019. However, the stated objective of the survey made me stop and think. “The results of this survey will contribute to calculating the international connectivity demands of the Falkland Islands providing a clearer picture of what a ‘typical […] Read More
In this post I would like to take a look at what is happening in the Internet world outside of the Falkland Islands though I think this may shock some of you. Many Falkland Islanders travel abroad and get a taste of what the Internet is like in countries like the UK and USA and I know that the first […] Read More
I have been talking about the Falkland Islands taking an Exponential Approach rather than taking an Incremental Approach to improving Internet services in posts such as The Enigma of the Falkland Islands National Broadband Strategy or as I would like to call it, National Internet Strategy. Is this such an outrageous approach to adopt? I think not, I’d like to […] Read More
One of the activities of the Falkland Islands Communications Week was to inform the National Broadband Strategy (which I would like renamed the National Internet Strategy) using the Household User Habits Survey. According to the Falkland Islands Regulator’s web site: “This survey is gathering information on how consumers use the internet now, and aspirations for the future. The results of […] Read More
I was pleased when I first heard about the desire to create a National Broadband Strategy for the Falkland Islands. In so many ways, it is great that such an ambition should be tackled but I can’t help thinking that the scope lacks ambition? The stated ambition of Communications Week was to help inform FIG and Sure about what satellite […] Read More
May 14th update Saint Helena and the Falkland Islands Face Simultaneous Outages. (14-05-19)”] On 30 April 2019, internet service in the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena suffered simultaneous outages. We often see large outages in islands or remote areas due to limited sources for internet connectivity and/or extreme weather events. In this case, Sure South Atlantic Ltd is only source […] Read More
During the Falkland Islands Communications Week, it was mentioned that Sure needed to “look at broadband contention going forward” [or something close to that]. So what? you may say. The reason it’s important is that contention has a major impact on the Quality of Experience of using the Internet. It’s certainly nearly equal to the issue of increasing Satellite Capacity. […] Read More