Vanuatu

Domestic market and infrastructure

1. Total consumption
According to the latest data from the Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics, consumption in Vanuatu increased by 16.8% in 2018, with public consumption increasing by 75.7% and private sector consumption increasing by 3.2%. According to the latest data from the World Bank, household expenditure in Vanuatu accounted for 59.4% of GDP in 2018, and the growth rate of Vanuatu's total consumption was about 3.9%.

2. Living expenses
According to the latest statistics from the Vanuatu government, the per capita cost of living in the local area was approximately 174100 watts in 2014. Among them, food and clothing account for a relatively high proportion. Vanuatu and major international institutions have not yet released the latest data.

3. Price level
The overall price level in Vanuatu is relatively high, and basic living and production materials mainly rely on imports. According to calculations, the price of the same commodity in Vanuatu is about 4-6 times that of China.
 
4. Highways
Vanuatu's transportation facilities are backward, and road construction has been lagging behind for a long time, mainly consisting of dirt and gravel roads. The road conditions are poor, and maintenance and upkeep are not available for a long time. Some roads have been upgraded and transformed into asphalt roads. At present, there are approximately 3000 kilometers of national highways (including Vila Port, the Luganville City Government, and local roads under the jurisdiction of six provinces), and inter island transportation is mainly by sea. In March 2019, China Civil Engineering Group Corporation
The first phase of the road project for Vanuatu's Tana and Malkula islands, which was contracted, has been completed. This is the first asphalt road in Vanuatu outside of the capital.

According to the Vanuatu Infrastructure Development Strategy Plan, the current investment scale in the road sector in Vanuatu is 7.65 billion watts, and the planned future investment scale is 9.96 billion watts.
 
5. Railway
Vanuatu is an island country consisting of over 80 islands, each of which has a small area and is therefore not suitable for railway construction.

6. Air freight
Vanuatu's major islands have airports. There are international airports in the capital port of Vila and the northern city of Luganville, which can accommodate Boeing 767 and 737 aircraft. At present, the upgrading and renovation of runways at Santo International Airport, Tana Airport, and Vila Port International Airport have been completed.

Vanuatu Airlines is the only company in the country that operates international routes. It has opened direct flights to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia with foreign airlines such as Australian Airlines, Virgin Air, Fiji Airlines, and Carling Airlines. There are 59 international flights per week that directly fly to Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Numea, Nadi, Honiara, and other places. In 2019, there were weekly flights
There are approximately 86 international flights directly to Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Numea, Nadi, Honiara and other places. There are nearly 50 domestic routes in Vanuatu, which facilitate transportation between Vila Port and various islands.

As of now, there are approximately 187 domestic flights per week within Vanuatu. According to data from Vanuatu Airlines, there were a total of 430 international flights between Vanuatu and other countries between January and May 2019; There are a total of 935 domestic flights between the capital city of Vila Port and other provinces and cities. In February 2018, Vanuatu will rent a Boeing 737 aircraft from Nauru Airlines during the peak tourist season each year
In mid June 2018, Watanabe Airlines will open the Brisbane Santo Villa port route every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. At the same time, Vanuatu will also increase the frequency of peak season flights to Sydney and Auckland.
China and Vanuatu have not yet opened direct flights, and Chinese citizens mainly transit through Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, or New Zealand when traveling to Vanuatu.

According to the Vanuatu Infrastructure Development Strategy Plan, the future planned investment in the aviation sector in Vanuatu is 2.03 billion watts.

7. Water transportation
The total length of the waterway in Vanuatu is 780 kilometers. The maximum tonnage of inter island transportation ships is over 200 tons, and the existing ships are dilapidated and outdated. Vila Port and Santo Port are international seaports that can accommodate 10000 ton commercial ships. Among them, Vila Port has a water depth of 13 meters and an average of 1600-1700 imported containers per year; Santo Port has a water depth of 14.5 meters. Vanuatu is an emerging flag state, with approximately 600 ships currently flying the Vanuatu flag. The shipping routes between China and Brazil include Tianjin/Shanghai Busan Vila Port, Guangzhou Hong Kong Singapore Sydney Vila Port.
According to the Vanuatu Infrastructure Development Strategy Plan, the ongoing investment in the water transportation sector in Vanuatu is 9.45 billion watts, with a planned future investment of 5.49 billion watts.
 
8. Communication
Vanuatu has established the Telecommunications and Radiocommunications Regulatory Authority (TRR) to regulate communication policies.
Before 2008, Vanuatu had only Telekom Vanuatu Limited (TVL) as a telecommunications company, which was owned by the Vanuatu government. After multiple equity changes, it is currently a subsidiary of the Fiji ATH Group. At present, TVL provides communication services including 3G (UMTS) mobile phones, home and enterprise broadband internet access, etc. 2G/3G (GSM/UMTS) uses a 900MHz spectrum,

Domestic mobile phones can directly support this frequency band.
After 2008, the Vanuatu government implemented telecommunications industry reforms and introduced the Caribbean telecommunications group Digicel to compete in the mobile phone market. The competition between Digicel and TVL has significantly reduced mobile phone bills. At present, Digicel provides communication services including 4G (LTE) mobile phones, home and enterprise broadband internet access, etc. 2G/3G (GSM/UMTS) uses a 900MHz spectrum, which can be directly supported by domestic mobile phones. Huawei provides 4G business support for Digicel.
Wantok has been providing 4G (TD-LTE, 2300MHz frequency band) data, voice, and VPN services in the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila, since 2014. Currently, the services only cover Port Vila.

Since 2013, Interchange has been constructing the ICN1 submarine cable service from Vanuatu to Fiji. Digitel and TVL cover the vast majority of the area, while Telsat provides satellite communication services in areas where communication base stations cannot cover.

As of the end of 2018, the total number of mobile phone users in Vanuatu was about 200000, accounting for 67.5% of the total population, of which about 66% used the Digicel network and 34% used the Vodafone network. The total number of household broadband users is about 14340, accounting for 12.3% of the total number of households. The data traffic fee for mobile phones is about 1000vt/GB, and the household broadband fee is about 20000 to 40000 vt/month. TVL and Digicel both have stores located at airports and city centers. According to the latest data from the World Bank, Vanuatu's mobile phone ownership reached 82.5% in 2018.
According to the Vanuatu Infrastructure Development Strategy Plan, the ongoing investment in the communication sector in Vanuatu is 3.86 billion watts, with a planned future investment of 2.16 billion watts.
Contact information of major communication service companies in Vanuatu:
(1) Digicel Vanuatu
Phone: 00678-5556001
Website: www.digicelvanuatu.com

(2) Telecom Vanuatu Limited (TVL)
Phone: 00678-22185
Website: www.tvl. vu

(3) Telsat Broadband
Phone: 00678-23407
Website: www.telsatbb.vu

9. Electricity
Vanuatu's power generation and supply are mainly monopolized by UNELCO company. The company mainly uses diesel for power generation, with a hydroelectric power station in Santo and wind power facilities installed in Vila Port and Santo Island. In recent years, Wa has started developing solar power generation. The national electricity consumption in 2019 was 78.978 million kilowatt hours, an increase of 20% year-on-year. The annual consumption of gasoline, diesel, kerosene and other energy sources was 60.761 million liters, a decrease of 6% year-on-year. The cities of Port Villa and Luganville consume the most electricity, while the power generation and transmission facilities on other islands are severely lagging behind. The utilization rate of wind energy in Vanuatu is about 9%, the utilization rate of solar energy is about 1%, the utilization rate of traditional energy sources such as gasoline, diesel, and coal is about 80%, and other energy sources such as coconut oil and water account for about 10%.

According to the latest data from the World Bank, 11.5% of the agricultural population in Vanuatu had access to electricity in 2017. According to the Vanuatu Infrastructure Development Strategy Plan, the ongoing investment in the electricity sector in Vanuatu is 2.76 billion watts, with a planned future investment of 13.2 billion watts.

10. Infrastructure development plan

In September 2015, Vanuatu released the "2015-2024 Infrastructure Development Strategy Plan",

We have planned priority development projects in the field of infrastructure in Vanuatu over the next decade, mainly including roads (construction and maintenance), airports, docks, water supply and waste treatment, power grid construction, renewable energy, information and communication technology, and education infrastructure, with a total amount of 38 billion watts. The plan is funded by the Pacific Infrastructure Development Fund project led by the Asian Development Bank. According to the plan, starting from 2015, the Wa government will focus on implementing urban development projects including Vila Port and Phase II of Luganville, the restoration project of the East Coast Road of Malakula Island, the construction of inland ports in various provinces, and the expansion project of Malapo College.

According to the plan, the government plans to invest 71.2 billion watts of funding in the next 10 years to support infrastructure construction, with a total investment of 37.99 billion watts for new projects, including 25.48 billion watts for public sector investment, 2.43 billion watts for private sector investment, and 10.08 billion watts for PPP projects.

Vanuatu allows and encourages foreign investors to participate in local infrastructure investment.