The Cook Islands Finance Minister says he hopes a bill aimed at driving down phone and internet prices will be finalised by the end of the year.
Mark Brown says once the bill is complete, it will be presented to parliament and if approved, the government will take the responsibility for issuing telecommunications licences away from the current monopoly, Telecom Cook Islands.
He says the government's plan is to ensure the whole country has full access to mobile and internet services, faster broadband and cheaper prices.
"I think the thing that we're looking at is not so much that we're issuing licences to any other competitors, is whether the prices will come down for consumers in a country which has a fairly small market compared to other destinations or other jurisdictions. Those are the far more important dynamics to us."
Mark Brown says the government is also considering a number of options to speed up internet services.
