Duons Pacific

Christopher GYGÈS receives Duons Pacific, subsidiary of the firm Duons Australia, established in New Caledonia since October and guided by Choose NC !

Interview with Ms. Ms. Elodie Elias Sales Director of Duons Pacific and head of the subsidiary in New Caledonia.

Duons Australia is a Franco-Australian company created in 2006. What were the key stages of its development in Australia and the factors of its success?

Duons is the result of the SR Telecom activities’ takeover, which in the 1990s was a leader in microwave links. Initially, the company focused on two subsidiaries in France and Australia, then followed by two other subsidiaries in Canada and Mexico.

Duons got into the maintenance of public telephones, before moving towards the installation and maintenance of microwave networks. In Australia, the company has maintained and strengthened its ties with the incumbent Telstra, to the point of becoming a major logistics and repair center for the maintenance of Telstra networks.

Through its partnership with Telstra, it enables thousands of Australians in the most remote areas of the Bush to have a phone line.

Duons Pacific, a subsidiary of Duons Australia, recently established itself in New Caledonia and aims to internationalize further. Why did you choose this market? What do you think are the main assets of this territory?

Duons has a historic presence in New Caledonia; a microwave network was installed in the North Province in the early 2000s, using SWING and IRT technology, for which Duons owns the patents.

The company has also installed and maintained public telephones throughout New Caledonia for years; some are still visible in Noumea, Kone, and even Prony!

New Caledonia also represents a market with many advantages: in addition to its dynamic mining industry, connectivity and energy are two important factors of growth.

Our development in New Caledonia appeared natural for Duons, Noumea being the foreign city closest to Brisbane!

We thus hope to create two strong poles in the Pacific, through our two companies while creating strong relationships with local players.

Duons Australia's activities revolve around 3 main areas: electronic repair, telecommunications integration, and logistics and warehousing. What services do you plan to offer in New Caledonia and what are your objectives for the next 5 years in the region?

Duons Pacific will indeed offer its electronic repair and telecommunications integration services in New Caledonia, relying on the expertise of engineers and technicians from Duons Australia as a first step.

The goal is to develop the activities in which Duons has a strong experience in Australia, through major players such as Telstra, the various states, and Queensland Energy.

The establishment of Duons Pacific in New Caledonia will also allow us to develop our offer in renewable energy solutions; Duons France - the parent company of Duons Australia, already offers these solutions. We intend to rely on the experiences of its teams to offer innovative solutions to Caledonian companies.

What is the role of Choose NC in your establishment in New Caledonia?

Choose NC has been, from the start of our project, the sole player in supporting our efforts. Choose NC immediately believed in our project, which has given us great confidence in the future for Duons Pacific.

The Choose NC teams have helped us a lot, in particular by connecting us with many Caledonian economic players. We were thus able to meet the investor offices of the various provinces. It was reassuring for us to have an interlocutor such as Choose NC, which opened opportunities for us; the first months of our establishment are essential, and we appreciate having Choose NC by our side.

Your final message for potential investors interested in New Caledonia?

We believe that New Caledonia offers great opportunities in terms of economic development, and that is why we took the leap in 2020 and despite the pandemic! We believe that New Caledonia is an ideal place to establish one’s activities in the pacific region due to its close proximity to Australia and New Zealand as well as its unique natural resources and highly skilled labor.