Telefoni said the center proposed by a major telecommunications company would provide jobs and skills for Samoans.
Telefoni said American Samoa is suffering from the U.S. government’s decision to impose mainland American wages there.
He told Radio Australia he cannot yet name the U.S. telecommunications company, but it has been negotiating with the Samoan government for a year.
“The people that we are talking to came to American Samoa but they found wage structures there far too high,” the minister said.
“They then came to us and at that time an opportunity came up because American Samoa was getting this very, very fast broadband cable,” he added.
“We purchased a line carrying that line on from American Samoa to us,” he said. “We now have basically doubled our broadband speed but, more importantly, we are now qualified to host that call center.”
