ICT

The telecommunications sector in Papua New Guinea, long synonymous with high prices and poor service, is undergoing a sea change as fresh competition, infrastructure rollout, and market reforms result in increased coverage and access. More connections to major international subsea cable systems are being put in place. Domestically, with fibre as the backbone and microwave links and satellite systems acting as complementary technologies offering redundancy and connectivity to more remote parts of the country, the government’s goal of achieving 50% broadband penetration by 2018 seems on track. As speeds increase, capacity improves and costs come down, ICT is set to become a more integral part of many PNG businesses and help them improve their competitiveness and global integration.

This chapter contains interviews with Jimmy Miringtoro, Minister for Communication and Information Technology; Bhanu Sud, CEO, EMTV; and Reuben Kautu, Chairman, Dataco.