Telecoms and IT
From The Report: Papua New Guinea 2012
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PNG’s telecoms market is emerging from the stagnation of a government monopoly and has seen steady growth since liberalisation in 2007. With fixed-line penetration limited by geography, the country is targeting a rapid expansion of mobile networks in a bid to connect all of its citizens. Digicel, the top mobile provider, has been the primary benefactor in this shift, increasing its subscriber base to 1.6m and its market share to 84%. At the same time, the focus on mobile has done little to help boost internet connectivity, which suffers from slow speeds and strict bandwidth caps.

This section has interviews with Jim Miringtoro, Minister for Communication and
Information Technology; Charles Punaha, CEO, National Information and
Communications Technology Authority (NICTA); and John Mangos, CEO, Digicel (PNG).

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

On it grows: Little sign of a slowdown as providers diversify products and services in line with market demand
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After a half century of state monopoly control, the telecoms market in Papua New Guinea underwent liberalisation in 2007, resulting in a rapid increase in the sector’s value and contributing an estimated 2.5% to annual GDP growth in 2010. Largely abandoning the constraints of terrestrial fixed-line telephone networks, the people of PNG have enthusiastically embraced mobile technologies that have revolutionised the economy and domestic consumer behaviour, tapping into its vast and dense population.…

Interview

OBG talks to Jim Miringtoro, Minister for Communication and Information Technology
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Interview: Jim Miringtoro What key information and communications technology (ICT) reforms are currently under way? JIM MIRINGTORO: The ICT sector in Papua New Guinea developed slowly in the past since previous governments, policy makers and legislators did not understand its importance. For the last 35 years things were not in order; government departments did not work properly and resources were mismanaged and misspent, negatively impacting ICT infrastructure. Today, priorities have changed and…

Interview

Cutting the red tape: OBG talks to Charles Punaha, CEO, National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA)
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Interview:Charles Punaha In which ways have NICTA’s market liberalisation policies affected the telecommunications sector? CHARLES PUNAHA: The telecoms industry has gone through substantial upheaval in recent years, moving from a state-run industry into an open and lean environment where competition is being actively encouraged. This has been the clear government goal for NICTA since it was established 14 months ago: to be a one-stop shop regulating the industry, to liberalise and open…

Analysis

Banking on mobiles: Operators are rolling out new services, but may face a shallow market
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Mobile network service providers in Papua New Guinea have rapidly emerged as catalysts for growth since market liberalisation in 2007. This has cemented the telecommunications sector’s role as a fundamental component in meeting national development goals. Nowhere has this been more important than in PNG’s rural areas, home to 85% of its population. The proliferation of mobile network coverage across 70% of PNG’s 425,000-km landmass and off-lying islands has, however, overcome great obstacles…

Interview

OBG talks to John Mangos, CEO, Digicel (PNG)
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Interview: John Mangos How you would assess the latest developments and investments taking place in the telecoms sector? JOHN MANGOS: The sector is generally healthy, with the National ICT Authority only recently issuing additional network and gateway licences to seven operators, all of which are committing funds to industry development. For our part, we are continuing to build towers for 2G and 3G networks, and are particularly focused on making communications affordable and accessible. Our belief…