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Digicel and Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Programme Bridging the Communications Gap in the Western Province
[September 12, 2018]

Digicel and Papua New Guinea Sustainable Development Programme Bridging the Communications Gap in the Western Province


The Western Province of Papua New Guinea is looking towards a connected future as the PNG Sustainable Development Programme (PNGSDP) - along with its partner Digicel (News - Alert) - implements a telecommunications vision to benefit present and future generations.

The PNGSDP is a fund that was established as a result of the ecological damage to the Western Province by the OK Tedi Mine, and is used for special projects in the area to meet the development needs of the citizens. The area has long been neglected, primarily due to the sparse population, however, in 2011 Digicel and PNGSDP worked together to deploy 49 telecommunications towers. Now, with that success to build on, this contract will see Digicel upgrading the towers, expanding coverage, deploying LTE (News - Alert) and offering managed services.

This landmark agreement between PNGSDP and Digicel means the Western Province will benefit from 19 new telecommunications towers that will be owned by PNGSDP, new power generation units and LTE on 78 towers owned by Digicel and a seven-year managed service agreement to deliver operations and maintenance of the telecommunications sevices including internet bandwidth.



"This is a great partnership between Digicel and PNGSDP because, not only will we be able to provide increased access to services in the Western Province, but PNGSDP has also engaged with Digicel PNG Foundation to deploy schools to facilitate digital learning. In this way, we are bridging the gap to create a word where no one gets left behind," said Digicel Group CEO, Alexander Matuschka.

The World Bank 2016 World Development Report shows a positive correlation between the increase in internet penetration and the gross domestic product in developing countries, and in PNG, the entire Western Province will soon have access to reliable 4G phone and internet service, creating an education knowledge network with app-driven learning, a foundation to deliver remote health solutions using LTE and, of course, increased coverage for existing mobile services.


With both organisations looking forward to changing lives for the better in the Western Province by providing the technological resources needed to make this happen, for its part, PNGSDP indicated that the partnership with Digicel is one it is glad to be part of, knowing that when Digicel commits to something it goes above and beyond to deliver.

Matuschka added, "In the education sector, distance learning in the more remote communities can be supported, teacher capabilities can be improved and classrooms can have better tools and access to world-class education. In the health sector, village-based and mobile paramedics can receive long-distance technical support with diagnostics, access to patient records and online advice. And in the business sector, with better connectivity, online financial services become available resulting in better opportunities for the banked and unbanked populations."


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