The investment demonstrates our continued efforts to deliver essential and affordable infrastructure services to the people of Papua New Guinea. Improved mobile services in PNG will increase domestic and regional connectivity and serve as a powerful access tool for other sectors of the economy such as telemedicine, education and banking. The community and economic benefits of the new network, it is also expected to provide better access to digital services in finance, public health, and education. The investment is expected to improve PNG’s business environment through private sector development, and lift investor confidence in the telecommunications sector. ATH, the project sponsor, is Fiji’s principal telecommunications holding company that pioneered 4G technology in Fiji. It has extensive experience in the Pacific telecoms market, with operations in Kiribati, Vanuatu, Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands, and PNG. Vodafone Fiji Pte. Limited, ATH’s largest subsidiary, will manage the project rollout and subsequent operations in PNG.
The investment from ADB is a great endorsement for the project and its sponsors, and we look forward to working with ADB to deliver superior technology and services to our customers in PNG, especially those living in remote and low-income parts of the country.