A third telecommunication company is expected in the country by year end, says Information and Communication Minister, Timothy Masiu.
“The operator license issued to Digitec Communications Limited will be fully capitalized by end of this year, when Digitec Communications Limited launches the Vodafone PNG brand,” Minister Masiu made this known today during a site visit to Digitec Communications Limited’s head office in Waigani, Port Moresby.
He has congratulated Digitec’s shareholders and management team for progressing their 4G and 5G ready telecommunications network roll out in preparation for its highly anticipated launch in 2021.
Presentations by both the Digitec Communications CEO Pradeep Lal and CTO Justine Prakash during the site visit highlighted that the construction of over 1,100 towers is to be completed and once in full operation will see up to 1,000 new jobs on the market ranging from sales/market, to engineering, and ICT specific jobs.
Minister Masiu again expressed satisfaction on the impact a third operator would have on the people.
“I am delighted to inform the public that the introduction of a third mobile network operator will bring in much needed competition to the market to drive retail prices down for the benefit of our people. We’ve also done our independent assessments and we believe mobile coverage could easily jump from 42 percent to 85 per cent within one year after the launch of the third operator – this means that more of our people will have access to communication services at a much cheaper price.
“In addition, this should finally trigger regulated tower sharing pricing and mobile number portability in early 2022…and so it is truly exciting times ahead for us all,” Masiu reiterated.