The Chinese telecommunications company Huawei says it will help Papua New Guinea (PNG) build a national broadband transmission network.
PNG has an increasing demand for internet connectivity which its current reliance on satellite and microwave communications is struggling to meet.
Huawei said its plan to build a national submarine cable network will help provide the "backbone telecommunications needed by major coastal centres and islands in PNG".
The submarine cable network will provide domestic connectivity across 14 main population center’s cities and international connectivity by a link to Jayapura in Indonesia. Photo: Huawei Marine
At a planned length of 5,457 kilometres, the cable network will provide domestic connectivity across 14 main cities and towns, and connect internationally via a link to Jayapura in neighbouring Indonesia.
The design capacity of the system is eight terabits per second, which Huawei said will cater for increased bandwidth demand over the next 10 to 15 years.
It's expected that when completed, the network will cover 55 percent of the population and will provide more than 70 percent of PNG's domestic bandwidth requirements.
The managing director of DataCo, Paul Komboi, said the new system will also provide internet gateways and data centres.
"This will improve the whole ICT infrastructure in the country and greatly increase network coverage, capacity and the availability of Internet and broadband services to end users."
The chief executive of Huawei Marine, Mike Constable, said access to ICT is important and the partnership will help deliver that.
"For island nations, submarine cable systems are key components required for the development of an affordable and effective ICT infrastructure."