Australia has announced it will deliver a new undersea, high-speed telecommunications cable from Australia to Papua New Guinea.
Photo: AFP
The Federal Government said it was in discussions with an experienced Australian telecommunications infrastructure specialist to deliver the project.
The government said the cable would significantly improve internet reliability and quality in PNG.
The Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and his PNG counterpart Peter O'Neill discussed the plans on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit in Vietnam.
"Australia's firm support for this project is a reflection of our strong relationship with Papua New Guinea, and our desire to build an even closer economic partnership into the 21st century," Mr Turnbull's office said in a statement.
The project was set to be well underway ahead of next year's APEC summit, which PNG is hosting in November.
Mr O'Neill said the project was very important for ongoing economic development.
"We are continuing to expand the use of the internet in education, as well as the application of digital technologies in the delivery healthcare," he said.