OUR ATH SET TO LAUNCH
Vodafone in Papua New Guinea
Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH) is developing its presence in Papua New Guinea. A major newspaper reports.
The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier said preparations are well underway for a third mobile network operator in PNG using the Vodafone PNG brand.
Meanwhile in the ATH Limited and subsidiary companies Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2019, former board chair Ajith Kodagoda highlighted: “Incorporation of ATH International Venture Pte Limited in Singapore on 7 December 2018 to acquire 70 per cent shareholding of Digitec Communications Limited, Etech ICT Pte Limited (Singapore) and Etech ICT Pty Limited (Australia) (Digitec Group).
“The Digitec Group provides ICT products and services in Papua New Guinea. Crucial for ATH, are the telecommunications licence and radio spectrum Digitec holds that can be used to deploy a telecommunications network in Papua New Guinea.”
The Post Courier report added: “Despite the COVID-19 induced hard economic times, Minister for Information and Communications Technology Timothy Masiu expressed satisfaction and congratulated shareholders and the management team during a site visit last week.
“Presentations by both Digitec Communications chief executive officer Pradeep Lal and Justine Prakash during the site visit highlighted the construction of approximately 1,100 telecommunication towers to be completed,” The Post Courier PNG said.
Mr Lal and Mr Prakash said once completed, more than 100 jobs will be on the market ranging from sales, marketing, engineering and ICT (Information Communications Technology) specific jobs. Mr Masiu congratulated the management team for the 4G and 5G telecommunication network rollout in preparation for the launching. Mr Masiu said the site visit has provided the ministry renewed confidence that the operator licence to Digitec Communications Limited will be fully capitalised by the end of this year when the company launch Vodafone PNG brand. “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 have also done our independent assessment and we believe mobile coverage could easily jump from 42 per cent to 85 per cent within one-year after the launch of the third operator.
“This means more people will have access to communication services at a much cheaper price,” He said the launch will trigger regulated tower sharing pricing and mobile number portability in early 2022.