The new data service will be delivered via SES’s O3b medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation, which once live will create further economic opportunities for the country and help bridge the digital divide.
Specifically, the O3b MEO satellite constellation will provide Digitec with high-speed mobile backhaul services across five locations in PNG.
“Papua New Guinea's mobile and internet market has enormous growth potential, but this has been hampered by geographical challenges, limited speed and connectivity choices," said Ivan Fong, director at Vodafone PNG.
"We are pleased to partner with SES to provide reliable high-bandwidth mobile connectivity of up to 5G speeds delivered through their MEO satellites. This connectivity will enable more people here to fully embrace the digital age.”
With over 86% of its population located in rural areas, much of PNG’s population is still underserved despite an 15% increase in internet penetration and a 34% increase in mobile connections as of January 2021.
Having started services in April 2022, Vodafone's entry into PNG’s telecoms market meets the demand for reliable high-speed connectivity and broadband Internet access.
“With our O3b constellation we’ve been connecting communities and industries around the world for almost a decade, positively impacting their lives and their businesses. Our partnership with Digitec brings their customers with a reliable, high-throughput and low-latency solution, underscoring the value of our unique satellite connectivity," said John Turnbull, vice president pacific, networks sales at SES.
"We are proud not just to be an enabler of Digitec’s plans to bring more services and opportunities to the population of Papua New Guinea, but also to serve as the backbone for fuller participation in the digital era and greater digital inclusion.”
SES’s O3b system delivers low-latency, high-performance connectivity globally, enabling the delivery of cloud computing applications and services to bridge the digital divide.
