About 55% of the population will have access to 4G coverage

Digicel Papua New Guinea has recently completed its 4G network expansion in the southwestern Pacific country.

Digicel PNG Chief Executive Officer Colin Stone has disclosed that as much as 55 per cent of the population now has access to 4G coverage, as a result of its expansion programme. He said that Digicel now covers 80 per cent of the population with over two million subscribers.

The 4G network offers maximum real-world download speeds up to 100 mbps, making it faster than 3G.  

“The network will allow most people to access high speed internet in the country,” Stone explained, cautioning that access to information comes with the responsibility of knowing and understanding the benefits and dangers of information and communication technology (ICT).

“Knowing the risk and understanding the risk is vital,” the Digicel Papua New Guinea boss advised. Stone emphasised that Digicel continue to bring benefits of the transformation technologies and communication advancement to the people and business sector, they have to serve them with the right information that is accessible and able to be understood.

Need for digital literacy in Papua New Guinea

Stone added that as Digicel PNG and the ICT sector grow, the communities that use these services must also grow. Papua New Guinea Marketing Magazine is pointing to the need for digital literacy in the country.

According to PNG Marketing Magazine, “we have run some free sessions in schools around Port Moresby and seen the hunger for more of such information. We believe the best place to start will be in schools. We impact the young minds and impact many generations that come after because internet is here to stay”.

The magazine said it is keen to discuss this with Stone and Digicel team for the possibility of doing widespread awareness on digital literacy around Papua New Guinea, which encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea and its offshore islands.