Fijian investors Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Ltd (ATH) and Vodafone Fiji have announced the successful rollout of their new 4G+ mobile broadband network, which is now live and supporting use by half of Papua New Guinea’s population, according to Regional Chief Executive Pradeep Lal.

Mr. Lal announced, “We are launching with just over 500 base stations, covering Port Moresby, LAE, Madang, Hagan, and Goroka, which covers approximately 50% of the population. However, the journey does not stop here. In the next eight months, Vodafone ONG intends to have 800 sites live, progressively expanding coverage to 22 provinces.”

ATH was established in 1998 to manage and consolidate government investments in the telecommunications sector, as part of the country’s public sector reform program. They shared their delight at the network’s successful rollout in an announcement to shareholders. “… the PNG market remains grossly underserved, resulting in large swathes of the population remaining unconnected and losing out on the benefits of a connected society. … ATH sees huge potential in providing much needed stimulus to bridge the digital divide in PNG.”

There are expectations that the 4G+ mobile broadband network will have established a total of 1200 sites by 2024 under the Vodafone banner.