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By HARLYENE JOKU
THE Government will not revoke the licences issued to Digicel and
Greencom contrary to suggestions by the Opposition, Minister for Public
Enterprise and Communication Arthur Somare said yesterday.
He said subscribers to these two new service providers should rest
assured that their rights would be preserved and protected.
“That is Government policy,” he said in Parliament.
Mr Somare said there was no U-turn in Government policy on competition
and new entrants into the mobile telecommunications sector.
“The people have tasted and embraced competition that this Government
introduced and it is not and never been this Government’s intention to
deny our people of choice.
“There is no U-turn. The mobile phone licences will not be revoked. Sir
Mekere (Morauta) questions are therefore erroneous untruths and
irrelevant,” he said.
He added that the Government was staying the course in deregulating the
telecommunications industry and reforming the information, communication
and technology (ICT) sector.
Mr Somare, who is the MP for Angoram, said the Government would not
succumb to pressure from certain interest groups to adversely influence
policy that would not be of long-term interest of PNG.
He said the refinement of the ICT policy 2007 had been approved by the
National Economic Council and paved the way for a staged approach to the
introduction of competition to all sectors of communication.
Mr Somare also said that the Independent Consumer and Competition
Commission (ICCC) was hastily established by the Morauta government and
its roles and functions were aimed at the privatisation of State
entities.
“Licensing powers involving policy considerations have to be vested with
an appropriate authority and the regulatory functions remain with ICCC
in line with current Government’s policy on public private partnership.
“Most of these issues will be finalised in six months’ time,” he said.
 
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