Internet service upgrade for uni

By PETER ESILA
The Institute of Business Studies (IBS) University students and staff will now benefit from high quality internet services, Vice-Chancellor Edward Silva says.
This was made possible after an agreement was signed between IBS University and Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) for the installation of two satellite dishes at the Mt Eriama Campus, outside Port Moresby, last week.
“We are proud to house ABS inside our university because we believe that our students, or the entire country for that matter, will benefit from it,” Silva said.
“We are going to benefit from the bandwidth and its quality because at the moment, the internet speed in PNG is very low. So these kinds of service is very much needed.”
Gabriel Pimentel, country managing director of ABS, said ABS owned seven satellites and provided telecommunication services through the world.
He said the company was making itself known in PNG.
“Our commitment to PNG is the arrangement and trust that regulator National Information Communication Technology Association has with us,” Pimentel said.
ABS was awarded with network operator licenses in January 2016, and has a full range of network licenses granted enabling it to go into many satellite-based services.
“Today, internet is practically in the hierarchy of needs apart from food, water and shelter, everybody needs internet. And its cost-effective,” he said.
“The topography of PNG, whether its mountainous terrain or highlands structures is one that naturally lends itself with satellite transmission because it is impossible to lay fibre to cover the whole country.
“We believe we can help in making such cost-effective communication internet connectivity available.”