Agreement allows uni to benefit from firm’s low-cost service

The National Business

COMMUNICATIONS company PNG DataCo has formed a partnership with PNG University of Technology (Unitech) for the use of the school’s 03B satellite facilities in Lae.
According to PNG DataCo the alliance is for redundancy purposes and to ensure the National Transmission Network (NTN) is robust and resilient.
The service agreement signed between PNG DataCo managing director Paul Komboi and the PNG University of Technology vice chancellor Dr Ora Renagi last week was to allow the university to benefit from the low-cost service.
DataCo is providing this broadband service with cost savings benefit to Unitech under its community services obligation and community social responsibility initiative for the education sector.
The service agreement includes:

  • Primary service on fibre;
  • redundant or backup over O3B satellite; and,
  • DataCo to access the Unitech O3B terminal for provision of redundant services to Lae and surrounding areas.

Unitech will start accessing services next month.
The arrangements would last for the next three years.
Komboi said their (PNG DataCo) mission was to improve and expand affordable access to the public through the development of NTN.
“With the network that we are building with immense capacity across the country, our challenge is to ensure we drive demand to ensure the costs are shared by a larger base,” Komboi said
“We believe that apart from assisting the next generation in their pursuit of knowledge and education through this service, we understand that the future demand will be driven by and will come from the current students who will enter the workforce and the business community.
“We cannot sit back and watch the next generation be deprived of the benefits of broadband internet in education due to unavailability and high cost barriers.”
Komboi said the Government was keen to provide free quality education as a priority and DataCo had developed under its community service obligation and community service responsibility initiatives to ensure they provide quality service at cheaper prices to support the Government’s development agenda.
“We are happy with the approach as it provides best quality, reliable and accessible services to the institution because we want our students to use the services in their learning,” Dr Renagi said.
Komboi and Dr Renagi agreed that the service was a way forward in bridging the digital divide.