CDMA launching historical for Goilala people

By BOSORINA ROBBY
THE introduction of the code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile services technology to the people of Goilala, in Central, comes as a historical event for the people who had not had any form of service in the past 15 years.
This was enabled by the partnership between Tolukuma gold mine (TGM), a subsidiary of Petromin Holdings Ltd, and Telikom PNG Ltd.
TGM general manager Dietrich Wanke, who officially launched the CDMA wireless network, thanked the Telikom management for their support in assisting to introduce the wireless network service  to TGM and neighbouring communities.
He said this was a milestone in their history to have the technology and to be launching it
with Telikom.
“We still have a long way to go but thank you all for bringing this technology into the heart of Goilala district,” he said.
Telikom head of corporate and data services division Kone Kula announced that the launching marked Goilala as the 37th site across PNG to be on their CDMA wireless network.
Kula said this network allowed people to have “voice” communications and also, provided access to the internet that schools and staff members could  use.
The CDMA excess phone features internet capacity, allows for  calls to be made anywhere in PNG at 6t a minute during the day and at 3t a minute at night.
The next step for TGM is to bring bemobile network into the area and also to provide more electricity to the people.
Project team leader and TGM’s IT and communications manager Eric Kumasi said the project was about giving back to the people and also to show how this service was  needed and could be used in remote areas.
He said though it took a long time to finalise it, it had now happened.
Kumasi said it was the beginning of many bigger things to come for the people to change their lives for the better.
The process took almost six months to complete due to the upgrading of Telikom’s repeater stations along the Mt Yul route, beginning at the Boroko telephone exchange, to Mt Loss, on to Mt Yul and finally into Tolukuma.