Internet cost on Apec agenda

High Internet costs will be among the areas of focus for the Apec Business Advisory Council (Abac) when it hands over the task to Papua New Guinea for 2018.
Abac co-chair David Toua said it would be an opportunity to look at opportunities for PNG.
“One of the good things about being part of Apec and Abac is that we get to see what goes on in 20 other colleague economies,” he said.
“Our responsibility is to look at those examples and see how we can utilise that within PNG.
“It’s very evident that reliable, affordable broadband is a massive plus for other economies.
“Our challenge is to sit down with Government agencies and highlight the advantages to be gained.”
Toua said these included programmes to help people socially and economically, and emulating success stories of other Apec economies.
He said the Government already had an agreement in place to bring down Internet costs through a fibre optic cable.
Meanwhile, Toua said having Apec economies and businesses in PNG for a whole year in 2018 would open up new opportunities.
“There is a certainly a broad spectrum of development from the Apec economy,” he said.