PNG told to take most out of cable connection

PAPUA New Guinea must take the most out of the Coral Sea cable connection that is available, says an international expert.
Mohammad Chowdhury, a partner with PwC Australia, said during the Innovation PNG summit last Friday that the connection had the potential to digitalise the country but getting the market structure fixed first was important.
“We really need to think through and make sure that this is the time when we take the opportunity that is before us,” he said.
“Why is digitalisation important and why do we call it digitalisation and not digitization? Digitalisation is basically moving the entire economy or society to digital, and it is important that as we move from an analogue society through some enabling actions to becoming a digital society.
“We basically make an impact not only in the infrastructure that supports us but also in the services and in the culture,”
Chowdhury said the infrastructure alone would not necessary result in the benefits, unless the market structure was promoted.
“PNG must not be complacent in thinking about what is going to happen now that the cable is coming into PNG.
“And for us in Papua New Guinea, I think it is extremely important, particularly the services, that will flow from the infrastructure, the culture will move from one where we have the person to person nature, either in interactive business, to one where many to many.
“That will impact both us as individuals but also those enterprises.
“That is moving us into a really different way of existence in an economy and that is what we can grasp.
“Digitalisation will have a huge impact on democratisation of the economy and on bringing much more inclusion into the region and into the smaller enterprises, which this country really needs to see the growth in SMEs.”