Papua New Guinea's Internet Access Crisis: Sky-High Costs, Bold Plans, and a Digital Divide

Key Facts

• Low Internet Penetration: As of early 2025, only about 24% of Papua New Guineans use the internet, meaning roughly 8.1 million people (three-quarters of the population) remain offline datareportal.com datareportal.com. This penetration rate has stagnated in recent years, indicating slow growth in new users.
• Urban-Rural Digital Divide: Around 86% of Papua New Guinea’s 10.7 million people live in rural areas, yet internet access is heavily concentrated in cities datareportal.com weforum.org. An estimated 70% of the country’s internet users reside in just two urban centers (Port Moresby and Lae), highlighting the stark urban vs rural gap weforum.org. Port Moresby alone accounts for over half of all social media users in the country pacificsecurity.net.
• Mobile Networks Dominant: Mobile phones are the primary gateway to the internet in PNG, as fixed broadband infrastructure is minimal. There were about 5.03 million mobile connections in 2025 (47% of the population), but many are basic voice/SMS only datareportal.com. Over 87% of mobile connections are 3G/4G capable datareportal.com, and 96% of social media access happens via mobile devices pacificsecurity.net. By late 2024, Digicel (the largest operator) reported its network covers 80% of the population after extensive 4G tower upgrades postcourier.com.pg.
• High Costs & Affordability Issues: Internet service in PNG is among the most expensive in the world. Studies in recent years found mobile data plans cost 20%–80% of an average citizen’s monthly income, and a fixed broadband plan could exceed 150% of monthly income oxfordbusinessgroup.com oxfordbusinessgroup.com – vastly above the global affordability benchmark (~5% of income). Despite new competition, reports as recent as 2022 confirmed that PNG’s internet pricing remained one of the least affordable in the Pacific region devpolicy.org. Data costs have stagnated without significant drops through 2024 devpolicy.org, keeping access out of reach for many.
• Infrastructure Challenges: Papua New Guinea’s rugged terrain and dispersed islands pose serious infrastructure hurdles. Until recently, domestic communication relied on satellite links and microwave relays due to the difficulty of laying fiber across mountains and sea submarinenetworks.com. However, new backbone projects have come online: the Kumul Submarine Cable Network (completed 2020) now links 14 coastal provinces with fiber, and the Coral Sea Cable (completed 2019) to Australia boosted international bandwidth by 1,000× weforum.org submarinenetworks.com. These investments have improved capacity (delivering up to 20 Tbps) submarinenetworks.com, though last-mile connectivity in remote areas remains limited.
• Digital Literacy Gaps: Lack of skills and awareness is a major barrier to uptake. An estimated 64% of people who have phones but don’t use the internet say the main reason is they “don’t know how to use it” on their own medium.com. Low literacy (especially in rural communities and among older adults) and limited local-language content (little online content in Tok Pisin or other vernaculars) have constrained meaningful internet adoption weforum.org. This digital literacy deficit leaves many unaware of online opportunities and vulnerable to scams when they do connect medium.com medium.com.
• Satellite Internet Emerges: Given the challenging geography, PNG has long used satellite (VSAT) for remote connectivity – from rural health clinics to isolated community networks. Starlink (SpaceX’s satellite internet) is on the horizon: in early 2024 the government announced a license for Starlink to operate in PNG abc.net.au, hoping to reach underserved remote areas. However, the rollout hit a regulatory snag – the national Ombudsman raised concerns, and as of early 2025 Starlink’s license was paused pending court review devpolicy.org devpolicy.org. Meanwhile, regional satellite provider Kacific1 (launched 2019) and others offer VSAT broadband across PNG, and local mobile operators even use satellite backhaul to extend service to outlying towers devpolicy.org. These satellite options are expanding internet availability to places far beyond the fiber grid, albeit at a high price and with regulatory hurdles.
• Government Initiatives & Partnerships: The PNG government acknowledges that internet access is crucial for development, and has embarked on ambitious programs. A Universal Access and Service (UAS) Fund is subsidizing connectivity projects – for example, outfitting schools with solar-powered computer labs and two years of paid internet ict.gov.pg ict.gov.pg. In 2025, the government launched the “50 for 50” Connectivity Project aiming for 100% basic voice and data coverage nationwide by the 50th independence anniversary (Sept 2025) ict.gov.pg. This flagship project (budget ~50 million kina) plans to erect new rural towers and connect ~2.5 million additional people, targeting 100+ priority sites like schools, health centers, and airstrips in underserved districts ict.gov.pg. Partnerships with foreign allies have also been key: Australia co-funded the Coral Sea Cable and is in talks to support three new undersea cables for PNG to increase capacity and network redundancy in coming years ict.gov.pg. Additionally, the Australian government (through Telstra) facilitated the 2022 purchase of Digicel Pacific, injecting capital to expand PNG’s mobile network (Digicel added 115 towers and upgraded 96 to 4G in two years) postcourier.com.pg postcourier.com.pg. Another new entrant, Vodafone (launched 2022), has increased competition and prompted data promotions, though price cuts have been modest so far devpolicy.org.
• Future Outlook: Despite current challenges, there is cautious optimism that PNG’s digital divide will gradually narrow. The surge in infrastructure – both terrestrial (fiber backbone, 4G expansion) and celestial (satellite internet) – lays groundwork for broader coverage. Government policy is firmly geared toward connectivity for all, as seen in Vision 2050 and digital transformation strategies. In the near term, upcoming investments like additional submarine cables (for greater international bandwidth and backup links) ict.gov.pg, continued rural tower builds, and potentially Starlink’s entry (if approved by courts) could dramatically improve availability in remote provinces. Internet penetration is expected to climb as costs slowly fall with more competition and as digital literacy improves via education initiatives. However, reaching isolated highlands and islands affordably remains a daunting task. The success of programs like “50 for 50” will be critical to ensure that Papua New Guinea’s millions of rural villagers are not left behind in the global digital economy ict.gov.pg. The coming years will determine if the bold goal of universal internet access can become a reality in PNG, or if the country’s connectivity gains will be tempered by ongoing infrastructure and affordability constraints.

Overview: A Nation Still Largely Offline

Papua New Guinea (PNG) faces an uphill battle in bringing internet access to its population, which is dispersed across difficult terrain and hundreds of islands. General internet penetration remains very low – only about 24.1% of the population were internet users at the start of 2025 datareportal.com datareportal.com. In other words, roughly three out of every four Papua New Guineans have never been online. This rate is starkly below the global average and even lags behind many neighboring Pacific Island countries. The total number of internet users was estimated at 2.57 million out of 10.7 million people in 2025 datareportal.com. Growth has been sluggish; the user base increased by only ~45,000 from 2024 to 2025, barely keeping pace with population growth datareportal.com. Consequently, the internet adoption percentage has essentially flatlined, indicating PNG has hit a plateau under current conditions datareportal.com.

Several factors explain why the majority (over 75%) of PNG’s citizens remain offline datareportal.com. High service costs, limited infrastructure in rural areas, and low digital literacy create a perfect storm that hinders widespread internet use. Those who are connected tend to be concentrated in urban centers, and they mostly access the internet through mobile phones, as fixed-line broadband to homes is exceedingly rare. Overall, PNG presents one of the most challenging environments for internet expansion – a fact acknowledged by its leaders. The Prime Minister and government have described digital infrastructure as critical to national development, yet current statistics highlight how far PNG has to go to achieve broad connectivity. In the sections below, we delve into the urban-rural divide, the pivotal role of mobile networks, key challenges (from geography to affordability to skills), the emergence of satellite solutions like Starlink, government efforts to boost access, and the future trajectory of internet connectivity in Papua New Guinea.

Urban vs. Rural Access Disparities

A massive digital divide separates PNG’s few urban pockets from its vast rural heartland. Papua New Guinea is predominantly a rural country – about 86% of the population lives outside urban centers datareportal.com, often in small villages across rugged mountains or distant islands. These rural communities by and large lack reliable internet or even basic telecommunications. Meanwhile, the minority 14% urban dwellers enjoy disproportionately better connectivity. Nowhere is this gap more evident than in the distribution of the country’s internet users: an estimated 70% of all internet users are located in the two largest cities, Port Moresby (the capital) and Lae weforum.org.

Port Moresby alone, with under 10% of PNG’s population, accounts for over half of the nation’s social media users (around 56%) pacificsecurity.net. Lae, the second city, adds another ~12% pacificsecurity.net. This means roughly two-thirds of Facebook and other social media activity in PNG comes from those two urban areas, leaving only one-third spread across the entire rest of the country. Clearly, people in cities are far more likely to be online, thanks to better network coverage and electricity supply, plus higher incomes and education levels.

In stark contrast, most rural villages have very limited or no internet access at all. Many remote districts have historically had no telecommunications other than perhaps basic mobile voice coverage (and even that is absent in some isolated spots). Before recent interventions, large swathes of the highlands and islands were effectively “dark” zones with respect to connectivity. Even where a cellular signal exists in rural PNG, data service may be 2G-only or extremely slow, making the modern internet (which assumes broadband speeds) practically unusable. It’s not just coverage – affordability and lack of power infrastructure also contribute to low uptake in villages. A smartphone or data plan is a luxury many rural families cannot afford, and without reliable electricity, keeping devices charged is another hurdle.

There are some encouraging developments in bridging this divide. Mobile network expansion projects in the last few years have explicitly targeted rural areas. For example, Digicel PNG (the largest mobile carrier) built 115 new towers between 2022 and 2024, extending signals into many previously uncovered communities postcourier.com.pg. By late 2024, Digicel reported its network now covers over 80% of the population, including rural regions in all 21 provinces and Bougainville postcourier.com.pg. These new towers in provinces like Momase, Southern Highlands, and New Guinea Islands brought connectivity to nearly one million additional people in remote locales postcourier.com.pg. Similarly, the government’s “50 for 50” project (discussed later) is focusing on rural schools, health centers, and even connecting rural airstrips with communications links ict.gov.pg – critical in a country where planes are lifelines to isolated areas.

Despite these efforts, the urban-rural gap remains one of PNG’s most pressing challenges. The difference in internet availability and usage between Port Moresby and a remote highlands village is night and day. Urban residents often have access to 4G mobile data, public Wi-Fi hotspots, and multiple ISPs – whereas rural villagers might have to climb a hill to get a single bar of cell signal, if any. This disparity has profound implications: urban citizens can tap into e-commerce, e-government services, online education, and social media, while rural populations risk falling further behind socially and economically. Recognizing this, PNG’s policymakers and telecom companies have increasingly made rural connectivity a priority, as reaching the “last mile” is essential to truly democratize digital access.

Mobile Networks: The Main Artery of Internet Delivery

In Papua New Guinea, mobile networks are the lifeblood of internet connectivity, far outpacing any other access method. Fixed-line internet (like DSL, cable, or fiber to the home) is virtually nonexistent for the general population – it accounts for barely 1% of internet subscriptions as of a few years ago weforum.org. Thus, for the vast majority of people who do get online, the pathway is via mobile phones and wireless network towers.

PNG’s mobile telecom market has evolved significantly over the past 15 years. Digicel, a regional carrier, entered PNG in 2007 and rapidly became the dominant provider, eclipsing the older state-run telco (Telikom/Bmobile). As of mid-2020s, Digicel PNG (now owned by Australia’s Telstra) still carries the bulk of mobile users, but there are other players: Bmobile (government-backed), Telikom (merged with Bmobile in recent years under Kumul Telikom Holdings), and Vodafone (which launched in 2022 as a new competitor) pacificsecurity.net. This means PNG effectively has three mobile operators currently. The introduction of Vodafone (through a Fiji-based consortium) broke a long-standing near-monopoly and injected more competition, which has started to benefit consumers in terms of promotional data offers and improved service quality devpolicy.org devpolicy.org.

By numbers, mobile phone ownership and coverage have grown impressively. There are about 5 million mobile cellular connections active in PNG (some people have dual SIMs) datareportal.com. Importantly, most of these are now on modern networks: over 87% of mobile connections are on 3G or 4G networks capable of data/internet service datareportal.com. In practice, not every SIM is used for data – many are still voice/text only plans – but the network capability is there. The expansion of 4G LTE in particular has accelerated: Digicel’s upgrades since 2022 achieved a 20% increase in 4G coverage, reaching more areas than ever with high-speed mobile data postcourier.com.pg. Port Moresby and other major towns even have pockets of LTE-Advanced and discussions of 5G trials, though 5G is not yet deployed commercially.

For the end user, smartphones are the primary internet device. Thanks to affordable Android handsets (some as cheap as ~$50) and ubiquitous prepaid data plans, even people with no electricity at home often own a mobile phone that can go online (charging via solar panels or generators as needed). It is telling that 96% of social media usage in PNG is via mobile phones, not desktop computers pacificsecurity.net. Facebook is essentially a mobile experience for PNG’s youth; cyber cafés and PC-based internet use have dwindled as smartphones spread.

Mobile networks also carry the load because alternatives are scarce. There is no widespread public Wi-Fi or fixed broadband in homes. A few wealthier households or businesses in Port Moresby might have satellite broadband or fiber links, but these are the exception. The International Telecommunication Union noted that as of 2019 only around 11% of PNG’s people had any kind of internet subscription, and most of those were mobile plans weforum.org weforum.org. In rural areas, if internet exists, it’s through the cell tower; communities without a tower are effectively offline entirely.

One consequence of this mobile-centric situation is that data costs and network quality on those cellular networks determine the user experience. When mobile data is too expensive (as it has been in PNG), usage remains low despite coverage. And when network congestion or outages occur, entire regions can lose internet since there’s no alternative pipe. PNG’s operators have invested in backbone improvements to support their mobile base – for instance, Digicel uses microwave relays and even medium-earth-orbit satellites (O3b) to connect its rural towers to the core network devpolicy.org. The dependency on mobile also means that improving internet access largely equates to improving mobile network reach, capacity, and affordability. It’s unlike some countries where fixed broadband or public fiber might play a role; in PNG, the strategy for now is “mobile-first” (or mobile-only).

On the positive side, leveraging mobile technology lets PNG “leapfrog” the need for extensive copper wireline deployment. 4G and eventually 5G wireless broadband can bring connectivity to places that would never get a physical cable. A clear example is in the banking sector: mobile banking and fintech services are growing, riding on expanded 3G/4G coverage to reach remote populations that never had a bank branch or internet before. Educational content, telehealth, and e-government services are similarly focusing on mobile-friendly delivery to include rural mobile users. The dominance of mobile is both a challenge and an opportunity – it means the path to digital inclusion is narrower (dependent on a few telcos), but it’s also a quicker route to scale if those networks can be extended and made affordable across PNG’s challenging landscape.

Key Challenges: Infrastructure, Affordability, and Digital Literacy

Despite recent progress, Papua New Guinea’s internet journey is hindered by several interlocking challenges. The three most cited issues are physical infrastructure limitations, the high cost of access, and low digital literacy among the populace. These factors collectively explain why internet uptake remains low and why many Papua New Guineans who technically could get online still do not.

Infrastructure Gaps in a Rugged Terrain

PNG’s geography is perhaps the fundamental barrier. The country’s mainland is sliced by jagged mountain ranges with very limited road networks, and hundreds of outer islands dot the sea – an environment where laying fiber-optic cables or building cell towers is extraordinarily difficult and expensive. As a result, telecom infrastructure has historically been sparse and concentrated around coastal cities. Until a few years ago, most domestic communication relied on satellites and microwave links rather than terrestrial fiber submarinenetworks.com. This meant bandwidth was limited and unstable, and many areas simply had no coverage at all.

However, there have been major infrastructure investments lately aiming to fill these gaps. One is the Kumul Submarine Cable Network (KSCN) – a national fiber-optic cable backbone completed in 2020 submarinenetworks.com submarinenetworks.com. Funded largely by a Chinese loan, the KSCN laid about 5,400 km of undersea fiber around PNG’s coasts, connecting 14 provincial capitals and two data centers (Port Moresby and Madang) in a ring submarinenetworks.com. It even links into Indonesia’s network at the border and ties in with an existing cable to Guam and Sydney submarinenetworks.com submarinenetworks.com. In tandem, the Coral Sea Cable System, financed by Australia and completed in 2019, delivered a high-capacity international link from PNG to Australia (and Solomon Islands) weforum.org submarinenetworks.com. Together, these projects vastly increased PNG’s available bandwidth – the Coral Sea and Kumul cables provide up to 20 terabits per second capacity into the country submarinenetworks.com, theoretically a game-changer compared to the old satellite backbones.

Yet infrastructure challenges persist in the “last mile.” Most rural villages are still far from the fiber landing stations, requiring microwave towers or satellite hops to connect them. The Kumul network connected provincial capitals, but within each province, extending connectivity to villages involves building microwave relay networks or additional terrestrial fiber up river valleys and over mountains – a slow and costly endeavor. Power infrastructure is another limiting factor: many rural towers need solar panels or generators since the electricity grid doesn’t reach far beyond towns. Maintenance of equipment in remote jungles, vulnerability to weather (PNG’s climate brings heavy rains, floods, earthquakes, and even volcanic eruptions) all complicate keeping the network up.

A stark illustration of these vulnerabilities: in 2019, before the new cables went live, a major 7.2 earthquake in the Highlands knocked out the one fiber link that existed and cut off internet nationwide for days, forcing a temporary revert to satellite backups. Even today, landslides or technical faults can isolate parts of the network. The government is therefore working on network redundancy and expansion projects. In mid-2025, PNG and Australia were in talks to fund three new undersea cables to further improve network resilience and connect additional regions ict.gov.pg. Such cables might create alternate international routes (so that one cut doesn’t blackout the country) and possibly direct links to other neighbors or outer islands.

In summary, building and sustaining ICT infrastructure across PNG’s difficult terrain is an ongoing struggle. The recent backbone projects have laid a strong foundation, but bridging the last-mile to hundreds of scattered communities remains a work in progress. Without infrastructure, discussions of internet affordability or usage are moot – so this challenge is primary. Every new tower or fiber spur laid into a remote district is a hard-won victory. The government’s push for 100% coverage by the 50th anniversary, via building dozens of new rural towers under “50 for 50,” underscores both the ambition and the difficulty of the task ict.gov.pg.

Affordability: The World’s Highest Internet Costs?

Even where Papua New Guineans can access the internet, many simply cannot afford to. The cost of internet data in PNG has been notoriously high, ranking among the most expensive on the planet. For years, PNG has appeared at the bottom of affordability surveys. To put this in perspective, the Alliance for Affordable Internet and ITU have a target that 1GB of mobile data should cost no more than 2-5% of monthly income – but in PNG a few years ago, 1GB could easily consume over 20% of a typical person’s income oxfordbusinessgroup.com.

Academic and regulatory reports throughout the last decade (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) consistently labeled PNG’s internet prices “not affordable” compared to other Pacific countries devpolicy.org. For example, according to an Oxford Business Group analysis and ITU data:

• Mobile broadband (wireless data) packages in PNG cost between 20% and 80% of average monthly income per user for basic plans oxfordbusinessgroup.com. In other Pacific nations or globally, that figure is a fraction of that cost.
• Fixed broadband (e.g., home DSL) was even worse, at around 150% of monthly income for a basic plan oxfordbusinessgroup.com – essentially unaffordable except to the wealthiest businesses. They cited a shocking example: a standard 20 GB home internet plan in Port Moresby was priced at over US$3,000 per month, nearly 200 times the cost of an equivalent plan in nearby Australia oxfordbusinessgroup.com. Even a tiny fixed plan cost ~$200/month, vastly beyond what normal households could pay oxfordbusinessgroup.com.

These extreme prices have moderated slightly in recent years, especially for mobile data, but remain very high. The introduction of competition – notably Vodafone’s entry in 2022 – and regulatory pressure did lead to better “value for money” in data packages by Digicel and Bmobile. Operators began offering promotions like double-data weekends, “free gigabyte” Sundays, and bigger bundles for the same price devpolicy.org. Digicel and Telikom also responded to Vodafone by tweaking their plans (e.g., giving more MBs per kina on longer-duration packs) devpolicy.org devpolicy.org. One analysis noted that after Vodafone’s launch, data prices per megabyte improved by up to 50-70% on certain plans in 2024 devpolicy.org (for instance, Digicel’s 1-day pack cost per MB dropped dramatically in April 2024).

However, by the end of 2024, price competition hit a lull – all three mobile operators kept their data tariffs mostly flat through the year devpolicy.org. The cheapest entry-level packages (daily or 3-day packs) still offer relatively poor value versus larger monthly packs, which only wealthier users can afford in one go devpolicy.org. So while unit prices have come down somewhat, affordability for the lowest-income groups is still a major issue. As of 2022, the Alliance for Affordable Internet’s report categorized PNG’s data as among the least affordable in the Pacific.

Why is internet so expensive in PNG? Several reasons:

• Lack of competition and high wholesale costs: Historically, a government monopoly controlled international bandwidth and charged ISPs exorbitantly oxfordbusinessgroup.com oxfordbusinessgroup.com. Until DataCo was created in 2014 to reform this, ISPs had to pay very high rates to the monopoly (Telikom) which passed onto consumers oxfordbusinessgroup.com. The new submarine cables financed by Australia and China were expected to drive prices down by reducing upstream costs (and indeed, wholesale bandwidth costs per Mbps have dropped). But translating that to retail price cuts has been slow.
• Operational costs in PNG are high: Providing service in PNG’s terrain means expensive logistics (fuel for generators, satellite backhaul leases, difficult maintenance). Also, market size is relatively small and dispersed, so economies of scale are limited.
• Until recently, demand was low: A classic catch-22 – operators set high prices because only a small base of mostly corporate customers were using data, and those users were willing to pay a premium. With limited middle-class consumer demand, there was less incentive to lower prices. This is changing as more citizens, especially youth, demand internet access.

The government and regulators are actively trying to improve affordability. NICTA (the regulator) has introduced retail service competition and also infrastructure sharing policies to avoid duplicate costs oxfordbusinessgroup.com. The notion of a Universal Access Fund is to use levies on operators to subsidize services or build infrastructure in unprofitable areas – indirectly helping affordability by reducing capital costs for telcos. There is also interest in internet exchange points and caching to keep traffic local and cut expensive international transit costs (PNG set up an Internet Exchange Point in recent years) oxfordbusinessgroup.com oxfordbusinessgroup.com. All these measures aim to chip away at the price problem.

There are signs of hope: mobile data prices have gradually become better value. For instance, today one can get a 1 GB daily pack for about 3 kina (~$0.85) on promotion devpolicy.org, which is a huge improvement from a few years ago when that amount of data might have cost 10+ kina. The key will be continuing this trajectory. Internet access will not truly democratize until prices come within reach of rural farmers, students, and ordinary citizens. Many observers note that even if coverage reaches a village, if a data plan is too expensive, the villagers will simply not use it – the result being a tower with very low utilization and the community still effectively offline. Thus, tackling the affordability challenge is just as important as building the networks.

Digital Literacy and Skills: The Human Factor

Another oft-underestimated challenge in PNG is digital literacy – the skills and understanding to use the internet effectively. For many Papua New Guineans, especially in older generations or in remote areas with limited schooling, the internet is an alien concept. Literacy in the traditional sense (reading and writing) is not universal in PNG, and even among literate people, knowing how to navigate the online world safely and productively is a big hurdle.

In a recent GSMA/UNHCR survey, the results were stark: 64% of PNG mobile phone users who weren’t using internet said the main reason was that they “don’t know how to use it by themselves.” medium.com In other words, a majority of those technically capable of going online refrain simply due to lack of know-how or confidence. This might include not understanding what mobile data is, how to use a browser or app, or fear of doing something wrong. Cultural and language factors play a role – the internet’s content is largely in English or global languages, and while many Papua New Guineans speak English or Tok Pisin, the online environment can be intimidating if it’s not in one’s mother tongue. There is relatively little content in Tok Pisin or local PNG languages on the web weforum.org, which can make the internet feel less relevant or accessible to rural people.

Low digital literacy has real consequences. It can make people susceptible to scams and misinformation, a growing issue in PNG. Reports have noted incidents of villagers falling for SMS frauds or Facebook prize scams, losing money because they weren’t aware of how to spot fake messages medium.com medium.com. During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine misinformation spread widely on social media in PNG, in part because many new internet users couldn’t easily distinguish credible sources pacificsecurity.net. Additionally, without basic training, people may not know how to protect their privacy or use security features, which is a concern as more services (like mobile banking) become available.

The gender gap in digital skills is notable too. Men significantly outnumber women among internet users (roughly 64% male vs 36% female on Facebook, for example) pacificsecurity.net. One factor is that men generally have more access to education and technology in PNG’s traditional society. There are efforts to address this: programs like “Girls in ICT” are being promoted by NICTA and the Department of ICT to encourage young women to pursue tech careers and become literate in digital tools ict.gov.pg.

On a broader scale, the PNG government and educational institutions are recognizing the need to improve digital literacy. The national curriculum is gradually incorporating ICT, at least in urban schools. The recently opened ICT labs (like the one at Papa Junior High mentioned earlier) come with not just equipment but also training for teachers and students on basic computer and internet use ict.gov.pg ict.gov.pg. There is also talk of community digital centers where adults can get informal training. NGOs and churches have run grassroots programs explaining the benefits of internet (for accessing farming information, market prices, telehealth, etc.) to rural communities in simple terms, to build demand from the ground up.

Digital literacy is a long-term challenge – it won’t be solved overnight. It’s akin to the introduction of any new technology; people need time and support to adapt. But without addressing it, PNG risks a scenario where even if infrastructure and prices are no longer barriers, a large segment of the population might still not go online due to lack of awareness or skills. Bridging this “skills divide” is essential to truly realize the potential of the investments in networks. Encouragingly, the more that people do get online, the more peer-to-peer learning occurs – many young Papua New Guineans today learn to use smartphones intuitively or teach each other on social media. The key will be fostering a digitally literate generation that can carry the rest of the population forward.

Satellite Internet: Reaching the Unreachable (Starlink, VSAT, and National Initiatives)

Given Papua New Guinea’s daunting topography and scattered islands, satellite internet has always played a crucial role in connecting the unreachable corners. Long before fiber optics arrived, PNG has relied on satellite connectivity (VSAT – Very Small Aperture Terminal dishes) for international links and to serve remote industries like mining, logging, and mission stations. Today, satellite-based internet is entering a new era in PNG, with high-throughput satellites and even low-earth-orbit constellations promising to extend coverage where terrestrial networks can’t.

One of the most buzzed-about developments is Starlink – the satellite broadband service from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. In early 2024, PNG made headlines by announcing it had granted a business license for Starlink to operate in the country, following the lead of neighbors Fiji and Vanuatu abc.net.au. This news generated excitement, as Starlink’s low-earth-orbit satellites could deliver high-speed internet (~50–150 Mbps) to any location with a clear sky view, potentially leapfrogging over PNG’s infrastructure gaps to reach remote villages and highland hamlets. A PNG ICT expert noted that Starlink could be transformative for “very remote communities where limited service exists” abc.net.au. Indeed, Starlink doesn’t require existing telecom infrastructure – just a satellite dish and kit for each user.

However, the Starlink rollout in PNG hit a regulatory roadblock soon after the initial green light. The Ombudsman Commission, an oversight body, raised concerns about the licensing process. It issued an injunction in February 2024 effectively halting the issuance of the Starlink license, pending further review and consultation thenational.com.pg thenational.com.pg. The matter went to the National Court for judicial review thenational.com.pg. As of January 2025, the PNG Minister for ICT clarified that “Starlink has not been granted a license to operate in the country” yet – the issue was sub judice (in court) and the license remained on hold devpolicy.org devpolicy.org. This unexpected twist means that, for now, Starlink terminals are not officially active across PNG, and the service cannot be marketed commercially until regulators sort out the concerns (which reportedly involve ensuring proper consultation and perhaps fears of creating an unregulated competitor to local ISPs).

Despite the pause, there is clearly strong interest in Starlink and similar services. Some early adopters (e.g., certain businesses or expats) might have quietly brought in Starlink kits from abroad; there were rumors of pilot tests. The government appears cautiously supportive overall, seeing satellite as complementary to other solutions but also wanting to “monitor policy developments closely” to regulate it properly devpolicy.org. It’s likely a matter of time – perhaps in 2025 or 2026 – before Starlink or another LEO constellation (such as OneWeb) formally enters the PNG market, once regulatory kinks are ironed out. If and when that happens, remote schools, health posts, and even individual households could install a dish and get connectivity at speeds never before seen in rural PNG. The cost, however, may be a limiting factor: Starlink’s hardware is several hundred dollars and the monthly fee (in other countries) is around USD $100+. That is steep for an average villager, so uptake might initially be organizations, businesses, or community cooperatives rather than individual subsistence farmers.

Beyond Starlink, geostationary satellite providers remain important. Kacific1, a Ka-band high-throughput satellite launched in 2019, covers PNG and other Pacific nations with the goal of affordable rural broadband. Kacific has partnered with local ISPs and even governments; for instance, it enabled connectivity in 118 health clinics across neighboring Vanuatu via satellite links. In Papua New Guinea, Kacific has been active as well – setting up ground stations and working with distributors to serve customers like rural hospitals, schools, and enterprises devpolicy.org. Its promise is to deliver up to 50-100 Mbps to small VSAT dishes, making telemedicine or distance learning feasible in places far from fiber. The PNG government even recognized Kacific with an innovation award in technology for PNG kacific.com, indicating its contributions to connectivity.

Local telecom operators also use satellite to extend their reach. Digicel and Bmobile (Telikom) have utilized satellites to connect cell towers in very remote regions where microwave or fiber backhaul is impractical devpolicy.org. They’ve employed O3b (a medium-earth orbit satellite system) for low-latency backhaul in some cases. This means when a user in a remote atoll makes a video call, that data might hop from the cell tower to a satellite, then down to an earth station linked to the global internet. Without such satellite links, those cell towers couldn’t offer data service. The downside is cost – satellite bandwidth is expensive, which loops back to the affordability issue. But with newer satellites like Kacific and Starlink, the cost per bit is dropping.

The national government has its own initiatives involving satellite as well. Under the Universal Access program, they have outfitted certain government institutions with VSAT connectivity. For example, some district administration offices and rural schools now have a “CommsBox” or similar VSAT kit providing internet where no telco operates. In 2023, PNG’s National Broadcasting Corporation even explored satellite broadband to deliver TV and radio content alongside internet to remote communities (converging broadcasting and internet under one satellite platform).

In summary, satellite internet acts as a crucial safety net and extender for PNG’s connectivity. It reaches beyond the edges of the terrestrial networks. The arrival of cutting-edge satellite options is an exciting development: if properly harnessed, PNG’s villages on mountaintops or deep in the rainforest could theoretically join the online world without waiting years for a cable. The government’s balancing act will be to integrate satellite services into the national strategy – encouraging their use in underserved areas (perhaps via subsidies or bulk contracts for schools/clinics) while ensuring they don’t undermine efforts to build out local infrastructure or flout regulations. If done right, satellite broadband – from Starlink and others – could quickly narrow the accessibility gap, bringing internet to PNG’s “last mile” where towers can’t reach.

Government Policies and Public-Private Partnerships Driving Expansion

Recognizing that market forces alone might not deliver universal internet access, the PNG government has stepped in with policies, programs, and partnerships to accelerate progress. In the past decade, a series of national ICT strategies have been launched, aiming to modernize the country’s digital landscape and extend connectivity as a catalyst for development.

One cornerstone policy is the concept of Universal Access and Service (UAS). Enshrined in the 2009 National ICT Act, PNG established a UAS Fund – essentially a pool of money (funded by levies on telecom operators) dedicated to expanding communications services to unserved or underserved areas ict.gov.pg. For years the fund sat underutilized, but recently it has sprung into action. The UAS Strategic Plan 2023–2027 outlines using the fund to subsidize rural mobile tower deployments, community internet centers, and connectivity for public institutions uas.nicta.gov.pg. For example, the government can co-fund a base station in a remote village that wouldn’t be profitable for a telco, or it can pay for satellite bandwidth to connect a school. The Papa Junior High School ICT lab mentioned earlier is a tangible outcome: the government paid for two years of internet for that school via the UAS ICT Projects program ict.gov.pg ict.gov.pg. This ensures the facility can actually be used by students and teachers without burdening the school with huge internet bills.

Another major policy framework was the National Broadband Policy (NBP). The NBP (formulated around 2013) set ambitious targets, such as “50% of the population shall have broadband access by 2018” theprif.org theprif.org. While that goal was not met (only ~13% had internet by 2018, far short of 50%), the policy did serve to galvanize efforts and put in place regulatory changes. It emphasized things like infrastructure sharing, spectrum allocation for 3G/4G, and universal access principles. The Broadband Plan pillars also dovetailed with a Digital Government plan and Digital Economy strategy, showing the government’s holistic approach – not just connectivity, but using it for e-health, e-education, e-commerce, etc. The NBP’s lofty targets have since been updated; current leadership talks in terms of bringing internet and voice to “100% of citizens” (like the 50th anniversary goal) ict.gov.pg, essentially renewing the commitment to universality.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been a key tactic. One high-profile example is the Coral Sea Cable project: rather than PNG bearing the full cost of an international subsea cable, the Australian government stepped in with financing (~2/3 of the $200m cost) as a grant, alongside PNG’s contribution, to build the cable which went live in 2019 weforum.org submarinenetworks.com. This partnership greatly increased PNG’s global connectivity and also symbolized a strategic collaboration. Australia’s motive was partly to prevent PNG from going with a Chinese-supplied cable, but for PNG it was a win in terms of getting critical infrastructure faster and cheaper. Similarly, Australia facilitated Telstra’s acquisition of Digicel Pacific in 2022 by providing most of the $1.4 billion funding (through its export finance arm) to ensure a stable operator in the Pacific. As a result, Digicel (now under Telstra’s ownership) has ramped up network investments in PNG – expanding 4G and promising more improvements postcourier.com.pg. This quasi-PPP means a state-backed foreign company is helping deliver public outcomes (broader network coverage) in PNG.

Another partnership angle is with multilateral development agencies. The World Bank, for instance, funded a Rural Communications Project in PNG during the 2010s. That project helped bring mobile services to dozens of rural communities and set up ICT community centers, directly resulting in 1.4 million more rural people gaining mobile phone access from 2010–2018 ida.worldbank.org. It also helped increase internet use in those pilot areas by 50% ida.worldbank.org. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) similarly has supported ICT in the region (ADB co-funded Kacific’s satellite project, seeing it as key to Pacific connectivity adb.org).

On the policy side, the government has been modernizing laws to create an enabling environment. In 2020 PNG passed a new National ICT Policy and was on the brink of passing an Electronic Transactions Act (ETA) weforum.org weforum.org. The ETA will legally recognize digital signatures and online contracts, paving the way for e-commerce and e-government services to have legal footing weforum.org weforum.org. This is a behind-the-scenes necessity for a digital economy to function. PNG has also joined regional initiatives for cybersecurity, digital trade, and has an eye on emerging tech through its involvement with the World Economic Forum’s digital programs weforum.org.

Domestically, institutional reform has been part of the effort. The government reorganized its telecom state-owned enterprises under Kumul Telikom Holdings, aiming for efficiency. It attempted to merge Telikom and Bmobile (the two state carriers) to eliminate duplication and better compete with Digicel pacificsecurity.net. Although that merger faced some hurdles and might be revisited, the intent is to strengthen the public operator to extend services to areas the private sector might not prioritize. Additionally, PNG has looked to leverage other infrastructure: a recent example is a deal for Telikom to use infrastructure of an energy company (oil/gas pipelines) to mount 4G equipment restofworld.org – a creative partnership to expand coverage in the Gulf province using existing towers owned by an oil firm.

Crucially, the government often emphasizes “working in partnership” in its speeches ict.gov.pg. The ICT Minister Masiu highlighted cooperation with businesses like ExxonMobil, which helped build the ICT classroom facility at Papa school ict.gov.pg. This underscores that extending internet access is a multi-stakeholder effort: telecom companies, resource companies, donors, and communities all have roles. For instance, local communities are asked to secure and maintain equipment when a tower or ICT hub is installed, to prevent vandalism or theft – community buy-in is important for sustainability.

In conclusion, PNG’s government has not been passive; it has been proactively shaping the telecom landscape through a mix of policies, funding programs, and partnerships. There is an understanding that internet access can unlock economic and social benefits (like enabling e-learning, e-health, digital jobs, etc.), so these initiatives are framed under national development agendas. The public-private collaboration model appears to be the way forward – whether it’s partnering with global tech companies for new undersea cables ict.gov.pg, working with neighboring countries’ governments, or incentivizing private telcos via subsidies and regulation. The ultimate measure of success will be if these efforts result in noticeable increases in connectivity metrics (penetration, affordability) and improvements in people’s daily lives through digital services.

Future Prospects and Upcoming Projects

Looking ahead, the outlook for internet access in Papua New Guinea over the next several years is one of guarded optimism with a slate of promising projects on the horizon. After a decade of slow gains, PNG might be nearing an inflection point where multiple investments and initiatives converge to significantly boost connectivity.

In the immediate term (2025–2026), the “50 for 50” Connectivity Project is set to unfold. This nationwide blitz aims to roll out new telecom infrastructure to achieve universal coverage by the end of 2025 ict.gov.pg. Practically, it involves constructing around 50 new mobile towers (hence “50 for 50”), upgrading broadcasting transmitters, and installing satellite links where needed to cover the last pockets with no signal facebook.com ict.gov.pg. If executed fully, this could mean that even remote villages in, say, Telefomin or Manus Island would finally have at least basic mobile voice and data service. The project’s target of reaching 100% of the population is extremely ambitious – and some observers are skeptical if it can be fully realized on schedule – but even a partial success (say covering 90%+ of people) would be a huge step forward for PNG. By the anniversary celebrations in September 2025, we should see dozens of communities newly connected under this program, and success stories like villagers making their first phone call or internet browsing for the first time may emerge.

Another area of progress is international and domestic bandwidth. Discussions with Australia’s DFAT and the financing facility AIFFP indicate plans for three new undersea cables for PNG ict.gov.pg. While details are pending, these could involve: a second cable to Australia (for redundancy to Coral Sea Cable), a cable to East Asia (perhaps connecting PNG to places like Singapore or Japan directly), and possibly a domestic cable to an island region not covered by Kumul Network (maybe to Bougainville or around the Bismarck Sea). These cables, if funded and built in the coming 2-3 years, would massively increase PNG’s network resilience – no more relying on a single international route. They would also lower latency and potentially transit costs for traffic to various parts of the world. From a user perspective, more cables won’t immediately be noticeable, but indirectly they enable ISPs to provide faster and more reliable service, and help keep prices in check through diversified capacity.

On the satellite front, by 2025–2026 we may see Starlink finally operational in PNG (assuming the court issues are resolved). That alone could be a game-changer for remote enterprise and community connectivity. Additionally, OneWeb, another LEO satellite network, has been expanding in the Asia-Pacific and might target PNG for coverage via partners. The government could also negotiate with providers like Starlink to implement a universal service plan – perhaps subsidizing terminals for schools or health centers. Imagine every village school having a satellite broadband connection delivering online educational content: that could be reality in a few years if costs come down and partnerships are made.

We should also consider technology upgrades within the mobile networks. Thus far, PNG has focused on 3G/4G. The next logical step is 5G in urban centers. While no operator has announced a firm 5G launch date, there have been tests. Given Telstra’s involvement, it’s plausible that Port Moresby and Lae might see pilot 5G services by the late 2020s once there’s sufficient fiber backhaul and enough high-end user devices. For rural areas, the emphasis will remain on spreading 4G, as many are still on 2G/3G now. By improving backhaul (thanks to Kumul fiber reaching more towns and additional microwave links), more rural towers can be upgraded to 4G, meaning faster internet in villages rather than just basic connectivity.

Another significant prospect is the growth of localized solutions and innovations. For example, community Wi-Fi networks could sprout up: a telecom could beam a high-capacity link to a village and then distribute it via Wi-Fi locally, selling access by vouchers. Also, the government’s push in the digital sphere means more content and services will be available that drive demand – e.g., digital ID systems, mobile banking, e-agriculture info for farmers, etc. Greater demand might spur further private investment: if investors see more Papua New Guineans coming online (especially with a youthful population – median age ~22), they may bring in new services or infrastructure. There’s already interest from global cloud providers (AWS, Oracle) in supporting PNG’s digital government – the June 2025 discussions in Sydney touched on cloud and AI for PNG government services ict.gov.pg. This suggests future projects in data centers and cloud connectivity that could improve domestic internet experiences (for instance, caching popular content within PNG to speed up access).

Electricity expansion (through the separate but related “Connect PNG” infrastructure drive) is also vital. The government has goals to vastly increase the electrification rate by 2030. As more households and villages get reliable power, it synergizes with internet access – people can then power phones, computers, and 4G routers consistently, making internet use practical.

While prospects are bright, it’s important to remain realistic: many challenges will persist. Funding constraints could delay some projects; maintaining new infrastructure in PNG’s environment will require continuous effort and training. Affordability needs to improve further – hopefully competition and new cables will drive prices down, but that requires vigilant regulation and perhaps additional market players (maybe a SpaceX or other ISP entering can pressure prices). Digital literacy efforts must scale up in tandem to ensure people make good use of connectivity once they have it.

One notable “soft” development is that PNG’s leaders increasingly see internet access as a necessity, not a luxury. The rhetoric around digital inclusion in political speeches, and the integration of ICT in the national development agenda, bode well for sustained government support. The next few years will likely involve fine-tuning policies – for instance, finalizing the Data Protection law, updating the ICT regulatory framework to accommodate new tech like satellite constellations, and fostering innovation (start-ups in the digital space, etc.). We might see public Wi-Fi in city centers, more tech hubs and incubation programs for young developers in PNG, and partnerships with universities to produce ICT graduates who can help run all this infrastructure.

In summary, the future for internet in Papua New Guinea is cautiously promising. If current projects stay on track, by 2030 PNG could transform from having one of the lowest connectivity rates in the world to a country where a solid majority of citizens are online. The digital divide won’t vanish overnight, but it will steadily shrink. Urban areas will enjoy higher speeds and new services (5G, fiber to businesses), while rural areas will, at minimum, have basic, functional internet – whether via 4G or satellite – that can support communications, information access, and essential digital services. For a country where, not long ago, large populations had never even made a phone call, this digital leap will be monumental. The coming years are critical, and the world will be watching to see how Papua New Guinea’s internet evolution unfolds, as it strives to connect its people across some of the most challenging geography on Earth.

Sources:

• DataReportal – Digital 2025: Papua New Guinea (internet user statistics and demographics) datareportal.com datareportal.com
• Devpolicy Blog – “Mobile internet prices stable in Papua New Guinea” (analysis of data costs, Starlink licensing issues) devpolicy.org devpolicy.org
• The National (PNG) – “Review for OC’s Starlink decision” (Ombudsman Commission halting Starlink license) thenational.com.pg thenational.com.pg
• Post-Courier (PNG) – “Digicel PNG announces a significant mobile network expansion” (network coverage reaching 80% population, new towers) postcourier.com.pg postcourier.com.pg
• World Economic Forum – “This Pacific island is working towards a digital revolution” (urban-rural user distribution, fixed vs mobile stats) weforum.org weforum.org
• Pacific Security College – “PNG’s Digital Divide” (social media usage in Port Moresby/Lae, competition impact, future undersea cable plans) pacificsecurity.net pacificsecurity.net
• Medium (UNHCR) – “What is digital literacy and why does it matter for refugees?” (PNG digital literacy survey: 64% don’t know how to use internet) medium.com
• Oxford Business Group – “Mobile broadband jumps ahead of fixed-line services in PNG” (affordability statistics: internet cost as % of income, $3000 plans) oxfordbusinessgroup.com oxfordbusinessgroup.com
• Department of ICT (PNG) – Minister’s speech on “50 for 50” project (goal of 100% coverage by 50th anniversary, details on people and sites to connect) ict.gov.pg ict.gov.pg
• SubmarineNetworks.com – “PNG National Kumul Submarine Cable Network” (completion of national fiber network and Coral Sea Cable, 20 Tbps capacity, reliance on satellite historically) submarinenetworks.com submarinenetworks.com
• ABC News (Australia) – “PNG gives green light for Starlink” (initial Starlink license announcement and potential benefits for remote areas) abc.net.au
• IDA/World Bank – Country results brief (rural mobile access expansion, increase of internet use in rural areas by 50% from projects) ida.worldbank.org