Good practice

Proyecto de Comunicaciones Rurales de Papúa Nueva Guinea

Papua New Guinea · Port Moresby · See the Papua New Guinea profile

Un subsidio de 7,3M$ del Banco Mundial pagó a Digicel para construir 59 estaciones base solares en zonas sin cobertura (2014-2015), dando a ~500 000 habitantes rurales de Papúa Nueva Guinea su primer acceso telefónico y elevando la cobertura rural de ~20% a ~90%.

Estaciones base móviles construidas (2014–2015)

~500,000

Residentes rurales con primer acceso a la telefonía

~20% → ~90%

Cobertura de la población rural (2009–2015)

Details

Maturity: Established
Promoter: National ICT Authority (NICTA) & PNG Department of Communication and Information
Period: 2009-2017
Keywords: rural broadband, universal access fund, mobile connectivity, telecom infrastructure subsidy, digital divide

Context

Aprobado en 2009 con financiación IDA del Banco Mundial de 15 millones de dólares, el Proyecto de Comunicaciones Rurales de Papúa Nueva Guinea utilizó un subsidio competitivo basado en resultados de 7,3 millones de dólares, adjudicado a Digicel PNG en mayo de 2014, para extender la cobertura móvil básica a zonas rurales y remotas que el mercado por sí solo no atendería.

Results

Digicel construyó 59 estaciones base, en su mayoría solares, en las cuatro regiones en 2014–15, dando a unos 500.000 residentes rurales su primer acceso a la telefonía; la cobertura rural subió de cerca del 20% (2009) a aproximadamente el 90% (2014–15). 54 de las 59 torres siguen operativas — cinco se perdieron por vandalismo, robos y disputas de tierras — y los operadores priorizaron la voz 2G, dejando la banda ancha fija por debajo del 1% de penetración.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-07-03
National ICT Authority (NICTA) & PNG Department of Communication and Information — accessed 2026-07-03
NICTA - PNG Rural Communication Project overview — accessed 2026-07-03
World Bank Results — accessed 2026-07-03
1 World Connected - PNG Universal Service Fund case study — accessed 2026-07-03

Quality score: 92/100

How is this calculated?

Evidence: Observational / pre–post

Top 6% in this catalogue (573 scored practices)

Scores cluster high, so position within the catalogue is often more telling than the number alone.

Evaluation

Evaluated by C-NAPSE

Score profile — the dimensions behind the score — how it's computed

Innovation level3/5

Used a competitive, output-based capital subsidy to induce private investment in PNG's exceptionally difficult mountainous/island terrain, a proven but context-appropriate universal-access-fund mechanism.

Sustainability (ongoing)1/1

54 of the 59 subsidised towers remain fully operational years after construction, with damage documented transparently rather than hidden, and PNG planned a follow-on broadband-focused universal access project.

Evaluation evidence1/1

Tower and coverage figures are confirmed directly by PNG's telecom regulator (NICTA) and independently corroborated by World Bank reporting and a George Washington University-affiliated case study.

Demonstrated reach1/1

Coverage rose from ~20% to ~90% of the rural population, an estimated 500,000 previously unserved people gaining first-time telephony access.

Documented learning1/1

NICTA's own reporting transparently documents that 5 of 59 towers were disabled by vandalism, theft and land disputes, and independent review found operators prioritised 2G voice over broadband - realistic, well-documented operational lessons for future rural connectivity subsidies.

Cite this

Evidoria. Proyecto de Comunicaciones Rurales de Papúa Nueva Guinea. Persistent ID: 3441bf06-9a75-4eba-8247-aa4922a4fc65.

Export as decision brief (PDF)

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