Good practice

Projeto de Comunicações Rurais da Papua-Nova Guiné

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

Um subsídio de 7,3 milhões de dólares do Banco Mundial pagou à Digicel para construir 59 estações base solares em áreas sem cobertura (2014-2015), dando a ~500 mil residentes rurais da Papua-Nova Guiné o primeiro acesso à telefonia e elevando a cobertura rural de ~20% para ~90%.

Estações base móveis construídas (2014–2015)

~500,000

Residentes rurais com primeiro acesso à telefonia

~20% → ~90%

Cobertura da população 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

Aprovado em 2009 com financiamento IDA do Banco Mundial de 15 milhões de dólares, o Projeto de Comunicações Rurais da Papua-Nova Guiné utilizou um subsídio competitivo baseado em resultados de 7,3 milhões de dólares, atribuído à Digicel PNG em maio de 2014, para estender a cobertura móvel básica a áreas rurais e remotas que o mercado, por si só, não serviria.

Results

A Digicel construiu 59 estações base, na maioria solares, nas quatro regiões em 2014–15, dando a cerca de 500.000 residentes rurais o primeiro acesso à telefonia; a cobertura rural subiu de cerca de 20% (2009) para aproximadamente 90% (2014–15). 54 das 59 torres continuam operacionais — cinco foram perdidas por vandalismo, roubo e disputas de terra — e as operadoras privilegiaram a voz 2G, deixando a banda larga fixa abaixo de 1% de penetração.

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. Projeto de Comunicações Rurais da Papua-Nova Guiné. Persistent ID: 3441bf06-9a75-4eba-8247-aa4922a4fc65.

Export as decision brief (PDF)

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