DEPUTY Prime Minister and Lae MP John Rosso has welcomed improved satellite internet connectivity in rural Papua New Guinea, saying that services such as Starlink will bridge communication gaps in remote communities.
Rosso said areas such as Kabwum, Teptep, Markham, and Menyamya were beginning to benefit from better connectivity, improving access to essential services including education, healthcare, and government communication.
He visited remote parts of Morobe including Imane village in the Onga-Waffa Rural Local Level Government of Markham District where he witnessed issues faced by teachers and residents.
Educators in the area endured long and difficult journeys, with some walking up to two days to reach their school, and another two days to access mobile network coverage.
He said such conditions made even basic tasks such as ordering medical supplies for aid posts, processing payments, or communicating with family and government offices extremely difficult.
“In places like Imane, simple things we take for granted in the city require days of walking just to get a mobile signal,” Rosso said.
He said the introduction of Starlink had allowed remote schools and communities to connect to the rest of the country and the world.
An example was when a Starlink connection was installed at a remote school in Imane. The impact was immediate, with teachers and students able to access information.
Wau Waria MP Marsh Narewec agreed that Starlink would provide a practical pathway to expand internet access nationwide.
“Starlink will revolutionize our health and education service delivery, if we know how to use it and use it well,” he said.
But he warned that its usage plan was design for individuals and not groups such as a government department or agency.
“The Government departments which wish to use Starlink must plan first before rolling it out because it could outrun their operational cost,” he said.
“We have the tendency of getting excited for trying something new without a proper analysis.”
