National Broadband Policy

Definitions of Data:

n/a

Main Focus of Document:

Provides an over-arching framework with settings to ensure that demand-side and supply-side aspects of broadband infrastructure, applications, services, access and usage are best optimised to meet the objectives and targets contained in the Policy and associated Strategic Action Plan. The Policy is a major part of the overall national ICT policy.

Target Beneficiaries or Sectors:

citizens of PNG, government

Key Elements:

The specific objectives of the National Broadband Policy are set out below: Achieve higher economic growth and economic efficiency while ensuring sustainability • Contribute to the increased economic welfare of PNG and its people • Create sustainable employment opportunities and enrich and enhance jobs
• Make PNG more attractive for commercial activity and investment • Achieve higher economic efficiency in terms of transactions, processes and effectiveness

Promote social growth and cohesion • Advance social inclusion and cohesion in all ways, especially through modern communications • Preserve PNG’s cultures and traditions through the use of new technologies • Promote community ownership and support for continued and improved broadband services through improved access and usage
• Provide high speed broadband access for all communities, schools, homes and businesses in PNG

Enhancing public and private sector efficiency and performance • Improve efficiency, effectiveness and reach of government services through specific e-government initiatives • Provide broadband enhanced business and community services by both the private and public sectors • Improve efficiency and productivity of all sectors of the economy

Facilitating ICT and general education through broadband • Deliver broadband-enhanced education in all schools including the development of relevant ICT skills at all educational levels resulting in curriculum extension, choice and improved quality of education • Increase ICT understanding and skills of the entire population, especially to ensure that skills are developed to match future economic needs

Improving health service delivery • Provision of broadband-enhanced health services to all communities through remote diagnostics, enhanced professional assistance to field health care providers, coordinated patient databases and access by people and professionals to better medical information online.

Enhancing global integration and international relations • Connect PNG businesses and communities with the world • Enable easy and affordable access to markets and counterparties overseas, reducing the cost of doing business • Increase trade opportunities with overseas countries

This policy seeks to achieve the following goals within the five-year period to 2018: 4.1 To have in place a competitive structure for the provision of broadband in PNG – the government will examine ways to remove any legal or regulatory barriers that may be an impediment to competition. Action plans to implement this policy will ensure that the market for broadband services operates competitively and will attract and sustain on-going investment, entry and continued growth of broadband services, and of other services enabled by broadband, in PNG. The immediate source of competitive access is in the mobile sub-sector, but this will need to be matched in terms of fixed infrastructure access, including backhaul.

4.2 To support the provision of broadband services to communities with an active interest in acquiring early broadband access – the government will dismantle the barriers that are making it difficult for communities who have either a business or education need to have access to broadband services. This provision will be implemented in the most cost-effective manner, consistent with the continued provision of the service on a commercially sustainable basis. When the universal service scheme is operational the priority given to the establishment of community broadband facilities in locations where it may not be commercially viable, at least initially, will be considered. The initial emphasis will be on larger communities to ensure that the value of limited resources is felt as widely and as quickly as possible.

4.3 To achieve broadband service availability of 100% in urban areas and of 30% of rural areas of PNG during the next five years – This is a geographical coverage or availability target and will be exceeded by the actual population coverage target. By the end of the Plan period (2018), 50% of the people of PNG shall have the ability to access broadband services at entry levels or better. However, this goal will need to be converted into a series of prioritised steps with initial focus on larger towns and communities. This priority is suggested by the potential for greater numbers of people in more densely populated areas to be served at lower unit cost at the earliest time. To this end, broadband infrastructure to support service deployment will be taken to include the infrastructure of the power, transport and other sectors that needs to be utilised for best broadband outcomes.

4.4 To ensure that broadband services become and remain affordable for all people in PNG – an entry level broadband service shall be available to all with access at an affordable price. NICTA, in conjunction with the department and other relevant agencies, licensed service providers and stakeholders, will define both the initial entry level service characteristics and an affordable price. A service download speed of 512kbps shall be considered to be the initial entry level or basic service, pending further consideration by the parties referred to above. In order to make broadband affordable and desirable to middle and low income people in PNG, it will be necessary to establish policy settings that reduce cost, encourage high early demand (and gain scale economies) and ensure early development of applications of widespread appeal and utility, especially where local content is involved.

4.6 To support all academic institutions to have access to Broadband – 100% of all primary and secondary schools in urban areas and 40% of all primary and secondary schools in rural areas to have broadband access to the internet during the next five years.

4.7 Government to lead the broadband evolution by delivering its services online over broadband – A significant programme of e-government transactions that can be performed online and enhanced by broadband shall be developed and progressively implemented during the course of the next five years. All licence applications, tax and other payment transactions, notifications and other functions will be encouraged in online form with incentives where possible for online rather than paper-based or inperson transactions.

In addition to the above, the government will develop a range of lead applications for delivery of new, enhanced or extended services online using broadband in health, education and primary production, specifically: (a) All major hospitals will be connected to broadband for remote diagnostic and supervisory support and for other e-health applications; (b) All field medical centres in communities with broadband availability shall be similarly connected; (c) All primary teachers shall receive training in broadband applications and use of broadband-enhanced educational resources in the classroom; (d) All secondary and selected tertiary curricula shall be deliverable using multimedia online capabilities to augment the syllabus in schools without specifically qualified teachers and to ensure that more and richer syllabus choices are open to all students in PNG who attend schools in areas of broadband availability; and (e) Lead applications in agriculture shall be developed for PNG conditions to assist in efficient production, greater yields, marketing and logistics associated with these industries. To this end, the Government also intends to: Development and pass comprehensive e-Commerce Law to protect consumer and trader rights in online transactions and to provide a comprehensive and clear framework for development. Undertake a review of taxation and other incentives associated with broadband in PNG and determine a whole-of-government approach to encouraging private investment in broadband infrastructure and service development, especially for extending services to second rank cities and towns, and potential direct subsidies to users. The government will also consider changes needed to facilitate PPPs in the development of broadband infrastructure.