Page 25 - IB April 2025

Restoration of Mt. Kegum High-Capacity Network (HCN) Telecommunications
Tower: GovPNG & Telikom Reestablish Connectivity for Over 1.6 Million Papua
New Guineans, Enhancing Network Quality in Key Cities

A Total of K7 million GovPNG PIP-funded projects
completed; key northern and highland provinces
reconnected after 10 months of outage along with the
rollout of Monopoles and Rooftop towers in Port Moresby.
A high-level government and Telikom Limited delegation
conducted an official site visit to Mt. Kegum last week to
inspect and confirm the successful restoration of one of
Papua New Guinea’s most critical telecommunications
towers. The K3.83 million projects, funded under the 2024
Public Investment Program (PIP), brings essential voice and
data services back to more than 1.674 million people across
six provinces.
The remaining funds from the K7 million were used to
install monopoles and rooftop towers at strategic locations
in Port Moresby, enhancing network stability and customer
experience.
The Mt. Kegum telecommunications tower had been out of
service since August 2023, following its third and most severe
vandalism incident. It previously sustained major damages
in 2019 and 2021. As a vital link in the national microwave
transport backbone, the outage affected telecommunication
services in Wabag (Enga), Lae (Morobe), Wewak (East Sepik),
and Vanimo (West Sepik), crippling connectivity across the
Highlands and Momase regions.
Officials from Telikom Limited, along with representatives from the Department of National
Telikom Limited CEO Amos Tepi remarked, “Mt. Kegum is Planning, Finance, and Treasury, at the site of the recently restored Mt. Kegum HCN tower.
not just a tower—it’s a lifeline. With the 2024 PIP support from
the Department of National Planning & Monitoring (DNPM) underscores the shared commitment of Telikom, Kumul
and Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH), we’ve delivered a Consolidated Holdings (KCH), and the Government of
long-term, resilient solution for northern PNG.” Papua New Guinea to extend universal digital connectivity
The restoration efforts included replacing vandalized and enable inclusive economic participation throughout the
transmission and power equipment, undertaking structural country.
repairs and tower safety upgrades, and installing enhanced We extend our deepest gratitude to the Government of
security features such as CCTV surveillance, perimeter Papua New Guinea under the leadership of the Marape-Rosso
fencing, and alarm systems. These measures have Government for their unwavering support in making the Mt.
significantly improved service availability and the overall Kegum restoration a reality. In particular, we acknowledge
network experience for communities across more than six the outstanding leadership of the Department of National
provinces. Planning and Monitoring (DNPM), under the First Assistant
In June 2023, Telikom initiated a mediation forum with Secretary Dr. Oti Jigo and his Project Steering Committee
landowners and ward leaders to address ongoing concerns (PSC), whose strategic oversight and commitment were
relating to Community Service Package (CSP) benefits and instrumental in driving the successful completion of this
site security. During the forum, Telikom Board Chairman critical project.
Mr. Cedric Rondoke introduced a revised CSP benefit Their collaborative approach and dedication to delivering
distribution model and advocated for the creation of a this impactful infrastructure under the 2024 PIP have
community-led security company to protect the site. Mr. reconnected over 1.6 million Papua New Guineans,
Rondoke emphasized that empowering the local community reaffirming our shared vision of inclusive connectivity and
to become custodians of the infrastructure would foster national progress.
sustainable ownership and protection of national assets. “This site visit marks a historic first—no government agency
To complement these efforts, Telikom has partnered receiving PIP funding has ever gone to such extraordinary
with the Western Highlands Provincial Police Command to lengths as chartering a helicopter to transport PSC
bolster law enforcement and deter future acts of vandalism. members to a remote mountaintop location like Mt. Kegum.
In addition, the company plans to implement community Telikom has set a bold new benchmark for commitment
awareness campaigns aimed at educating residents about and transparency, and we wholeheartedly commend their
the critical role of safeguarding national infrastructure. leadership for recognizing the critical importance of on-the-
The restoration of the Mt. Kegum site stands as a flagship ground project inspections and the MNE process,” said Mr.
example of unified government and industry collaboration Alexander James, Senior Planning Coordinator, Department
under the 2024 Public Investment Program (PIP). It of National Planning - Projects Division.
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