PNG to cut Internet costs

PNG Communication and Infformation
Technology Jimmy Miringotoro says
internet costs in PNG will be reduced. 

The Papua New Guinea Communication and Information Technology Minister Jimmy Mringotoro says the government is working on a plan to reduce internet costs in the country .

He told Parliament yesterday that the National Information and Communication Technology Authority was working with PNG DataCo and other internet service providers to put up “two internet exchange points to reduce internet costs”.
“The benefit of putting this internet exchange point is to save cost and improve the standard of internet function in the country,” he said.
Miringtoro said the cost of the internet service in PNG was very high because of factors which contributed to the pricing.
“One factor which contributes to the internet price is that, when someone is using the internet to contact another person, for example in Bulolo, the signal goes out of the country first, before reaching the person in Bulolo, and that is the problem,” he said.
“NICTA has identified the exchange points that will be installed – one in Lae and the other in Port Moresby.”
Miringtoro said the work should be completed in a few months “when we will have these internet exchange points”.
He was responding to a question from Naweab MP Gisuwat Siniwin on what the Government was doing to reduce the high cost of internet as compared to other countries.