By Leanne Jorari – EMTV News, Port Moresby
Discussions have been underway for a while now, to amalgamate the state owned communications enterprises under the newly established, Kumul Telikom Holding Limited. The move is seen as a way to curb wasteful spending and to build a single, more competitive service oriented entity.
In an exclusive interview with EMTV’s Business PNG, Kumul Telikom Chairman, Andrew Johnson, stated that the merger should be complete by this time next year.
The merger of the State-Owned Communication Companies is being done to stop the deteriorating financial position of the companies. According to Chairman, Andrew Johnson, Kumul Telikom aims to develop communication services that are affordable and reliable for Papua New Guineans across the country, in both rural and urban settings.
If the merger is successful, the communication companies will work in unison instead of competing amongst themselves, providing a better chance of growing the companies and eliminating wasteful competition. Johnson predicts the merger will be complete by this time next year.
In addition to this, the company is concluding discussions this month about the highly anticipated undersea, fibre optic cable connecting Australia to PNG and Solomon Islands.
