Kacific mobile backhaul sites in Papa New Guinea. Photo: Kacific

Vodafone PNG, based in Papua New Guinea, has committed to purchase wholesale bandwidth from Kacific Broadband Satellites Group‘s Ka-band satellite Kacific1 for mobile backhaul use. The bandwidth will primarily be used for voice and data, and will serve both residential and enterprise end-users, the companies announced Aug. 23. 

Papua New Guinea is an island nation with one of the lowest population densities in the world and the vast majority of its population live in rural areas. The population has a mobile penetration of about 36% and 3G coverage currently reaches around 73% of the population. The nation has set a goal to connect all of its population by 2050 as part of the Vision 2050 plan. 

The Kacific1 satellite provides widespread coverage in Papua New Guinea, including the main islands of New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, and Bougainville and the surrounding smaller islands and waters.

Vodafone said that Kacific satellite services “vastly reduce the cost and complexity of remote terminal installation,” and will allow the company to rapidly deploy its network to underserved areas. 

“Kacific and Vodafone PNG see huge potential for growth in Papua New Guinea, as well as a genuine thirst from the country’s citizens for affordable and reliable mobile and data services. Together we aim to disrupt the market in a way that brings more choice and better connectivity to everyday people.” says Brandon Seir, Kacific CCO.