By So now with B-Mobile getting their injection of hope and Digicel getting the European Union to lay flowers on their path to expanding its services in PNG. What’s happening with GreenCom? I don’t know about you but they better do something soon to get into the market? I’ll be keen to see what they have to offer?
(They’ve registered a domain name with Daltron, http://www.greencom.com.pg/ but no website content yet)
Guess it doesn’t help that their hopeful marriage partner did the dirty on them and decided to go steady with someone who could offer a more stable relationship perhaps. GreenCom now wants GEMS to relinquish its 55 per cent interest in GreenCom so that it can immediately roll out its services. GreenCom chairman Ted Diro said in the media that they had known since March 30 that GEMS was courting IPBC, so if they were cheating on you then why didn’t you do anything about it? Well will be good when GreenCom can give us some firm dates on when they will launch.
In the meantime I wonder what ICCC will do with GEMS being a shareholder in two different companies in the same industry?
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September 11, 2008 at 1:48 am
dtabureguci
Interesting bit about the EU. What I wish to know is why they making a case out of the gateway issue when it is clear in the new Telecom Bill that the gateway will open up in due time? It appears they don’t have the decency to wait. They prefer instead to muscle and bully their way into the issue.
And judging from Mr Abe’s comments, it would seem that the EU is going to hold PNG at ransom – if you want aid, then open up the gateway….wow, that is just like saying that PNG cannot be allowed to make its own decisions.
No matter how we in the Pacific, and indeed Papua New Guineans, try to see and understand where competition is coming from, telecommunications is a lucrative business and business is all about protecting somebody’s interests.
It would be interesting to see whose interest will be protected here – Ireland’s or PNG’s?
September 11, 2008 at 8:35 am
Emmanuel
I totally agree D. I love what Digicel have done for competition but getting the EU to weigh in on the game seems a bit heavy handed to me, even desperate.
A market has to develop appropriately both for the laws of the country to govern it and consequently the effective protection of the services to follow. The government is also learning allot about dealing with open markets but I think they are getting there. Virgin/APNG are next on the cards.
But the wait for competition at the gateway should not go longer than 12-24 months. The world is creeping to our doorsteps and we need everything we can to be just as competitive.
September 12, 2008 at 2:12 am
dtabureguci
Hmmm…well, I guess it would be naive to think that donor funds shouldn’t come with strings attached. I wish PNG well in its journey towards a competitive telecommunications market. As you say, the world is already at our doorsteps…
September 12, 2008 at 8:00 am
Emmanuel
D, how’s Digicel going in Fiji?