​PAPUA New Guinea is among seven other Pacific Island countries to sign a partnership statement of intent with the Republic of Korea for further cooperation and partnership in digital transformation.
Information and Communication minister Timothy Masiu, who was appointed co-chairman of Korea Pacific Islands Digital Ministerial Conference in Seoul, South Korea, signed the statement together with the meeting chairman Korean Minister for Science and ICT Dr Lee Jong-Ho. The others who signed the partnership intent were Tonga, Nauru, Samoa, Palau, Cook Islands and Kiribati.

The Commissioner General expressed his satisfaction with the recent efforts made by the Mount Hagen City Authority (MHCA), the Western Highlands Provincial Government, and the Provincial Police Commandment in cleaning up Mount Hagen City. He highlighted that this positive progress was the main reason for signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) end of last year, which ensures that 20% of the Western Highlands Provincial Government's Goods and Services Tax (GST) share is directly allocated to the MHCA. The taxpayers in the city have been requesting such cleanup initiatives, and Mr Koim sees it as a promising start.

The Royal PNG Constabulary said it will continue to pursue, probe, charge and arrest those involved in the ongoing investigations relating to the conviction of lawyer Paul Paraka and corrupt associates.
Police Commissioner David Manning said this following the recent National Court decision on the matter, and the ongoing investigations into other individuals involved in the corrupt dealings and efforts to recover misappropriated funds.
“The initial charges of alleged fraud against Mr. Paraka were laid in 2013, which were dismissed by the National Court with the ruling citing an abuse of process by the State in failing to provide proof of an illegal transaction,” Mr. Manning noted.
“Then again in 2018 similar charges were brought against Mr. Paraka which were also dismissed.

THE PNG energy sector has a US$4 billion (about K14.3 billion) investment potential, according to the USAID PNG Electrification Partnership (PEP).
Chief of Party Bruce Corbet told the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry meeting in Port Moresby yesterday that they continued to provide technical support to the sector.
The USAID-PEP is a five-year project partnership with the Government to help the country become self-reliant by contributing to achieve the goal of connecting electricity to 70 per cent of the population by 2030.

The Papua New Guinea Commissioner of Police, David Manning, has provided an update on the ongoing investigations relating to the conviction of lawyer Paul Paraka and corrupt associates.
The update is following the recent decision by the National Court on the matter, and the ongoing investigations into other individuals involved in the corrupt dealings and efforts to recover misappropriated funds.
“The initial charges of alleged fraud against Mr Paraka were laid in 2013, which were dismissed by the National Court with the ruling citing an abuse of process by the State in failing to provide proof of an illegal transaction,” Mr Manning noted.
“Then again in 2018 similar charges were brought against Mr Paraka which were also dismissed.

EMERGING satellite and internet company, Speedcast, is ready to provide the next generation in telecommunications infrastructure in Papua New Guinea which will boost business and government performances.
APC Enterprises and Emerging Markets vice-president Hamish Lee said Speedcast’s internet Vsat infrastructure had the potential to operate at a speed of 300 megapixels per second which would significantly improve the average speed and boost digital communications in the country.
Lee said the only issue holding them back to supply the infrastructure on the market was licensing.

The Port Moresby city Commission  is keeping the city safe in this raining weather. The recent road and drainage maintenance carried out by city commission  has helped reduce floods during the rainy weather.

City Manager Ravu Frank acknowledges the positive outcome but emphasizes the need for further work to address the issue permanently.
Measures taken include clearing encroachments, scaling up cleaning and unblocking drainages, and engaging hydrology engineers for lasting solutions.
26 locations were established for a demolition exercise, making the smooth flow of drain waters. Demolition has already started in some of these areas where residents have encroached on reserves.

Telikom Limited has signed a partnership with an Israeli Company, AMBOYA, for a new system called the IPBX on Cloud.
This is a method of transmitting data to another server, meaning, calls are established over the internet.
Thanks to this partnership, Papua New Guineans and the Solomon Islands business houses can now travel anywhere within the country or abroad with their office in their personal phones.
This means, business houses will have their land line office phone number in their personal phone where they will be able to place a call and receive call through their personal phone anywhere around the Globe without any international airtime fee charged.

During his address at the opening of the Pacific Island Telecommunication Association’s 27th AGM Business Forum and Expo, Acting Prime Minister Hon. John Rosso underscored the significance of prioritizing cybersecurity and addressing regional competencies in managing, safeguarding, and protecting valuable ICT systems and infrastructures.

Hon. Rosso emphasized the need to examine the way people utilize social media and emphasized the importance of holding individuals accountable for their statements. In a world plagued by misinformation and disinformation, he stressed that individuals should be responsible for their words.

The PNG Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the PNG Data Co in a significant move towards digital advancement.

The agreement signed during the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Business Expo (Day 2), aims to solidify partnership to drive the much-anticipated digital government transformation, utilizing their individual mandates and expertise.

This collaboration will focus on several key areas of cooperation, including wholesale connectivity, the establishment of a Government Private Network, integration of Government Technology Stack Components, and bolstering cybersecurity measures.