Courtesy of The Conversation, an article on the geopolitics of undersea cables: If you’ve ever emailed a resort in Fiji or Vanuatu about that long-awaited holiday, it’s likely your email travelled through an undersea internet cable. Such cables carry much of the internet traffic around the globe, in conjunction with underground fibre connections, satellites and […]
Read more »Via the South China Morning Post, an article on how providing telecommunications services is part of China’s growing interest in developing an economic and strategic presence in the South Pacific: When reports first emerged last year that China Mobile – the country’s largest state-owned telecoms company – was keen to buy Digicel, the biggest mobile carrier in […]
Read more »Via The Sunday Times, a report on a Chinese plan to build a new port city in Papua New Guinea: A Chinese plan to build a city with a large port on Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) impoverished south coast, less than 50 miles from Australian territory, has raised alarm in Canberra. Security agencies are fearful […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Diplomat, commentary on how PNG’s telecom industry is a showcase example of how debt to China weighs down governments and constrains choices: The discussion of China, debt, and infrastructure, is beset by stereotypes. On the one hand, China would prefer to be seen as a development partner. According to this view, it’s a trusted, […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, an article on the possibility of Australia purchasing Papua New Guinea’s largest telecom firm: Within Australia, the national security community is abuzz with the prospect of the sale of Papua New Guinea’s largest telecommunications company, Digicel. The Australian government is currently under significant lobbying pressure to provide support to private bidders for […]
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