The Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Communications has welcomed tower-sharing agreements signed by Digicel PNG, Vodafone PNG and Telikom Limited in September and October 2026 to expand mobile and internet coverage, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Digicel PNG and Vodafone PNG signed a tower co-location agreement on September 9, 2026.
Related news: https://www.digicelpacific.com/news/digicel-png-and-vodafone-png-sign-tower-co-location-agreement-to-enhance-connecti
Digicel PNG and Telikom Limited followed with their own tower-sharing agreement announced on October 16, 2026, covering Digicel’s roughly 1,200 towers and Telikom’s roughly 600 towers nationwide.
Under both agreements, each operator may place its equipment on the other’s tower sites while continuing to compete independently on price and service.
The Committee’s 2025 Inquiry into the Standard and Integrity of Journalism recommended mandatory tower-sharing between mobile network operators to accelerate network deployment, particularly in underserved areas.
In its implementation update to the Committee on September 24, 2026, the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) reported that it continued to encourage voluntary tower-sharing arrangements on commercial terms rather than making them mandatory.
“Whether tower-sharing comes about by mandate or voluntarily matters less to me than the outcome. These agreements between Digicel, Vodafone and Telikom show that voluntary arrangements can deliver exactly what the Committee set out to achieve,” chairman Marsh Narewec said in a statement.
In the long term, tower-sharing will help bring down the cost of retail internet and voice call services because operators can share the costs and risks of building and maintaining telecommunications infrastructure.
It will also make it commercially viable for operators to extend network coverage into geographically challenging areas that would otherwise be unprofitable to serve independently.
“Tower-sharing was the very first matter I raised with the then Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Hon. Timothy Masiu, when I entered this Parliament.
“It is one of the most practical ways to bring reliable, affordable connectivity to rural and geographically difficult parts of the country, including communities here in Wau Waria,” Hon. Narewec said.
The Committee has encouraged all mobile network operators to continue and expand such arrangements, particularly to reach rural and geographically isolated districts.
It will also continue monitoring progress on tower-sharing as part of its oversight of the implementation of the Inquiry’s recommendations.