Digicel goes live on Vodafone tower in PNG under sharing deal

Digicel PNG has switched on its network at a Vodafone PNG tower, the first operational step under the infrastructure-sharing agreement the two carriers signed in September. The site is at Minj, which is the administrative capital of the Anglimp-South Waghi District in Jiwaka Province.

Digicel said the Minj site is the start of a broader push to lift the number of co-located sites nationwide. A second shared site is planned, this time on Digicel infrastructure in Baiyer River Local-Level Government, Western Highlands Province, where Vodafone PNG services are due to be added shortly, according to Digicel.

Digicel said in a statement that reusing existing towers could bring forward network expansion, lift service availability and offer communities more connectivity and choice.

The Digicel and Vodafone arrangement is one of three infrastructure-sharing deals between Papua New Guinea operators announced over recent months. Vodafone PNG reached its own co-location agreement with state-owned Telikom PNG in late July, while Digicel PNG agreed a separate tower-sharing deal with Telikom PNG in October. Together the agreements set up a framework for the carriers to use each other's existing infrastructure as they try to widen network reach.