Wednesday, 6 October Independent State of Papua New Guinea PNG remains firmly committed in cooperating with the ITU to narrow the digital divide based on the con-viction Mr. Chairman, we know that radio frequency spectrum and geo-stationary satellite orbits are limited resourc-es. that widespread uptake of ICT will bring about With the emergence of new wireless technologies social and economic development. which are heavily dependent on the radio spectrum, it is necessary that all users, whether government or pri-vate, To conclude, we look forward to joining with all del-egates, work in the spirit of mutual understanding and and with you Mr. Chairman, in making this the cooperation and utilize these resources in the most op-timal 2010 Plenipotentiary a success. manner. Further, it is essential that the ITU takes further steps to ensure that these resources are used rationally, efficiently and economically so that equita-ble Thank you very much Mr. Chairman. access is available for all Member States. This is the appropriate forum to address these issues. Mr. Chairman, access to ICT services in Papua New Guinea is among the lowest in the world, despite re-cent improvements. Introduction of competition in mobile communications has resulted in increased cov-erage and access to services. Mobile subscribers have now increased from about 160,000 in mid 2007 to about 2 million, bringing mobile teledensity to over 20 percent as of June 2010. Access to internet and broad-band remains a significant challenge though. Our Government is taking the necessary steps in creating an environment to harness the potential of ICT in nation building. After commissioning a major policy review, the Government approved a new National ICT Policy in March 2009. Late last year, our Parliament passed the new National Information and Communications Technology Act giving effect to the ICT Policy. Open competition, restructuring of the regulatory system and bridging the digital divide are the key objectives of the reform agenda so that ICT can be a catalyst to our country’s development aspirations. 147