AGP Executive Report

Digital Safety Crackdown: Acting ICT Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr has ordered NICTA to fully enforce a 2023 NEC decision blocking pornographic and harmful websites nationwide within 30 days, after months of slow implementation—framing it as child and cyber protection, not “arbitrary censorship.” Connectivity Push: Starlink says it will open a PNG office within 12 months of its licence, while a new Starlink link has already brought full internet access to Dorobisoro village in Central Province. Energy & Industry: PNG LNG partners have approved a new upstream tie-in—Santos’ Agogo Production Facility gas feeding the LNG pipeline via a new 19-km line, targeting first gas in 2028. Culture & Research Funding: NCC and New Ireland signed an MoU to align cultural policy and boost research support, as Tourism Minister Belden Namah pledges K1 million to a National Cultural Research Fund. Regional Oceans Summit: PM Marape welcomed leaders at the Melanesian Ocean Summit, calling for united action to protect oceans and climate resilience.

Starlink Push: NICTA says Starlink must open a Papua New Guinea office within 12 months of its licence, positioning satellite capacity as a backup for rural and underserved areas and a complement to Telikom and Digicel. Digital Governance Reset: NICTA’s new CEO and board leadership are sworn in as the regulator moves to tighten enforcement, rebuild trust, and modernise ICT oversight. Online Safety Clampdown: ICT Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr. has ordered NICTA to fully enforce a NEC decision blocking pornographic and harmful sites within 30 days. Ocean Summit Momentum: PM James Marape welcomes leaders to the Melanesian Ocean Summit, calling for united action to protect oceans and climate resilience. Connectivity + Security: The US and PNG deepen cooperation, including a planned US$30m satellite internet push. Business + Jobs Pressure: A fresh call highlights urgent employment scarcity for PNG’s growing youth—alongside signs of renewed retail confidence after earlier shocks. Mining Watch: K92 Mining reports strong Q1 results, while Santos backs a major PNG gas project.

NICTA Reset in Motion: NICTA has sworn in new board leadership and confirmed Polume Lume as CEO, with a blunt promise to fix governance gaps, enforcement failures, and declining public trust—while pushing ICT modernization and stronger regulation. Online Safety Push: Acting ICT Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr. has ordered NICTA to fully enforce a NEC decision blocking pornographic and harmful websites within 30 days, saying it’s about protecting minors and vulnerable groups. US–PNG Strategic Link: PNG and the United States held a strategic dialogue in Port Moresby, with Washington also flagging US$30m for satellite internet connectivity and deeper cooperation on security, law enforcement, minerals, and the digital economy. Connectivity on the Ground: Starlink has reached remote Dorobisoro village, and PNG is also moving on transport and digital priorities after PRETMM talks in Port Moresby. Regional Tech Context: Pacific connectivity is being framed as a trade and investment driver, while the week also saw global industry moves in 5G and automation.

In the last 12 hours, coverage in PNG’s tech and public-sector space has been dominated by digital transformation and AI governance themes. The Lae City Authority launched ServiceLink, a long-awaited online platform intended to reduce queues and let residents and businesses apply for licences/permits, pay taxes and fees, lodge complaints, and track applications from phones or computers. At the same time, the PNG Media Summit 2026 highlighted how government and media are approaching new tools: the ICT Secretary said the Starlink licence was already issued, and described digital ID access via the Service Wallet app (with biometric verification and AI used to streamline services while keeping human oversight). A related panel discussion also pushed for stronger oversight of AI tools used across government—especially around data privacy, accountability, and the risks of uploading sensitive citizen information to offshore cloud systems.

Also in the last 12 hours, the “AI + connectivity” thread continues with attention to how new infrastructure could reach remote communities. Multiple items around Starlink and nationwide connectivity appear in the broader 7-day set, but the most recent evidence ties the licence and digital service direction directly to summit messaging and implementation plans. Separately, there’s a clear “technology in society” angle beyond connectivity: the summit coverage stressed ethical AI use in newsrooms (e.g., using AI for transcription/translation/summarisation and rumor verification while keeping editorial control), reinforcing that the policy conversation is not only about adoption but also about trust and information integrity.

Outside pure tech, the most recent business and infrastructure items provide context for how PNG is positioning investment and modernization. A corporate update says Reds10 Group has invested in a steel fabrication specialist (ESL Fabrication Engineers), explicitly linking the move to “advancing technologies” and integrating AI across the business—suggesting a broader push toward tech-enabled industrial capacity. Meanwhile, other recent coverage (from slightly older in the week) shows the government’s continued focus on enabling frameworks for growth, including SEZ licensing rules (only four zones are fully licensed; others are approved in principle but not yet licensed), which matters because it affects what incentives investors can actually access.

Looking across the full 7-day range, there’s also continuity in PNG’s “systems upgrade” narrative—spanning connectivity, payments security, and service delivery. For example, BSP’s phase-out of magnetic stripe cards (moving customers to chip-based Kundu cards) is part of a broader anti-fraud and digital payments modernization effort, while earlier items also point to Starlink’s rollout as a pathway to reduce reliance on towers/fibre in rural areas. Taken together, the evidence suggests PNG’s near-term tech agenda is converging on three practical pillars: (1) wider connectivity, (2) safer and more accountable digital services (including AI governance), and (3) stronger enabling rules for investment and infrastructure—with the latest 12-hour reporting providing the clearest snapshot of how those pillars are being framed publicly.

Over the last 12 hours, PNG’s digital and AI agenda dominated coverage, with multiple stories pointing to faster service delivery and tighter governance. The Lae City Authority launched ServiceLink, a digital platform meant to let residents and businesses pay bills, apply for licences/permits, pay taxes and land rates, lodge complaints, and track applications—explicitly aiming to end long queues. In parallel, the PNG Media Summit 2026 highlighted government plans around Starlink connectivity and digital public infrastructure, including a digital ID via the Service Wallet app and the use of AI to streamline services while keeping human oversight. A related panel discussion also pushed for stronger oversight of AI tools in government, warning about data privacy, accountability, and the risks of uploading sensitive information to offshore cloud-based systems.

Connectivity developments also appear to be moving quickly, with Starlink repeatedly referenced as a key enabler for rural access. The summit coverage says the Starlink licence was already issued by NICTA, and frames satellite internet as a way to complement existing telecom networks and improve safety and access in remote areas. The same theme—connectivity as a national priority—also shows up in older material, including commentary that Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit approach could reduce latency and expand coverage beyond tower/fibre constraints, and that PNG CORE welcomed the licensing as a “game changer” for the digital divide.

Beyond connectivity, the most concrete “non-tech” items in the last 12 hours were policy and public-interest updates. Minister Richard Maru reiterated that PNG has only four licensed Special Economic Zones (SEZs), while other projects may have approvals “in principle” but are not yet licensed—meaning they cannot market themselves as SEZs or offer incentives until regulatory requirements are met. There was also coverage of climate risk messaging: a report on how a potential strong El Niño could drive record-breaking warming and trigger longer-lasting “climate regime shifts,” reinforcing the broader climate pressure already being discussed across the Pacific.

Looking across the wider 7-day window, the SEZ licensing clarification and Starlink rollout narrative show continuity, while other sectors add context. Earlier reporting on SEZs again stressed the licensing gatekeeping role of the SEZ Authority (Seza), and mining/agriculture stories pointed to parallel “development modernization” efforts—such as Tolu Minerals’ staged restart planning for Tolukuma and NARI-led moves to push agricultural innovation out of research centres and into rural communities. However, the most recent 12-hour evidence is strongest for digital government/AI and connectivity, while other areas (like elections, health, and climate) are present but less corroborated in the newest batch.