bemobile fails Solomon Islands' conditions

PAPUA New Guinea-registered mobile company, bemobile, has failed to live up to one of the first requirements under its licence in the Solomon Islands, local newspaper Solomon Star reported yesterday, The National reports.

The newspaper reported that this had cost the PNG telecommunications company US$1.5 million (K4.16 million or S$12 million).

Solomon Islands telecommunications commissioner Nicholas Williams was quoted as saying that he had taken the S$12 million from a demand guarantee of US$10 million (K27.77 million) provided by bemobile to ensure its compliance with the network coverage obligation in its licence.

Under its licence, bemobile is required to launch a network serving 25% of the population by June 18 this year.

Williams said he had given bemobile an extension until Aug 30 to become compliant with its licence.

“If bemobile fails to meet this new deadline, I will take an additional US$1 million from the demand guarantee,” he said.

“There are further coverage thresholds that bemobile is required to meet,” Williams said.

According to Solomon Star, he expects bemobile to work strenuously and diligently to meet these thresholds and

catch up with the original network deployment timetable envisaged in its licence.

The SI government awarded bemobile its licence last Dec 18, ahead of the more promising Digicel.

Chief executive officer Julien Coustaury had previously assured PNG’s closest Melanesian neighbour that bemobile would launch its operations in time according to the requirements under its licence.

Honiara-based Coustaury, who is away overseas on vacation, could not be reached yesterday for comments.