The community of Gaire, in the Central Province, is in a state of excitement. This rural community, located an hour's drive southeast of Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) and home to about 2500 people, will be the first operational rural site for the Pacific Rural Internet Connectivity System RICS.

The Pacific RICS project is aimed at providing affordable high-speed

Internet access and radio to rural and remote communities. It is

undertaken within the Digital Strategy and defined by the Pacific Plan

approved by the Forum leaders in Port Moresby in 2005.

Speaking on behalf of the idyllic coastal community, local Church leader Reverend Sisisa Maina said Gaire is a buzz of expectation as the people look forward to the official launch of the RICS, Saturday, May 3.

'The project was recently presented to us after our Sunday service by

officials from Papua New Guinea Radio communications and

Telecommunications Technical Authority (PANGTEL) and the Ministry of

Communication and Information,' said Gaire church leader, Reverend Sisia Maina.

'They talked about the potential benefits that this Internet project will bring to the community and gave us a timetable for the installation and launch of the RICS project in the village. We felt very honoured and privileged to be the first community in Papua New Guinea to be chosen, especially when we heard that Gaire will be the first site in the region.'

'We're all looking forward to the launch this coming Saturday and to

learning all about the opportunities it offers our community members,

particularly our young children.'

Providing affordable and reliable communication technology is a challenge in many places in the region, even in some urban areas. The problem is worse in rural and remote areas, where more than 80 percent of the estimated 9.15 million Pacific Islanders live.

Dr Jimmie Rodgers, SPC Director-General, has been a strong advocate of the project since its inception. He says, 'The Pacific RICS project can unlock the socio-economic development potential of our region.'

In a message to the first subregional RICS workshop in February this year, Greg Urwin, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, stressed to regional telecommunication regulators that they were not issuing a license to merely operate a VSAT (very small aperture terminal) station; rather they were extending a lifeline to rural and remote communities.

The Gaire project launch will showcase a live demonstration of the

low-cost, reliable, affordable and easy-to-use SkyEdge technologies

adopted for Pacific RICS. The project is coordinated by local agencies

including the Ministry for Communication and Information, PANGTEL and the State owned Telikom PNG limited as the general carrier. SPC, 30/04/08.