THE Ughele village and surrounding areas on Rendova Island in the Western Province can now access 4G network services, thanks to one of the 161 telecommunication towers built by contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
Reports confirm that the tower, located in the Kire area, went operational on Wednesday at around 3 PM. While some villagers speculated that the contractor might still be testing the tower, the network services have remained active since.
Residents with mobile phones can make calls and browse the internet.
When asked by the Solomon Star whether there had been a formal launch or handover ceremony by the contractor and the Solomon Islands Government before the tower became operational, villagers could not confirm. Nevertheless, they are already enjoying the newly available network services.
After his post went viral, Ughele natives living in Honiara and other parts of the country called their families in the village to confirm the tower’s operation. The callers verified that the network was indeed working; allowing them to reconnect with their loved ones.
The Solomon Star reached out to Solomon Towers Limited, the state-owned enterprise overseeing the 161-tower project, for verification but has yet to receive a response.
The Solomon Islands Government funded the nationwide telecommunications project through resources obtained from the Exim Bank, with support from the People’s Republic of China. CHEC serves as the project contractor, while Huawei, a partner of Solomon Telekom, supplied the telecommunications equipment.
Source: https://www.solomonstarnews.com/ughele-gains-4g-network-access/
