Papua New Guinea technology company NiuPay has donated a Starlink satellite internet system to Bema Catholic High School in Gulf Province, providing connectivity to 205 students in one of the country's most isolated communities.
NiuPay chief executive officer James Inglis travelled to Bema Station in the Kaintiba area on November 5 to hand over the equipment, fulfilling a commitment made by Prime Minister James Marape during a visit to the school in September.
The donation includes a Starlink satellite internet kit, a solar and battery power system, a filtered Wi-Fi network and three months of internet data.
The package is designed to operate without access to the electricity grid, allowing the boarding school to provide internet services despite its remote location and limited infrastructure.
Bema Catholic High School is situated in mountainous terrain near the Morobe provincial border, approximately 135 kilometres from Lae and more than 250 kilometres from Port Moresby in a straight line.
Although Kerema, the provincial capital, is about 60 kilometres away, the journey on foot takes approximately two and a half days. The Kaintiba airstrip no longer has regular scheduled flights, while road access is limited to a single pilot track through Morobe Province.
School headmistress Sister Joyeeta Biswas said the connection would support teaching and learning by giving teachers and students access to online educational resources.
She said teachers would be able to obtain instructional materials, while students could use the school's e-library to research their subjects and develop computing skills.
The internet connection would also improve communication between the school and communities outside the remote station, she added.
Inglis said the donation was designed as a complete connectivity package because the school lacked electricity and reliable transport access.
The solar and battery system will power the equipment, while the filtered Wi-Fi network includes content restrictions intended to protect students online. A QR code will also allow teachers and students to connect to the network more easily.
He said the initiative demonstrated how technology could help extend access to essential services beyond major population centres.
The partnership was facilitated through the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, John Rosso, which took responsibility for delivering the Prime Minister's commitment and engaged NiuPay to provide the equipment.
Rosso announced the partnership during the opening of the Menyamya District Office Complex on October 28. He subsequently travelled to Bema with Inglis and Australian Consul-General to Papua New Guinea Brenton Kanowski for the handover. The visit also included the delivery of medical supplies to the station's clinic.
The initiative complements the government's Connect PNG programme, which brought the Pangu Highway to Bema in September.
NiuPay said the donation was part of its broader work in developing and operating digital platforms for government and enterprise services across the Pacific.
Headquartered in Port Moresby, the company provides technology solutions for public-sector operations, including an AI-assisted visa processing system for the Immigration and Citizenship Authority and the country's first digital strata titles.
