BY GREGORY HAKA
Residents of Wainoni in Makira Ulawa Province will soon be able to access mobile network services for the first time ever.
For decades, people of ward 12 and 13 in Wainoni district have walked long distances just to make a phone call, and while that struggle is close to ending with the completion of three telecommunications towers, the facilities are yet to become operational as final requirements are still in progress before services can go live on air.
Stephaney Kehnasi, a civil engineer from the Solomon Towers limited, told Island Sun that out of the 18 new towers in Makira Ulawa Province, most of them were already completed and are awaiting installations of network services depending on the schedules with Our Telekom company network.
She also said that one challenge they faced is the geographical locations that most towers are located on.
Meanwhile, installations of network services to all completed towers on Makira-Ulawa Province will begin after the installations of network services in Malaita Province.
Kehnasi added that network installation is underway for most towers in Malaita starting this month, followed by all completed towers in Makira Ulawa Province.
Kehnasi said a total of eight towers were constructed in East Makira constituency, three in Wainoni District, two in Star Habour, one in Santa Catalina and two in Weathercoast of Makira.
All were completed along with other towers in mainland Makira except for other towers in Ulawa Island that are still in construction.
The completion of a telecommunications tower at Wainoni in Makira Ulawa Province marks a major step in bridging the digital divide, as three of the 18 new towers constructed in Makira will improve network access for rural communities in and around the province.
Photo: Supplied
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