Monday 7 October, 2024
Ambassador Yang Xiaoguang of the People’s Republic of China to Papua New Guinea handing over the keys to the New OB Van to ICT Minister Hon. Timothy Masiu and NBC Managing Director Kora Nou at the NBC Headquarters, Port Moresby.
Minister for Information and Communications Technology Hon. Timothy Masiu officially received the keys to the new Outside Broadcast TV and Radio Van from the government of the People’s Republic of China.
This OB Van is a significant addition to the phase 1 of the A2D Project of the National Broadcasting Corporation of PNG funded through the Chinese Exim Bank loan.
The ceremony, on Monday 7 October at the NBC Headquarters underscored the strategic partnership between PNG and China in enhancing telecommunications, and national broadcasting capabilities.
Ambassador Yang Xiaoguang of the People’s Republic of China to Papua New Guinea highlighted the technological prowess of China, stating, “China is the number one manufacturer for over 14 years, but it is easy to set up a record but it is hard to keep the record.”
He emphasized China’s leadership in telecommunications, including advancements in 5G and ongoing research into 6G. Ambassador Yang reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Papua New Guinea’s development, outlining principles of cooperation: “No politics, no intervention in politics, and no empty promises.”
Minister Masiu further emphasized the transformative impact of digitalization on NBC.
“Digitalization of NBC is where our future lies,” he declared. Minister Masiu outlined the phases of the digitalization project, highlighting that phase one already covers 10 provinces, with phase two set to extend to 12 provinces,” he said.
“This OB Van is a fully pledged studio on wheels. We’ve tested it in the live Broadcast of the Pope’s visit.
“It is important that we partner with China to bring in important tools for us to improve Broadcast, and consistent with the one NBC brand, it has radio broadcasting capabilities in there.
“It will drastically enhance NBC capabilities to Broadcast national events for our nationwide audience so that they can just stay home and witness events instead of coming out and risking their safety.”
He added the van is one of its kind in the country and in the South Pacific, and urged the NBC staff to look after it.
The New NBC OB Van at NBC HQ, Wonga Estate, Port Moresby.