Speedcast International Limited (ASX:SDA) (OTCMKTS:SPPDF) is providing the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority in Papua New Guinea with a custom private C-band VSAT network for more reliable, cost-effective connectivity for several local hospitals — this solution will ensure consistent internet and reliable hospital to hospital communications.
Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority required high-availability internet and a WAN connectivity solution at Mount Hagen Hospital in Papua New Guinea (PNG), as well as at other district and provisional hospitals.
Speedcast worked with Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority to develop a customized MESH solution that guarantees service uptime of 99.5 percent availability. The solution will bring reliable connectivity to each hospital and also allow district and provisional hospitals to connect to Mount Hagen Hospital. In the first stage of the project, Speedcast will provide 10/10 Mbps of internet connectivity to Mount Hagen Hospital. Next, Speedcast will install a Mini-HUB solution to connect the remaining district and provision hospitals.
CEO of the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority, David Vors, said Speedcast worked closely with the company to create a solution that would fit the firm's specific connectivity and budget requirements. Thanks to Speedcast's help, a much-needed, reliable internet connection can be brought to Mt. Hagen and connect to additional Western Highlands regional and provincial hospitals reliably and at high speed. He continued by saying that telemedicine, teleradiology and telepathology are important aspects of quality patient care and become extremely critical in countries, such as PNG, where there are few specialist doctors outside Port Moresby. For example, this Speedcast system allows the firm to send x-ray or ultrasound images to anywhere in the world so to support the diagnosis made by clinicians in areas where there are no radiologists.
Erwan Emilian, EVP Enterprise and Emerging Markets, at Speedcast added that since the Western Highlands province is in a very remote location within PNG, the company decided a customized satellite network would provide the most reliable connectivity solution for the staff and patients at hospitals in the Western Highlands.
