History

Brief History

After gaining independence from Australia in September 1975, the Department of Information and Communication Services was responsible for information services, communication policy, and research and development. The newly formed Department of Public Utilities took over the functions and the responsibilities of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs and became the Division of Postal and Telecommunication Services (DPTS). DPTS continued to function as a separate organisation until it was incorporated as the Post and Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) in October 1982.

On 9 September 1981 an Executive Steering Committee was set up to examine ways and means of making a change in the status of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Division to a ‘legal commercial entity’. This committee presented its report to the National Executive Committee (NEC) on 16 December 1981 and the NEC gave approval to draft enabling legislation. The Post and Telecommunication Corporation Act 1982 was passed by the National Parliament on 15 February 1982.

Due to a change in government policy in 1996, PTC was again divided and corporatised. The restructure saw the creation of Telikom PNG Ltd (responsible for telecommunications services), Post PNG Ltd (responsible for postal service), and the PNG Telecommunications Authority, PANGTEL (now National Information and Communications Technology Authority), the regulatory authority responsible for managing, and licensing of telecommunications and broadcasting in PNG.

Also during the privatisation of public assets and utilities an umbrella entity was formed in 1999 known as the Independent Public Business Corporation (IPBC) now ‘Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH)’. The core function of KCH is to exercise on behalf of the Government, and for the benefit of the State, the trustee ownership of, overarching business management of, and provision of financial resources and services for, certain State assets, notably the corporatized entities known as the State Owned Enterprises, and to act as trustee of other certain prescribed trusts.

Under this arrangement Post PNG Limited forms part of the Kumul Consolidated Holdings and contributes to the service delivery across Papua New Guinea.