Australian government in talks to buy Pacific Islands' top telco

Australia's dominant telco, Telstra, has revealed the nation's government has asked it to consider a partnership to acquire Digicel Pacific – the largest mobile carrier in the Pacific Islands – in a move seemingly designed to contain China's influence in the region. In a stock market announcement [PDF] posted on Monday, …

[Denarius]

Byzantine?

there isn't any to speak of, at least in my decades of misadventure with call centers that are careless with facts, untrained, ignorant and buried at the end of a long trail of jobsworths, electronic and otherwise. If there is a buyout, the Pacific nations will have to revert to cheaper, faster, more reliable HF telephones. As Telstra claims to be putting in 5G, its mobile network around my turf is slowing, including 3 and 4G. In general, it seems the sell it all off attitude disaster known as John Howards governments is having to be rolled back, slowly. See CSI (the Oz institution, sold for a pittance) and covid vaccines manufacturing for instance

[StuartMcL]

Re: Byzantine?

"If there is a buyout, the Pacific nations will have to revert to cheaper, faster, more reliable HF telephones"

Not in the largest market (PNG). They'll just switch back to Telikom as many former Digicel subscribers have done over the last year or two.

As an aside, the fact that Digicel currently uses Huawei equipment is going to make it an expensive exercise giving the Aus antipathy to it.

[gandalfcn]

Seems kosher. Aus sells coal, oil and ores to the PRC and uses the money to buy Digicel Pacific.

[deadfamous]

Authoritarian rules either way

Not much of a choice really.

[deadfamous]

Authoritarian rules either way

Not much of a choice really...