A rural telecommunications project in Papua New Guinea (PNG) will give 1.2 million people access to the internet, the World Bank has announced.

Set to begin development in August 2017, the project will improve access to telecommunications infrastructure and services in rural and remote areas of PNG, the World Bank said Thursday.

The World Bank has been advising the PNG government on its telecommunications since 2008.

"The ongoing rural communications project has financed the installation of mobile base stations at 59 sites in remote areas and has increased telecommunications coverage from 20 percent in 2009 to 90 percent in 2016," the World Bank said.

"It has contributed to providing basic telecom services to over 500,000 people previously unserved by any form of telecommunications services," it added.

source: Xinhua