UGHELE Village on South Rendova in Western and its surrounding areas are eagerly waiting the completion of a Solomon Islands Government (SIG) funded Telecommunication Tower Project, which is making steady progress.
The Ughele Tower project is part of 161 telecommunication towers project under the Solomon Islands National Broadband Infrastructure Project (SINBIP) being constructed across the country by China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC).
CHEC has confirmed to Solomon Star in an exclusive interview that Ughele Tower Project is part of the SINBIP Project.
The Ughele Tower Project is located in the Kire area and it is steadily advancing towards completion.
With this particular tower project now in the finishing stage, the people of Ughele are looking forward to feel the breeze.
A local resident Laurie Tepinoli Eddie told Solomon Star that the entire structure has been installed, except for the tower fencing and tower disc installation.
Eddie said by the look of things, the project will be completed by the end of this year. The tower will be powered by solar energy and a standby generator.
He said a local committee has been formed in Ughele to support the construction efforts.
This project is a welcome news for Ughele village who have been facing challenges related to poor network coverage.
For the past years till now they have to travel to find the right spot to get the network coverage to make calls or access the internet.
The completion of the Ughele Tower Project will mark the end of this inconvenience, providing much-needed telecommunication services.
It is estimated that 80 percent of the Solomon Islands population will have access to improved communication services once all 161 towers under the SINBIP are operational.
This development will not only enhance communication but also open up opportunities for e-education, e-health services, e-banking and potentially facilitate remote voting in the 2028 Joint Election as per the initial report by CHEC.
By LACHLAN SHYVES EDDIE
Solomon Star, Honiara
