The telecommunications system in PNG is 100 percent automatic, with international services to 162 countries in the world and domestic to most urban centres. Prior to the establishment of the Gerehu earth station in Port Moresby, the backbone of the network was a series of microwave radio bearers, comprising over 81 microwave links with repeaters on mountaintops. The bearers provide services through 43 telephone exchanges connecting around 62,000 telephone lines (subscribers) and 72,500 terminal instruments (e.g. telephones).
High costs exist in providing PNG's telecommunications system due to a relatively low subscriber base and the high cost of providing terrestrial links (infrastructure). This is compounded by land compensation claims for mountain top microwave repeater sites.
For subscribers beyond the reach of the telephone exchanges, high frequency radio services exist where subscribers call by radio into a number of call centres and are manually assisted (operator assistance) or automatically linked to the PSTN. Overseas calls are provided through submarine circuits or Satellite via the Gerehu Earth Station.
Telikom PNG has invested in converting it's telephone exchanges from analogue to digital. Other plans are to digitize the radio bearer systems primarily to allow greater traffic flow. Alternate routing facilities for the domestic satellite system and improvements in upgrading the transmission technology.