Does a volatile political situation, long-standing regional tribal feuding and environmental challenges sound like a perilous proposition? Not for Kordia!

With the ability to deliver to virtually any scale of project, and with the experience and confidence of facing high-risk jobs, this was just the kind of challenge that Kordia relished as it set its sights on delivering a new digital microwave radio (DMR) backbone network for Papua New Guinea’s Telikom PNG.

“We’re curious. And we have a history of delivering projects that are ‘outside the box’,” says Mike Mullis, Kordia senior project manager, who spearheaded the project as a chance to expand new business frontiers.

The $2.4m contract began in November 2007 at locations between Lae and Tomavatur—a distance of 700km—and finished under-budget, and earlier than scheduled, in October 2008.

A team of around a dozen Kordia staff travelled to Papua New Guinea under the guidance of Mike Mullis, who has spent eight years with the company in roles including project director for the high-risk Vodafone Fiji project.

This, combined with Mullis’ two years as a territorial force soldier in the New Zealand Army and five years as a blue water rescue crewman for the Royal NZ Coastguard, ensured he was well-prepared to lead the team safely through such a high-risk job.

“Planning was as critical to this project as execution was,” says Mike. “In-country meetings with end clients gave us crucial first-hand information on what to expect. The information we gained at these meetings proved essential to the project’s success. We also visited every site in advance of project commencement.”

The project was intricately planned on a number of key fronts including medical systems, equipment and training, communications, security and local customs. Kordia’s Papua New Guinea Briefing Paper has now set the benchmark for staff policies and was a major factor in the overall success of the job.

Kordia considers its obligation to take all reasonable actions to protect staff seriously. St John provided advanced medical  training and, with their help, Kordia designed its own medical systems and trained its own paramedics.

Communication in remote locations proved challenging but through careful planning, Kordia was able to offset these issues effectively. Iridium Satellite phones were chosen for their simple use and lightweight nature, while existing mobile phones were able to be fitted with local PNG SIM cards. Kordia also employed VHF hand-held radios to aid communication. Kordia’s Maritime Operations Centre in Wellington was used at times to provide communication services to the in-country project teams.

Security planning focused on continually monitoring all relevant travel warning websites, as well as comprehensive liaison with the New Zealand High Commission in Port Moresby prior to arriving. Kordia also developed evacuation plans, liaised with Fujitsu on specific threats and developed a country-specific policy formalised with International SOS.

The Kordia team also had to carefully plan logistics, such as water purification systems, and manage agricultural quarantine issues, such as the steam cleaning of all equipment before shipment to Papua New Guinea and return of equipment to New Zealand.

Cultural differences meant that Kordia soon had to learn that Friday afternoons and pay days are ‘days off’ in Papua New Guinea; that “yes” can mean “no”; and that major decisions are made by committee and take time. Kordia was able to overcome these differences by building great relationships with the locals.

Even with problems that occasionally happened, the job went better than expected. There was no theft and no violent crime, no injuries or accidents, and a successful contract delivered ahead of schedule and under budget.

Kordia is proud to have provided a world-class telecommunications network to a developing country. The project has given Kordia even more experience and confidence in delivering high-risk jobs.  Kordia’s mission to become the region's leading provider of customised broadcast and telecommunications networks, network services and converged solutions is within reach.