Rural telecommunications in developing nations-a training ground for consultants?

The author briefly describes the communications infrastructure in Papua New Guinea and mentions the lack of rural telecommunications development. Several companies have undertaken consultancy projects for the Post and Telecommunications Corporation to advise on rural telecommunication development plans. Some areas that need to be looked at in depth are the initial briefing of the consultants and their initial preparation and approach at measuring the ongoing and final results of projects. The author discusses in detail the initial preparation work between consultant and client, identifying the client´s requirements, selection of technology and project design. The role of the consultant in these areas is discussed