The Australian federal government and major telecommunications firm Telstra have pulled the trigger on a $1.6 billion (AU$2.1 billion) takeover of a dominant South Pacific mobile telecom business amid ongoing concerns that Beijing could step in and deepen its foothold in the region.
The government and Telstra announced on Oct. 25 its decision to acquire Digicel Pacific, which provides mobile and network services across Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Fiji—some of Australia’s closest neighbors.
