The project, jointly funded by the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the Bougainville Copper Foundation, will for the first time bring an FM radio signal throughout Bougainville.

Currently FM broadcasts can be received only in Buka and at the very northern end of the Bougainville mainland.

Once the project is completed the vast majority of Bougainvilleans will have access to FM signal, though the mountainous topography may causes interference for some pockets of the region.

Station Manager of New Dawn FM, Aloysius Laukai, is excited about the potential to deliver information to people in remote areas of Bougainville.

“Technicians have just completed the satellite link in Buka and will move to Arawa and Buin for the connections to be made for these centres,” Mr Laukai said.

“Once they are ready we will make broadcasts to these areas.”

New Dawn FM will launch a new awareness program focused on activities around Panguna, to coincide with the increased coverage.

“We will start a program, the Panguna Report, a 30 minute magazine program on the future of Panguna.”

The project is expected to be completed by early 2015.