Internet Service in Solomons on Australian Mobile Phones: What Are the Best Plans?

So, I had to go to the Solomon Islands for work, and let me tell you, figuring out the internet situation there was a bit of a head-scratcher. I wanted to see if I could just use my Australian mobile phone over there without any issues. Turns out, it’s not as straightforward as you’d think.

First off, I did some digging online. I found out that the Solomons have two main telecom providers: Our Telekom and Bmobile. This was a good start.

Then I started thinking about my options. Since I already had an Australian mobile plan, I was curious if I could just roam with that. I use Telstra back in Australia, and they do offer international roaming packages.

I went to the Telstra shop and asked around, they told me some packages available, but they were not cheap! So, I started to consider maybe it’s better to just buy a local SIM card when I get there.

The thing is, I needed to figure out what kind of speeds I could expect. Back home, I’m used to pretty fast 5G with my phone, sometimes hitting over 200Mbps. From what I could gather, the Solomons were mostly on 4G, with some areas still on 3G. I had to prepare to adjust my expectations.

• Check the roaming packages: I looked into Telstra’s international roaming deals. They had daily and monthly options, but they were a bit pricey for what they offered.
• Local SIM card research: I checked out Our Telekom and Bmobile’s websites to see what kind of prepaid SIM plans they had. They seemed more affordable than roaming.
• Speed expectations: I realized I wouldn’t be getting 5G speeds like I was used to. It would likely be 4G in most places, and maybe even 3G in some areas.

So, here’s what I decided. I figured I’d hold off on using my Australian SIM and try to get a local SIM card when I arrived. It seemed like the cheaper option, and I was curious to see how the local networks performed.

Once I landed in the Solomons, I headed straight for an Our Telekom store. I picked up a prepaid SIM, topped it up with some credit, and popped it into my phone.

Surprisingly, the 4G speeds weren’t bad at all in the capital, Honiara. I was able to browse the web, check emails, and even stream some videos without too much trouble. It wasn’t as blazing fast as my 5G back home, but it was definitely usable.

However, when I traveled outside of Honiara, the speeds did drop significantly. In some areas, I was stuck on 3G, and it was pretty slow. I had to adjust my usage and be a bit more patient with loading times.

My Conclusion

In the end, using a local SIM card in the Solomons worked out pretty well for me. It was definitely more affordable than roaming with my Australian plan, and the speeds were decent enough for basic internet use. Just be prepared for slower speeds outside of the main city, and you’ll be alright. It was a good experience overall, and I am happy with my decision to get a local SIM.