Provinces

What about the Provinces?

Presently Gizo, Ringgi and Auki have a full range of broadband services whereas Noro and Munda only have WiFi hotspots. In addition, dial-up is available everywhere with a telephone connection. With the exception of Lata all provincial townships where Telekom has a business centre have been upgraded with reliable, high speed dial-up services.

Provincial Services

The Provinces have the following options for accessing the Internet:

Type

Locations

Description
Dialup Anywhere with a telephone Obviously not Broadband. Both prepaid and post-paid (account) are available anywhere that has an existing telephone connection.
WiFi Hotspots Gizo (x3), Auki (x2), Noro, Munda, also several in Honiara Prepaid only, available in the immediate vicinity of the hotspot
Wireless Broadband Gizo, Ringgi and Auki Both prepaid and post-paid are available.
CIRIC Gizo, Ringgi and Auki (also Honiara) Committed Information Rate Internet Circuit - Post-paid only, available wirelessly or via an existing telephone connection.

Prepaid options

Telekom provides 'Bumblebee' prepaid cards for accessing our prepaid internet services anywhere in the country:

  • Dialup 2 Hour - Provides a total of 2 hours of internet access via a dial up connection. You can disconnect at any time and use the remaining time later.
  • Broadband 2 Hour/50 Megabyte and 7 Day/250 Megabyte - Provides broadband speed access (either via WiFi or Wireless Broadband) for up to the stated amount of time, or megabytes of traffic, whichever comes first. The time available is determined from when you first begin using the service.

WiFi

WiFi requires a wireless access card in your laptop. Most laptops built since mid 2005 have this as standard, look for references to WiFi or 802.11b/g in your laptop's documentation. WiFi signals have a very limited range and don't travel well through too many walls or other obstacles.

WiFi Hotspot

Telekom has an emergency hotspot that can be deployed to suit our customer's needs on request.

Wireless Broadband

The wireless broadband requires specialised equipment to be installed, and should not be confused with WiFi, however the two can be used together to provide a remote WiFi Hotspot. The wireless broadband equipment can be supplied as part of a post-paid contract or purchased outright for use in a prepaid arrangement. The equipment requires 240VAC and runs at approximately 20W. Coverage is reliable for Non-Line-Of-Sight up to about 4km from the Gizo Telekom Tower on top of Gizo hill or the Ringgi Telekom Tower (near KFPL), or the Auki Telekom Tower and with Line-Of-Sight up to around 64km to any of these towers.

CIRIC (Committed Information Rate Internet Circuit)

This is a 'large pipe' to the Internet in whatever size is required. It can be used with no excess fees or traffic restrictions. This is an expensive option, with a minimum contract term of 1 year, it is also not quick to install. Installation is either via SHDSL (requiring a telephone line) or the above wireless equipment depending on location.

Broadband Packages Available in Gizo, Ringgi and Auki

Grade

Down/Kbps

Up/Kbps

Traffic/GB

Price/Month

Prepaid

128

64

NA

NA

SOHO 128/64

128

64

1

$826.56

Business 128/64

128

64

3

$1,406.60

Business 256/64

256

64

6

$1,980.29

Cafe 256/64

256

64

15

$2,840.83

Notes: Excess Usage charges apply on all post-paid plans. Excess monthly data will be charged at SBD$0.37 per megabyte.

All plans have a committed term of 24 months.

Installation Fees and Charges

An installation fee of SB$2,500 applies to all Post-paid Broadband installations.

For prepaid installations the customer must purchase the wireless equipment outright (at $4,680) or pay for it over a period of 12 months. This price does not include a router (SBD$750), which the customer can supply, or the outdoor cabling (supplied at SBD$8 per metre).

Where the customer is outside of the main township itself a transport fee will also have to be negotiated with the provincial manager