Telecommunications in the Solomon Islands explained

Communications in the Solomon Islands.

Telephones

See also: Telephone numbers in the Solomon Islands.

Landline

Mobile cellular[1] :

Telecom operators:

Telephone system:
GSM mobile phone network covering all provincial capitals along with several other townships and villages and a landline system covering all provincial capitals and some townships.

International dial code:+677

Connectivity

International

Domestic


Radio

Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 4 Paoa FM, ZFM100, Wan FM, and Barava FM, shortwave 1 (2002). The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, founded in 1976, transmits regular programming.

RadioReceivers: 57,000 (1997)In addition to regular broadcast stations, several shortwave utility station networks exist, such as the Church of Melanesia network.

Television

TTV is Solomon Islands only television network and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Solomon Telekom Co. Ltd. (STCL). STCL operates under the brand name - Our Telekom.

TTV transmits in digital HD and analogue and is a free-to-air, commercial, terrestrial television network, located in the capital, Honiara.

History:The first television broadcast was made possible in July 1992 by STCL who downlinked the Barcelona Summer Olympics utilising the satellite antennas used to relay international telephone calls and a small TV transmitter as an experiment.

2006: ONE News leased the STCL owned transmitters to broadcast a local channel until 2011 when it went out of business.

2008 (March): Telekom Television Ltd was formed

2016: HD services launched (FTA DVB-T). Commenced broadcasting National Parliament live to air on TTV ONE.

2019: Broadcast three analogue SD and sixteen 1080i/50 HD digital (DVB-T) channels in the VHF/UHF frequency bands. The HD channels, available in Honiara, are a mixture of overseas sport, news and entertainments channels. Two of the TTV branded analogue SD channels (TTV 1, TTV 2) are distributed to five major locations in the Solomons: Gizo, Noro, Munda, Auki and Lata. Distribution is via satellite and microwave links.

Standards:TTV conforms to the Australian television frequencies for both analogue and digital transmissions and production (1080i/50).

Channels:TTV branded channels include: TTV ONE, TTV TWO and TTV THREE. TTV ONE is the main commercial channel and carries a mixture of local and international sport, news and entertainment programming.

Online:TTV is also streamed Online (as programme rights allow) and is accessible via the Our Telekom mobile network throughout the Solomons. The service is Geoblocked to the Solomons.

Televisions:3,000 (1997). Estimated viewership: 35,000 (2017)

Internet

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
Solomon Telekom: https://telekom.com.sb/
McPacific: http://www.mc-pacific.com/satellite.html
SATSOL: https://satsol.net/

People First Network: (PFnet) operate a community email network with 17 rural access points (Apr 2005) https://web.archive.org/web/20010415150953/http://www.peoplefirst.net.sb/General/PFnet.htmPFnet is also establishing a VSAT network of distance learning centres in rural community schools under an EU-funded project http://www.peoplefirst.net.sb/dlcp It is hoped each host school will contribute to the Wikipedia or create their own wikis.

Country code (Top level domain): SB

Notes and References

  1. Web site: TCSI Annual Report 2018.