The era of telecom daylight robbery in PNG is over.

by Paul L. Kebaija

For years, Digicel, Telikom, and Vodafone PNG have treated their customers like cash machines with no off switch. High data prices that sting every top-up. Networks that drop calls in the middle of important conversations. Data bundles that mysteriously vanish overnight even when your phone is on airplane mode. “Unlimited” plans that throttle you to 2G speeds after a few gigabytes, with the real limits buried in fine print that no one reads. In 2026, many parts of our country still crawl on 2G or unstable 3G while the rest of the world streams in 4K.

We had no choice. Towers don’t reach every village. Cables fear the mountains and the seas. So we paid. We complained in group chats that barely loaded. We reloaded credit and hoped this time the service would match the advertisement. We accepted mediocrity because there was simply no alternative.

Starlink is not coming. Starlink is here. As of May 2, 2026, the service is officially live across Papua New Guinea. Those sleek white rectangular kits you’re seeing in photos and videos from Port Moresby to the remotest highlands and islands are real. They are on the ground, pointing at the sky, delivering fast, reliable, uncapped satellite internet straight to users who never thought they’d see it in their lifetime.

No more blaming “congestion.” No more excuses about difficult terrain or land disputes with towers. Starlink works where traditional infrastructure has failed for decades. In the village. On the island. In town during peak hours. You set up the dish, connect, and experience speeds that make Facebook, WhatsApp calls, online learning, business transactions, and even streaming feel effortless. Low latency. High data allowances. The kind of service that actually matches what you pay for.

This is more than just faster internet. It is economic freedom. Students in remote provinces can now access the same quality of education as those in international schools. Health workers can consult specialists in real time. Small businesses can sell to the world instead of being limited to the nearest market. Families separated by distance can see each other’s faces without buffering. Disaster response becomes faster and smarter. The digital divide that has held PNG back is cracking wide open.

The legacy providers had decades. Decades to invest fairly, to lower prices meaningfully, to build reliable networks that serve all Papua New Guineans, not just those in easy-to-reach urban pockets. Instead, too often the priority was maximum profit with minimum accountability. Customers were loyal because they had to be. Now loyalty must be earned.

To every PNG citizen tired of being robbed by monthly top-ups that deliver disappointment: the alternative is here. Do your research. Look at the real user reports coming in. Calculate the true cost of your current service — the dropped calls, the wasted data, the frustration. Then compare it to Starlink’s promise of consistent performance. Many will find the switch makes sense, especially for households, schools, clinics, and businesses that rely on reliable connectivity.

To Digicel, Telikom, and Vodafone: this is your wake-up call. Adapt or watch your customer base erode. Lower prices. Improve service quality. Make “unlimited” actually mean something. Innovate instead of relying on old excuses and market dominance. Competition is healthy. The people of PNG deserve better, and now they have a choice.

Starlink is not the future of connectivity in Papua New Guinea. It is the present — activated nationwide this weekend. The sky is no longer a limit; it is the solution.

The people have waited long enough. Now we connect, we grow, and we move forward on our own terms.