Planning a trip to Solomon Islands and wondering what is the best way to stay connected? There are a couple different options and I will explain them all in this Solomon Islands sim card guide. Find out where to buy a sim card in Solomon Islands, up to date prices as per June 2024, the best 4G/5G network in Solomon Islands, my recommendation, experiences and info about international and e-sim cards for Solomon Islands.
When traveling abroad the first thing I do is buying a prepaid sim card on arrival. For me it is the best way to stay connected. E-sim cards are a great option too, but more expensive and they offer small data plans. If you use a lot of data, a local prepaid sim card is the cheapest way to stay connected. So that is what I did when visiting Solomon Islands.
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My recommendation
Based on my own experiences Traveltomtom recommends an Our Telekom sim card for Solomon Islands as they have the best 3G/4G network coverage. However, when just visiting the capital Honiara then a bmobile sim card is just as fine and big advantage is that you can buy a bmobile sim card at the airport on arrival!
Another great option for travelers is an international sim card for Solomon Islands. These sim cards let you connect to data network in a long list of countries. They are more expensive, but worth it for travelers that visit several countries in one trip. Check out my comparison of the best international (e)-sim cards with data in 2024.
Best e-sim cards for Solomon Islands
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling overseas in 2024 is an e-sim card. No more swapping physical sim cards or visiting a phone shop. You arrange everything online within just a couple minutes. However, unfortunately there are still no e-sim cards available online that you can use in Solomon Islands.
Traveltomtom will keep an eye out for Solomon Islands e-sim card deals and will update the article as soon as they are available.
Mobile Internet Operators Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a developing island nation with two mobile internet operators: bmobile and Our Telekom. Both mobile internet providers sell prepaid sim cards for tourists.
Where to buy a sim card for Solomon Islands
Unfortunately there are no options to buy a sim card for Solomon Islands online nor are e-sim cards for Solomon Islands available. Tourists traveling to Solomon Islands will have to buy a prepaid sim card in Solomon Islands to stay connected and not waste money on high roaming costs.
The best and most convenient place to get connected is at the international airport of Honiara straight on arrival. Unfortunately there is no Our Telekom sim card shop at Honiara Airport, but luckily there is a bmobile sim card shop at Honiara to buy your prepaid sim card for Solomon Islands.
After you have your passport stamped you will get to the baggage claim area which looks like the picture above. Then you go through the customs bag check and you walk through the sliding door out of the airport building. Then you will see the bmobile shop right in front of you. It can't be missed!
Is bmobile my first recommendation? Well, it only costs a couple dollars, so if I were you I would buy a sim card at Honiara Airport from bmobile.
If you are looking to buy an Our Telekom sim card then on the way into Honiara town you will pass by an Our Telekom store and you can ask your taxi driver to stop by. Opening times can vary, so make a wise decision.
I paid 30 SBD, which is $3.6 USD and got connected within just a couple minutes after showing my passport for registering my new Solomon Islands sim card.
Prices prepaid sim cards in Solomon Islands
In Solomon Islands they use the Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD). $1 USD = $8.27 SBD and $1 SBD = $0.12 USD.
Our Telekom
An Our Telekom prepaid sim card is free of charge if you top up with one of the following data plans:
- 2.5 GB data for 2 days = $20 - $2.4 USD
- 4 GB data for 6 days = $45 - $5.5 USD
- 5 GB data for 7 days = $55 - $6.7 USD
As you can see the prices for data packages in Solomon Islands are cheap compared to Western countries.
bmobile
- 4 GB data for 7 days = $27 - $3.3 USD
- 6 GB data for 7 days = $50 - $6.1 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $100 - $12.1 USD
As you can see the prices for data plans in Solomon Islands are more or less the same when comparing Our Telekom and bmobile.
Best 4G/5G network in Solomon Islands
Normally Traveltomtom compares the network coverage maps of all the mobile internet operators, but for Solomon Islands there is very little information available online. Our Telekom actually has a 3G/4G coverage map on their website. Bmobile only specifies it operates in 4 provinces.
The transparency of Our Telekom as well as the fact that Our Telekom operates in more than 7 provinces already says a lot about who has the strongest 3G/4G network in Solomon Islands. Also when you ask locals they all will tell you to buy a Our Telekom prepaid sim card for tourists when you are looking for the best 4G network in Solomon Islands.
On top of that I can use my own experiences. As I traveled to Solomon Islands with a group of 4 we decided to buy 2 bmobile sim cards and 2 Our Telekom sim cards.
Unfortunately we only traveled on the main island of Honiara and did some day trips from there. We rented a car and drove around the island visiting all the tourist attractions. All 4 of us we constantly connected and enjoyed a 3G/4G signal. On our day trip to offshore islands from Honiara it was Our Telekom that was preforming better than bmobile. However, don't expect much phone signal anyway when traveling in Solomon Islands, the network coverage away from the main island is pretty limited.
Is there 5G in Solomon Islands?
No, as of June 2024 there is no 5G in Solomon Islands and there is no prediction that 5G will arrive in Solomon Islands in somewhere in 2024 either.
The experienced data speed on the 4G network in Solomon Islands was pretty reliable and also fast enough for streaming and uploading large files. So based on my own experience, everything worked pretty smooth on 4G in the main tourist spots and in Honiara.
Best sim card for Solomon Islands in 2024
As there are no international sim cards and no e-sim cards available for Solomon Islands there is very limited choice for travelers visiting Solomon Islands. If you don't want to waste money on high roaming costs and slow overseas data roaming plans then buying a local prepaid sim card in Solomon Islands is the best way to stay connected when visiting.
In my comparison between bmobile and Our Telekom we saw that prices for prepaid sim cards and data packages in Solomon Islands are cheap, so it does not really matter which mobile internet provider you choose when it comes down to the price.
Our Telekom has the best 3G/4G mobile network in Solomon Islands so that is a big plus compared to bmobile. However, at the International Airport of Honiara there is no Our Telekom sim card shop which is a bummer.
Although Traveltomtom recommends an Our Telekom prepaid sim card for Solomon Islands, it is much more convenient buying a bmobile sim card straight on arrival at the airport in Honiara.
I am sure the above tips for getting connected when traveling to Solomon Islands were helpful. I showed you what is the best prepaid sim card in Solomon Islands based on my own experiences, info from locals and the information that I found online.
If you still have any questions about traveling to Solomon Islands or sim cards for Solomon Islands please leave me a comment below.
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Enjoy your trip to Solomon Islands!
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