02/01/2024
There are a lot of debates as to whether NICTA signing the agreement for Starlink to operate in PNG is viable for telecom companies and ordinary Papua New Guineans alike. While high speed, low latency and accessibility from remote locations are viable points of using Starlink, the initial cost of the Starlink disk, the monthly service plan, and NICTA equipment licensing costs may not be cheap.
For example, the Starlink standard plan, which is best for households and the cheapest plan, is as follows: Starlink Disk (Hardware) = USD599/one-off (~K2250), monthly service plan = USD120/mon (~K450), and NICTA equipment licensing = K1000/annum (guesstimate only). The total annual cost will be around K6400, excluding the one-off cost of the Starlink disk.