Getting a Mobile Phone Sim Card and Registering it is quite easy an in other countries. If you are visiting Port Moresby or Papua New Guinea for a short stay like attending a conference, for business, visiting a family or on tourist visa, you might not need to get a local mobile phone sim. Your native native country phone will serve you well. Otherwise, if you plan to stay in PNG a bit longer than you need to register a local mobile phone sim. Here some things to keep in mind which will help you to go through the mobile sim registration process in the country.
Asking for help.
Papua New Guineans are generally speaking more open to strangers or foreigners if they ask for help. So, if you are in a hotel, shopping mall or at the airport, ask any employee. Most will be willing to help and direct you to any local Telecommunications company kiosks or outlets.
Local Mobile Phone Network service providers in PNG
There are three dominant local mobile phone network operators in the country. There are:
Digicel PNG
Digicel PNG is the largest mobile phone network operator in the country in terms of subscribers. It entered the Papua New Guinea market in 2007, as part of Irish business man Denis O’Brien,’s Digicel Pacific that was operating in the Pacific and Caribbean Island nations. It was later sold to Australia’s largest telecommunications company Telstra in 2002. Telstra did not rebrand or changed it’s name, after it acquired it and Digicel PNG still operates under it’s original name.
It has many mobile phone kiosks and outlets in all major towns around the country and in Port Moresby, you will see a lot of outlets in major public places like the shopping centers.
Website: https://www.digicelpacific.com/mobile/pg
Vodafone PNG
Vodafone PNG is another major player in the Mobile Network provider in the country. Vodafone PNG (Digitec Communications Limited) is a subsidiary of Vodafone Fiji Pte Limited, the largest mobile telecommunications provider in Fiji. Vodafone launched it’s operations in April 2022. It is the latest but has penetrated the market very well and offers very good competition to Telikom PNG and Digicel PNG.
Telikom PNG
Telikom PNG Limited is the country pioneer state owned telecommunications company. During the early days of the company, it operated the Telephone Networks as well the Postal Services Network under the name PNG Postal and Tele-Communications (PTC). In 1996, it was separated into two entries, Tele-Communications become Telikom PNG Limited and Postal Services become Post PNG which is now major postal and logistics company in PNG.
Due to it being state owned company, it held the monopoly network until Digicel entered the market 2007 with aggressive new market penetration campaigns which saw a massive subscribers uptake. Telikom PNG fought back to regain it’s market share but citizens having the feeling that they have been denied basic mobile communications for bit longer by Telikom most subscribers remained with Digicel till today.
Telikom has outlets in all major towns and cities but it’s not as popular as it used to be in the past.
Website: https://www.telikom.com.pg/
Getting and Registering Mobile Sim Card in Papua New Guinea.
If you buy a mobile phone, from any of the Telecommunication company retails stores or kiosks the sim is free and comes with it. Registration is straightforward, they will ask a few identity verification questions registration is done online. The staff will guide you through the process.
If you want just want a sim card, then the current price is K15.00 (equivalent to 3 US Dollars).
Buying Mobile Phones in Port Moresby
Mobile phones are sold in almost all major shopping centers, retail outlets of telecommunications companies (mentioned above). The following companies are some of the major distributors of mobile phone brands apart from the telecommunication companies.
Theodist Stationary Supermarket-Major stationaries and office furniture store.
FoneHaus-Mobile phones and accessories specialist retail network and has shops all over Port Moresby and selected provincial centres. They carry top brand mobiles like Mintt, Opo, Samsung and etc.
CHM Stores-One city’s oldest consumer technology specialist shops.
Language Translation Assistance
Official language of business ins English in Papua New Guinea. Most shops will assist you if you speak English. If you are a non-English speaker, you won’t be helped with translation services so bear that in mind.
Telikom Rumana-Telikom PNG Head Office
