Prime Minister Matthew Wale says he wants to see the high cost of telecommunications in Solomon Islands reduced to a level people can afford.
He also wants to see improved telecommunications services across the country.
Wale made his position clear when he met with the board and management of Our Telekom, the country’s leading telecommunications provider, in Honiara today.
“This has been my consistent message to all service providers since assuming office,” Wale told the Telekom board and management.
“We must think of the many people in this country who struggle to afford three meals a day. How do we serve them?”
While acknowledging the broader economic pressures affecting prices across multiple sectors, Wale said some costs remain unreasonably high for ordinary citizens.
“We all have a stake in lowering the cost of living in this country. Government must also play its part through reforms aimed at reducing costs in other key service areas,” he said.
The Prime Minister also emphasised the need for a collaborative and practical approach, noting that all stakeholders must work together to determine what is both achievable and reasonable.
“Every part of our economy needs to become more affordable,” he stressed.
Wale added that discussions aimed at reducing costs across the economy are already underway with relevant stakeholders.
In response, Chairman of the Our Telekom Board, Baoro Laxton Koraua, acknowledged the concerns raised by the Prime Minister.
“We will take your concerns on board and give them careful consideration,” Koraua told Wale.
He also highlighted Our Telekom’s substantial contributions to the national economy and the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF) over the past decade.
Koraua identified external cost drivers, particularly high electricity tariffs and bandwidth costs, as major factors influencing the company’s current pricing structure.
Despite these operational challenges, Koraua assured the Prime Minister that Our Telekom is actively exploring strategic measures to address the government’s concerns and reduce the financial burden on consumers.
Our Telekom is the nation’s leading telecommunications provider. Bmobile Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telikom Limited, a telecommunications company owned by the Government of Papua New Guinea, is the other provider.
Our Telekom is jointly owned by the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF) and the Investment Corporation of Solomon Islands (ICSI).
SINPF holds 97.32 per cent of the shares, while ICSI, the Government’s investment arm, holds the remaining 2.68 per cent.
