After nearly four months without any form of telecommunication service, the people of Adakoa and surrounding communities now have access to the internet, thanks to the initiative of the Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) for Ward 16, Hon. Preston Billy Farobo.

The breakthrough came after Hon. Farobo personally purchased and installed a Starlink satellite internet system at his home village of Adakoa, to restore much-needed communication to his community. 

Like much of Ward 16, Adakoa has long struggled with poor or non network coverage, with neither Our Telekom nor Bmobile did provide reliable telecommunication access to the area.

In mid-2025, mobile network services in parts of East Malaita were shut down. 

According to Our Telekom, this occurred because landowners barred their engineers from accessing cell tower sites to perform essential repairs and maintenance. 

As a result, affected communities experienced either severely disrupted or completely absent mobile connectivity 

Our Telekom acknowledged the severity of the issue and stated that while technical and legal teams were working to resolve the dispute, the loss of access had left local residents and essential services unable to remain connected

However, for residents of Adakoa and nearby communities, the arrival of Starlink has been life-changing. 

“I am very happy now that Starlink is up and running. 

“I can talk to people in Honiara and beyond,” said local villager Paul Takasi. 

Families are particularly relieved, as they can now call and video chat with relatives working abroad in Australia under the PALM and seasonal workers scheme.

Hon. Farobo said he was motivated to act after witnessing the difficulties his people faced being cut off from basic communication. 

“I am happy to assist because communication is important for our people. 

“They should be able to connect with loved ones and access information like everyone else,” he said.

Currently, there are no mandatory fees charged for using the service, since it is only provided while waiting for telecommunication services to be fully restored in the region.

Beyond community use, the connection also supports Hon. Farobo’s small businesses in transportation, copra, and cocoa buying, which rely on reliable communication. 

“The main goal is access. I want to see people here use this service and benefit from it,” he added.