WHILE internet users in many parts of the world debate buffering speeds and data caps, there are communities across the Pacific where the internet does not exist at all – not even a slow service, but one completely absent. That exclusion has proven stubborn. Building terrestrial mobile networks across scattered archipelagos is not merely expensive but in many places is commercially irrational.
The assumption that infrastructure is the binding constraint has long underpinned Pacific development programs: build the network and usage will follow. That same assumption fostered hopes for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites passing over islands that fibre-optic cables will likely never reach. The technology now exists to deliver broadband to virtually any point on earth.
But experience in the Solomon Islands suggests a more difficult reality. The principal barriers are institutional rather than technical. Ownership arrangements, cost-sharing models and the affordability of access for low-income households matter more than cables in the ground or satellites overhead.
The access problem is largely solved, yet the usage problem remains. In much of the Pacific, the deeper barrier is affordability.
The answer may already be taking shape within communities themselves: shared connectivity models that redistribute cost, localise ownership, and keep access within reach of those the market has no incentive to serve.
In Torao’o Village, East Are’are, Solomon Islands, a local operator runs a single Starlink connection from his home, charging neighbours a small fee per session. The demand it serves is striking. A woman from a neighbouring community, Manu Village in central Are’are, recently walked a full day through the bush to reach Torao’o, not in search of food or medicine, but to make a video call to her children in the capital, Honiara.
Before the arrival of LEO services, connectivity in these communities depended on intermittent mobile-network signals or physical travel. Villagers often had to make long journeys to urban centres such as Honiara to carry out basic online tasks: sending messages, accessing banking services, or obtaining information. These trips were costly and uncertain, shaped as much by weather as by transport availability. A single journey typically costs between $USD12 and $USD37, excluding food and accommodation.
Against that baseline, the community-sharing model is not just workable but economically coherent. The operator pays a monthly Starlink fee of about $USD90, which is sustained by users paying small access fees of around $USD0.60 to $USD1.20 per session. In practice, this generates enough revenue to cover operating costs, fund minor maintenance and provide modest income for the operator.
This connectivity model is reshaping social and family life, enabling villagers to maintain regular contact with relatives in urban centres or overseas at an affordable cost via video calls and messaging platforms.
The new Lowy Institute Policy Brief Low Earth Orbit satellites: Closing the Indo-Pacific digital divide makes this point directly: the promise of LEO technology in the Pacific lies not in universal deployment, but in targeted support for remote communities. Realising that promise will require affordability measures, community gateway models, universal service obligations, and investment in digital literacy, device access, and reliable electricity. Governments must also adopt forward-looking regulatory frameworks to manage competition, strengthen consumer protections, and integrate LEO satellites into national digital strategies as a complement to terrestrial networks.
The emergence of a shared connectivity service has enabled small-scale entrepreneurship, with the operator charging modest fees for internet access and device charging. Some villagers are beginning to experiment with online marketplaces to sell agricultural produce, fish and handicrafts, extending their reach beyond the local community. Young people, in particular, are building digital skills that are increasingly relevant to participation in the digital economy.
For families with children studying in Honiara, connectivity goes beyond convenience, enabling parental involvement at a distance that was previously unmanageable. Mobile banking has reduced the need for costly travel, supporting financial inclusion – allowing school fees to be paid and remittances received without leaving the village. The effects are most visible in education. Students now have access to materials previously out of reach, including digital textbooks and online assignment portals. This does not eliminate the structural gap between rural and urban schooling, but it narrows it.
Local connectivity has reduced tasks that once required days of travel to a matter of minutes. The benefit is not simply speed, but predictability. Residents can check shipping schedules, coordinate travel and respond to disruptions in real time. Social media has also evolved into a practical information channel, used to circulate community notices, report emergencies and distribute health updates.
The woman who walked a day to make a video call is not a symbol of backwardness. She is evidence of a rational response to the absence of accessible connectivity. LEO satellites have brought the internet within reach of some of the Pacific’s most remote communities. Whether it remains within reach will depend less on technology than on policy choices already being made.
Source: Lowy Institute
