Villagers relying on Our Telekom in Central Kwara’ae, Malaita, have been experiencing poor network coverage for several months.
It was reported that the tower at Namosako, near Fa’arau village is not working properly
“Customers can only access the network for limited hours, usually between 11am and 6pm,” a resident told the Solomon Star.
During the weekends, particularly from Friday to Sunday, the network is completely down, causing frustration amongst the customers, especially mobile top-up agents.
Residents said, the unreliable service has created serious communication challenges.
During a visit by the Solomon Star to Ila Village, located near the Namosako tower, it was observed that there was no network service at night and even half of the day.
Villagers wishing to make calls were often forced to walk to the main road or other distant locations in search of network access.
Many described the experience as not only frustrating and time-consuming but also poses security risk, particularly during bad weather or late at night.
One villager at Ila, Tome Faiga, told the Solomon Star that the service from the tower has been far below public expectations.
“Since the tower was built, network coverage has always been poor.
It only works for a few hours during the day and goes down the whole night. This has been a long overdue issue,” Faiga said.
He appeals to Our Telekom to address the ongoing problem, saying the communities have endured the challenges for far too long.
By SOLOMON LOFANA
Solomon Star, Auki
