Port Moresby - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
GoogleFi allows U.S. Embassy employees to retain their U.S. phone numbers, but the employee has to resubmit orders periodically to maintain it. Maintaining a home country cell number is worth it when institutions (financial, medical, etc.) require 2-step authentication via text. Local cell phone providers are numerous and inexpensive; a local phone number is useful, but WhatsApp is also ubiquitous for texting and calling. - Aug 2025
The Embassy provides phones to employees and spouses. I kept free texting on my US phone for friends and family, and I use the local phone only for local friends. - Jun 2016
Get both Digicel and B-Mobile, so if one network is down, you have the other. Digicel is cheaper, but not everyone has it. You can get dual sim card phones for under $300 in PNG, but beware of fakes that don't work; try them out or get one in Australia. - Jun 2008
