Oceania Travel Guide

Internet Access In The South Pacific

E-mail is as much a part of life in the South Pacific islands as it is anywhere else these days, but most Internet connections here are glacially slow compared to even dial-up connections in Western countries. High-speed access is a mere infant out here.

Access is also relatively expensive. Every local Internet service provider (ISP) charges by the minute rather than by the month, and many hotels slap a whopping fee on top of that. (My Internet and phone bills for checking my e-mail and bank sites from Tahiti hotel rooms have topped US$50!) Consequently, don't expect people in the South Pacific to reply to your e-mail immediately. Patience definitely is a virtue when dealing with folks out here.

The easiest way to get your e-mail on the Web is at your hotel, resort, or hostel. Most have computers for guest use. Or you can go to one of the numerous cybercafes in the islands.

To retrieve your e-mail, ask your ISP if it has a Web-based interface tied to your existing e-mail account. If not, you can use the free mail2web service (www.mail2web.com) to view and reply to your home e-mail. For more flexibility, you may want to open a free, Web-based e-mail account with Yahoo! Mail (mail.yahoo.com). Microsoft's Hotmail is another popular option. Your home ISP may be able to forward your e-mail to the Web-based account automatically.

Since no major international ISP has a local access number in the islands, you can't just plug in your laptop, program in the local access number, and go online as you would at home. On the other hand, you can use your own computer from any hotel room with a phone, provided you sign up for a temporary local Internet access account.

If you bring your laptop, be sure to include a connection kit of the right power, plus phone adapters (French in French Polynesia, American in American Samoa, Australian elsewhere) and a spare phone cord.

There are a growing number of Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) "hotspots" in the islands. Many are in coffee shops or hotel bars, so you can sip a cuppa or a cold one while answering your e-mail. The hotspots are not free, and some require that you purchase a prepaid usage card.

The easiest way to take advantage of Wi-Fi is to buy a laptop with built- in wireless (most new models have it). If your old machine doesn't have it, you will need to buy a 802.11b or 802.11g wireless card to plug into your computer's PCMICA slot.

Using A Cellphone

Known as "mobiles" over here, cellphones are prevalent throughout the islands. No North American wireless company operates in the South Pacific, and many American phones won't work since all the islands use the Global System for Mobiles (GSM) technology. Although the technology is gaining in popularity worldwide, only T-Mobile and Cingular/AT&T Wireless use this quasi-universal system in the U.S. In Canada, Microcell and some Rogers customers are GSM. All Europeans and most Australians use GSM. Call your wireless company to see if your phone is GSM.

If you do have a GSM phone, you may be able to use it in the islands if your home provider has a roaming agreement with the local phone companies. If it doesn't, you may still use your phone (1) if it transmits and receives on the 900 mHz band; (2) it has been "unlocked" from its SIM card, the removable computer chip which stores your and your provider's information; and (3) you rent or buy a local SIM card.

The Travel Insider (www.thetravelinsider.info) has an excellent explanation of all this as well as a phone unlocking service. Click on "Road Warrior Resources" and "International Cellphone Service."

In a worst-case scenario, you can always rent a phone. One of the first things you'll see after clearing Customs at Nadi airport in Fiji is a mobile phone rental booth. Most hotels will make the arrangements for you elsewhere.

Should you want to rent a phone or SIM card before leaving the U.S., good wireless rental companies offering phones for use in Fiji and French Polynesia are InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) and RoadPost (tel. 888/290-1606 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). Be sure to compare their rental and air time prices to those offered in the islands.

Configuring Your Laptop

If you brought a laptop, you can sign up for a temporary dial-up Internet account from the local service providers and go online from your hotel room. In addition to the service providers' fees and the cost of local calls to gain access, most hotels add an additional charge, so it's anything but free. If you elect to go this route, here's how to set up your computer in Windows XP, 2000, and 98:

Double-click on Control Panel in Windows XP (My Computer in Windows 98).

Double-click Network Connections in XP (Dial-Up Networking in 98).

Double-click Create a New Connection in XP (Make New Connection in 98).

Name the new connection anything you want.

Click Configure and set the maximum speed of your modem to not more 57,600kbps. Click OK.

Leave the Area Code box blank and in Telephone Number box type (with no spaces) the number you must dial to reach an outside line (0 or 9), a comma, and the local access number. Don't change the Country box. Click OK.

After you have created your new connection, double-click Network Connections in XP (My Computer, Dial-Up Networking in 98), and the icon for your new connection. Click Connect. When the connection is made, enter both your name and your password.

From then on, you can double-click My Computer, Dial-Up Networking, your local connection icon, and Connect. After the connection is made, load your browser, and you're online.