New Caledonia Mobile Internet
Visitors to New Caledonia will find access to the Internet easy in Noumea, where there are numerous Internet Cafes. The Rocket Guide to New Caledonia includes the locations of the most popular Internet Cafes. The City of Noumea now offers free WiFi internet connection in the Place des Cocotiers (the plaza in the centre of Noumea) and it works fine.
The cost of connection in New Caledonia Internet Cafes is very high, between 500 and 1000 cfp per hour, and the "high speed" connections are fairly slow compared to broadband connections in other countries.
Almost all resorts and hotels have Internet access. Most Noumea hotels feature internet access directly from the rooms via Lan or wireless conections. The Rocket Guide to New Caledonia gives information about Internet connections from hotels and resorts throughout New Caledonia.
Direct access to New Caledonia's 4G network is now available to visitors using the OPT Liberte pay in advance SIM card. Rates, including data, are very reasonable. Details on how to set up the pay in advance service for Internet data are on the Rocket Guide.
Mobile Phones in Noumea and New Caledonia, Internet in New Caledonia and SMS in Noumea and New Caledonia
GSM, 3G and 4G mobile phones work almost everywhere near population centres throughout New Caledonia. The Rocket Guide to New Caledonia includes a coverage map and full details of mobile phone use. The 3G system uses HSPA or HSDPA/ HSUPA with frequencies of 900 and 2100 MHZ and the 4G system uses 4G Lte Bands 3 (1800MHz), 7 (2600MHz), 20 (800MHz).
OPT has a pay-in-advance Carte Liberté Welcome Pack for visitors. Just buy a Carte Liberte GSM pack at any post office, pop the sim card into your gsm mobile phone, and you are on line. You can set up a smart phone or tablet for data access and buy connection time by sending an SMS to special phone numbers for different connection time and download limits - and even for unlimited downloads.
The Rocket Guide will show you how to set up the phone and what numbers to dial to get different connection offers.
International roaming is available from most countries so your normal mobile phone and telephone number will work in New Caledonia. Ask your GSM provider before you leave to arrange for roaming in New Caldeonia and check out the rates.
Data rates are rediculous on roaming:
Roaming Data Costs in New Caledonia
Telstra Australia pay in advance travel packs (expires after 30 days).
You really don't want to do this - it's stupidly expensive. You are much better off to buy an unlocked quad-band Android smart phone for a couple of hundred dollars then buy a pay-in-advance SIM card pack when you arrive.
- Travel pack for one Gigabyte of data (up and down counted) costs $1800.
- No travel pack costs for one Gigabyte of data AUD$15,000.
- Travel Pack for 29 MB AUD $85
- No travel pack for 29 MB AUD $450.
Telecom New Zealand NZ$900 for 20MB of data.
Vodaphone NZ NZ$200 for 20MB of data.
SMS Noumea and New Caledonia
Visitors can send SMS text messages using a pay in advance SIM card.
You can send an SMS text message to someone in New Caledonia for free on: www.mobitag.nc
