Mobile Phones In Greenland

In Greenland there exists a place called the Tele-Post Center that is a combination of telecommunications office and post office. However, in some parts of Greenland, the telecommunications office and post office are separated. As for Narsarsuaq, there is only the post office, with limited telecommunication services.

An early morning view seen from the youth hostel

During the expedition, we will carry three types of communication equipment. Ohba-san and Nagatani-san, who will cross the ice cap, will carry an Iridium satellite phone and an Inmarsat M4 of KDDI. I myself will also carry an Iridium satellite phone, which can be used anywhere on this planet, provided that it is used outdoors where its satellites are visible. So I decided to have an ordinary mobile phone as well so that I could be contacted even when I am indoors.

Mobile phone systems differ from one country to another. Here in Greenland a mobile phone can only be used with a SIM card, a thin card (its diameter is about 2 centimeters) that is inserted just under the battery (the mobile phone I bought at Copenhagen Airport does not contain a SIM card, so I can't use it yet). Each SIM card contains a telephone number, and its usage is also recorded on the card.

Although I couldn't get a SIM card at the post office in Narsarsuaq, I phoned many places to find a way to obtain the card. Eventually, this person called Peter, a worker at telecommunications office in Narsaq, promised me that he would bring a SIM card for me as he was to visit his sister in Narsarsuaq this evening.

Just on time at 5:30 p.m. Peter came rushing into the front lobby of Hotel Narsarsuaq. He was breathing heavily as he hurried here to be on time. He came by boat, taking one hour to arrive here from Narsaq. That is probably why I smelled the scent of the sea from Peter.

A monument of Mr. Naomi Uemura located inside Hotel Narsarsuaq

As soon as the initial set up was done and display language was set to English, it became ready to use. Mine was a prepaid type and the SIM card had been charged with 100DKK (Danish Krone) worth of phone calls. When I use this up, I buy a new prepaid card and recharge it to the SIM card. This is how it works in this type of mobile phone system.

Thanks to Peter, I was able to start using my mobile phone earlier than expected. Peter was wearing a hand-made wool cap that his friend specially made for him. When I praised his cap, he said with a proud smile on his face, "Everyone asks me if they can buy it from me, but it is very special to me, so I can't sell it." And he left leaving a kind word, "You can contact me anytime. If you ever visit Narsaq, please come and visit me at the telecommunications office."

A view of Narsarsuaq seascape far in the distance

Noriko Miyashita