The Race to Reconnect Tonga

by **bdahm** Thu Feb 03, 2022 11:35 am

The South Pacific nation of Tonga was all but cut off from the world after an undersea communications cable was severed following the massive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano on January 15. The blackout caused major disruption to aid efforts following the disaster.

Limited satellite connectivity has provided some relief but communication remains difficult as some outlying islands are still cut off.
Tonga signed a 15-year deal to secure satellite connectivity following an earlier cable break in 2019 from a ship's anchor. But the use of satellite phones has been affected by the volcanic ash blanketing the country. Some people have reported they can only dial out - and not receive calls.

A specialist ship is en route to the area to restore the cable. The ship left Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, about 4,700 km (2,900 miles) away, on January 20 and is expected to reach the area on January 30. The operation is expected to take a few weeks.

https://graphics.reuters.com/TONGA-VOLCANO/znpnejbjovl/?utm_source=digg

As this story indicates, it takes an incredible amount of effort to be able to lay and maintain undersea optical fibre cables. It's probably costly as well.

-Bill