Tonga Is Finally Back Online Following Five-Week Underwater Internet Blackout

Following a devastating volcanic eruption, Tonga’s only subsea fiber optic cable found itself destroyed, stranding residents in a state of internet outage for over five weeks.

Now, thankfully, the country is finally back online after Digicel, one of its two main telecommunications firms, has fixed the cable using a submarine repair vessel. 

According to the BBC, an 80-kilometer (50-mile) stretch of the 830-kilometer (516-mile) subsea connection sustained the main impact of the damage.

“We have learned some tough lessons and we know how important internet connection is to our people,” said Digicel Tonga CEO Anthony Seuseu. 

“The recent incident has also provided the opportunity to our team to look at increased investment and network optimization to plan and prepare better for a catastrophic event of such nature in the future,” he added.

Gizmodo reported that while the main cable has been fixed, there’s still much work to be done to restore the island to its pre-eruption state.

In fact, domestic cables connecting Tonga’s main island to its surroundings could take six to nine months to repair, as revealed by Tonga Cable CEO James Panuve to Reuters.

“We don’t have enough cable,” he said.

Hopefully, the worst is behind the country, and its residents can connect with loved ones and friends again now the country’s back on the online webspace.

[via Gizmodo and Reuters, cover image via Michal Durinik | Dreamstime.com]