The only telecommunications fiber optic cable connecting the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga to the rest of the world was severely damaged by the violent volcanic eruption on Saturday 15 January, caused by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano.
The reduced communications and the absence of the Internet are causing serious problems in the organization and management of relief efforts in the archipelago, with many islands covered with ash and with the coasts damaged by the tsunami caused by the eruption.
The submarine cable over 800 kilometers long connects the island state with Fiji and according to the first reports it would have been damaged in two points. According to the New Zealand government, among the countries closest to Tonga and among the first to intervene with relief, it may take up to four weeks before the cable can be repaired. In the meantime, the archipelago communicates with the rest of the world thanks to some satellite phones, mostly made available by some embassies, while work is underway to restore the cellular network at least for phone calls and sending SMS.
Since the eruption, thousands of Tongans have not been able to have contact with people on other islands or abroad, to confirm that they are well and provide some details on the effects of the tsunami. The government also struggled to coordinate relief operations and aid proposals from other countries.
Ashes and dust have rendered the airport of Tonga unusable, where cleaning and restoration of the runway is underway, in order to allow the first planes with water, food and medicines to land.
Australia and New Zealand have sent some of their ships to the area, equipped with systems to desalinate seawater, to provide clean water on the islands that are left without supplies and electricity. Their arrival is scheduled for Friday 21 January, subject to weather and sea conditions.
SubCom, the US company responsible for the maintenance of some 50,000 kilometers of submarine cables in the South Pacific Ocean, said it was working with telecommunications company Tonga Cable to organize the repair of the cable.
The main damage should be located just under 40 kilometers from the coasts of Tonga, but only after the inspections in the area will it be possible to have more details. The two companies are also working to bring in a ship with the proper equipment for the repair, which is currently in Papua New Guinea.
Repairs to submarine cables are not easy and take longer to complete, also because they are subject to the weather and sea conditions in the area where the failure occurred. Repair ships are usually equipped with robotic submarines or winches with which they hook the damaged part of the cable to the surface in order to carry out the repair on the ship. The cable is then laid back on the seabed, after having carried out some tests on its tightness and on the restoration of the signal.
CloudFlare's internet traffic detection system, a company specializing in cloud services, effectively shows how connections to Tonga stopped working immediately after the eruption.
Almost all of the global Internet traffic passes through a network of about 280 submarine cables, which connect a large part of the world. Cable transmission offers greater levels of capacity and reliability than satellite connections, although the constellations of small satellites for providing Internet connections from Space could change that in the coming years.
In 2019 the islands of Tonga had been without Internet for several days, again due to a break in the cable that connects them with the rest of the world. “Being without the Internet” does not only mean not being able to access social networks, YouTube or streaming music, but also not being able to make electronic payments, money transfers, book and manage various types of online services also linked to the public administration.
Already at the time, the governments of Tonga and other island states had highlighted the need to lay new cables, so as not to depend on a single resource for the connections of entire countries.
