File photo of Nuku'alofa in Tonga. The island networks of Vava’u and Ha’apai have been without internet for more than two weeks after an undersea cable was severed.File photo of Nuku'alofa in Tonga. The island networks of Vava’u and Ha’apai have been without internet for more than two weeks after an undersea cable was severed.
The island networks of Vava’u and Haʻapai were cut off on 29 June after damage to the undersea cable which connects internet services to the northern archipelagos. The government has said it is still waiting for the arrival of a repair vessel for the submarine cable. “We will continue to work to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to turn on Starlink services in Tonga as soon as possible,” a note from the company to users in the region said.
It is the third time in recent years that Tonga’s undersea internet cables have been damaged, plunging parts of the nation into digital darkness. In 2022,Hospitality providers in the outer islands that depend on internet communications have complained they are in danger of going out of business due to the communications crisis.