Elon Musk's Internet Company Starts Restoring Network In Tonga

Starlink helps internet recovery in Tonga. (photo: twitter)

JAKARTA - Starlink, the internet company owned by Elon Musk, can help restore internet network connectivity in Tonga, which died due to a volcanic eruption. An official in Fiji, said the repair effort started from their country.

Tonga's only fiber-optic link to the internet and the rest of the world was cut off by a volcanic eruption on January 15 and only limited connectivity has been possible since.

"The SpaceX team is now in Fiji to build the Starlink gateway station to reconnect Tonga to the world," Fiji's Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said on Twitter.

The Hunga Tonga volcano's shockwave shattered Tonga's internet connection, adding days of gut-wrenching uncertainty to disaster assessments. A @SpaceX team is now in Fiji establishing a Starlink Gateway station to reconnect Tonga to the world. Great initiative, @elonmusk!

— Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum (@FijiAG) February 7, 2022

Starlink is a division of Tesla boss SpaceX's aerospace company. In January, Musk himself took to Twitter to mention that Starlink might be able to help.

Earlier, the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano triggered a tsunami that devastated villages and resorts and blanketed the nation's capital of about 105,000 people, and cut fiber-optic communication cables there.

But SpaceX's target timeline is unclear, although the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation, citing Sayed-Khaiyum, said engineers would operate the ground station in Fiji for six months.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Reuters on this development. The office of Tonga's prime minister and state telecommunications, Tonga Communications Corporation, was also not immediately available by phone or email.

Refinitiv shipping data shows cable repair ship Reliance has been off the coast of the main island of Tonga for nearly a week repairing damaged submarine cables.

Any improvement in communication is likely to be a relief for Tongans who have been struggling to stay in touch with relatives overseas and to help with recovery efforts also hampered by the COVID-19 lockdown.