Tonga Volcanic Eruption and Lessons for Internet Connectivity in Small Island States – World Wide Web Foundation

This article was written by Anju Mangal, Asia-Pacific Manager, Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). It was originally published on A4AI.org.

On January 15, the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano erupted in the small island nation of Tonga. The ensuing tsunami caused extensive damage to coastal areas and low-lying islands and severed the undersea fiber optic cable that connects Tonga to the rest of the world, leaving 110,000 people with limited internet connectivity.

In the weeks that followed, our Web Foundation team struggled to reach local partners, as network operators and others attempted to restore services. Operator Digicel’s technical team in Tonga and Fiji were able to restore connectivity via a satellite link, but this backup connection is slow and spotty. Along with other networks Intelsat, Telstra, Spark and Optus, Digicel works with the Tonga Communication Corporation (TCC) to provide satellite services. However, they are unable to meet people’s data demand as bandwidth is carefully controlled while the country’s fiber optic cable is repaired.

Disruption of Internet Access Hampering Relief Efforts

The tsunami caused huge damage to agriculture, livestock, homes, infrastructure, buildings, waterfront and ports. In some islands and villages, every house has been destroyed. The disaster left people living near the coastline with little or no access to clean water and other essential services. The lack of reliable connectivity only compounds the challenges facing affected communities, hampering the coordination of relief efforts and making it nearly impossible to send vital updates to family and loved ones.

We hope that regular services will be restored shortly. The Cable Ship Reliance, owned by SubCom, has arrived in Tonga and cable specialists and engineers are hard at work assessing the damage and repairing the cables. Even SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sent a team of engineers to Fiji to work on an internet gateway.

Small island states need resilient networks

It is not the first time in recent memory that Tonga has found itself cut off from the rest of the world due to a damaged submarine cable.

Edwin Liava’a, Pacific regional manager at Kacific Satellite and former CEO of Tonga Cable Ltd, was on board the vessel which worked to repair the Tongan submarine cable in 2019 after it was damaged by the anchor of a ship. He told us: “The submarine cable is not a sustainable solution for islands that rest on tectonic plates and are surrounded by volcanoes. Satellite connectivity is a more viable and sustainable solution for islands that are constantly hammered by disasters. He adds, “Governments, the private sector, regional and international partners should consider investing in solutions that work for the Pacific – it’s about working in partnership.”

Small island nations have always been particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Now this is compounded by the effects of climate change. This latest disaster is a devastating reminder of the urgent need to consider a national emergency telecommunications preparedness plan that recognizes the unique realities of these small island states.

Prepare for the worst

It is important to have national disaster and telecommunications policies and strategies in place that support a whole-of-government approach. A4AI promotes infrastructure sharing best practices, enabling potential reductions to create efficiencies where telecom and mobile operators can share tower sites during disasters.

Disaster preparedness plans should support marginalized and vulnerable groups and communities in particular, such as people with disabilities, young people and the elderly.

It is also important to ensure that the network operates with financial and environmental sustainability. We need the availability of parallel infrastructure, like the electricity grid, which will be relevant for communities without electricity. Having a viable and sustainable business model where fiber optic cables are backed up and supported by satellite connectivity is crucial for small island states. Satellite communication is still expensive for some countries, which is why we need international cooperation and partnerships to advance digital connectivity and ensure meaningful and affordable connectivity in the Pacific.

It is impossible to fully protect a country like Tonga from rising tides or the effects of shifting tectonic plates. It is, however, possible to ensure that lessons are learned from this and other disasters, to limit damage to the communications infrastructure that is such a vital lifeline if, and when, disaster strikes again. in the Pacific region.

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