How Will Tonga’s Damaged Internet Cable Be Fixed?

On January 14, 2022, a powerful eruption occurred in Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic island. It caused tsunamis in various areas, including Tonga, Fiji, American Samoa, Vanuatu, and the Pacific rim. Because of this, the Tonga internet cable which connects them to other international networks was disconnected. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand) says it could take over a month to repair the damage. The severed cable has 31,000 miles resulting in Tonga’s 110,000 inhabitants being cut off from telecommunications.

In the meantime, a 2G wireless connection has been established on the main island. It’s done through a satellite dish from the University of the South Pacific. But the service is intermittent, and internet services run slowly.

How will the Tonga internet cable be repaired? 

The cable, Tonga Cable System operates, is believed to have destroyed almost 37km (23 miles) offshore. According to Reuters, an inspection done by the company after the eruption seemed to confirm the damage. 

But the process of fixing it is easy, according to chief engineer at Virgin Media, Peter Jamieson. Mr. Jamieson is also vice-chairman of the European Subsea Cable Association. He explained that they would send a pulse of light from the island. Then, a machine will calculate how long it takes to travel, determining where the cable break is. 

A cable-repair boat goes to the site of the first identified damage. There are two options to be used. First, it can use a remotely-operated underwater vehicle (ROV). A tool called grapnel could also retrieve the broken end.  

It will be reconnected to a new cable onboard the boat, and then the same process will occur at the other end of the break. If successful, the entire process will take between five and seven days.

Is it possible to take a little bit longer? 

Experts say that getting a cable repair boat to the archipelago will take time. Currently, the closest one is stationed in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. That’s about 4,700km (2,900 miles) away from the undersea cable. 

The Reliance’s specialized ship serves more than 50,000km or 31,000 miles of cable in the South Pacific. Experts need to determine first that the area is safe for the boat and the crew. That is to be sure that no more volcanoes are likely to erupt. 

How often do these cables break? 

It is projected that worldwide there are up to 200 repairs conducted annually. However, natural disasters seldom happen. About 90% of damages were to fishing-boat nets or anchors. Fortunately, tracking technology is being used to inform and warn operators of any boats in areas prone to cable breakage. 

The exception to this is natural disasters, like what happened with Tonga internet cable. In 2006, an earthquake in Taiwan destroyed a line. This led to a loss of internet and international phone services in the region.

How necessary are these cables? 

Even if one cable breaks in Western countries, it is not an issue because there are many others.

The UK, for instance, has approximately 50 cables bringing data into the country.

But in the case of Tonga, there is only one cable. “Ideally, you need at least two lines, ” Mr. Jamieson said. However, cables are expensive, and there is no initiative from Facebook or Google or anyone to build one more, he added. 

There are more than 430 cables, spanning 1.3 million km (800,000 miles) worldwide. 

Following an earlier cable disruption in 2019, Tonga signed a 15-year deal to get satellite connectivity. Sadly, satellite phones have been affected by the volcanic ash covering the country. Some people have recounted they can only dial out but not receive calls. Due to the cost, satellite phones are limited to government officials and some businessmen. 

As an immediate remedy, mobile network provider Digicel has set up an interim system on the main island of Tongatapu. They use the University of the South Pacific’s satellite dish to provide limited 2G coverage.