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Brazil, November 3, 2023. In this photo illustration the Starlink logo is displayed on a smartphone screen
photo: 123 RF
A third of Tonga’s population has been without internet for more than two weeks, with officials blaming the earthquake.
The government halted Starlink service on the archipelago last week, saying the service was illegal because a license is required to operate in the country.
Tongans have Start a petitioncalling on the government to “take immediate action to allow access to Starlink internet services.”
The petition was created on July 10 and has been signed by more than 1,200 people.
Acting communications director Stan Ahio told Radio New Zealand Pacific that a suspected earthquake on June 29 had knocked out communications services on two outlying islands popular with tourists.
“Fiji’s main fibre cable still covers the main islands, but the domestic cable to Haapai and Vava’u is currently down.”
Ahio said Tonga Cable hopes to restore full internet access by the end of the week.
Starlink has never been banned outright, he said.
“We are currently applying for a temporary license for Starlink so that it can continue to operate and provide services to those affected on the island.”
However, there are calls for the Tongan government to take swift action to address the country’s communications and connectivity issues.
Viki Moore, general manager of Island Cruising, owns 126 yachts in the Pacific that rely on Starlink for communications.
She told New Zealand’s Pacific Radio there were no viable alternatives.
She wrote an open letter to officials because she was concerned about the impact on communications and business.
“I think it’s not just my boat that’s affected, a lot of local businesses are affected as well. I think in Vava’u for example, the internet is not working because the speed there is not fast enough at the moment.
“This has ongoing effects not only on the sailors, but on everyone else as well.”
Moore said the tsunami and volcanic eruptions put pressure on communications cables, causing multiple power outages.
She urged the government to maintain the policy for the next six weeks to allow time to find a workable solution.
“The communications cables have been under a lot of stress and pressure since the volcano and tsunami in Tonga, so it seems odd that they would now want everyone to vote on Starlink when they’ve had blackouts in the last few weeks.”
last week, Matangi Tonga Reported Starlink has informed its roaming customers in Tonga that the Tongan government has directed it to disable internet services to users in the country.
According to the newspaper, “The July 10 notice shocked internet users, especially those who saw Starlink’s high-speed roaming service as a lifeline after the country’s undersea cables failed for the third time following an earthquake two weeks ago.”
ABC Pacific Beat Internet providers have reportedly switched to satellite internet due to the outage.
A specialist cable repair vessel is sailing from Singapore to Tonga and is expected to arrive on Thursday.
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