The Tesla billionaire says he may send a Starlink terminal via SpaceX to the Pacific island nation where communications are cut off. Elon Musk has blamed a recent volcanic eruption and tsunami for leaving the remaining Pacific island nation without a communications link. Appointed Starlink later offered to send Internet terminals to Tonga.
As recent volcanic eruptions severed Tonga’s communication link with the rest of the world, billionaire Elon Musk has offered to send Starlink internet terminals to the country.
For a story that Tonga could be without internet for a month the entrepreneur wrote on Twitter Can the people of Tonga tell us if it is important for SpaceX to send up Starlink terminals?
This post went viral in no time. From around the world, many Tongans replied to the tweet with requests for help in re-establishing communications as this could help contact families and coordinate aid.
Lord Fusitua, a politician from Tonga, also said that we need to get liquidity to buy much needed goods. Voice and data have been completely cut off and undersea cables have been disconnected also requested to contact Musk directly to coordinate help as he was conducting an airdrop of ham radio for basic communications.
Josephine Latu-Sanft, a communications expert from Tonga, suggests giving people internet until the undersea cable is repaired and then working with partners to establish robust communications infrastructure across the Pacific .
Responding on Twitter to a Reuters story that Tonga could be without an internet connection for a month the billionaire entrepreneur wrote: Can the people of Tonga tell us whether it is important for SpaceX to send up the Starlink terminals?
The tweet soon went viral as Tongans around the world posted requests for help, contacted families and reestablished communications to coordinate aid.
Tongan politician Lord Fusitua responded by saying: We need to get liquidity to buy much needed goods Voice and data have been completely shut down and undersea cables have been cut.
Fusitu’a also tweeted that he was conducting an airdrop of a ham radio for basic communications, and requested direct contact with Musk to coordinate assistance.
Other members of the Tongan community responded positively to Musk’s tweet, including Josephine Latu-Senft, a Tongan communications expert, who wrote: “I don’t know what Starlink can do, but I do know you have the technology and the means.” Are.”
He suggested that people use the Internet until the undersea cable is repaired, then work with partners to establish robust communications infrastructure in the disaster-vulnerable Pacific region.
Accordingly Musk expressed: “It is a troublesome errand for us at this moment, as we need more satellites with laser connections and there are now geospatial satellites that serve the Tonga region so I’m requesting clear affirmation.”
Communications are still down in Tonga except for satellite phones and limited internet access for a handful of officials and the media.
New Zealand MP Shane Wreath wrote to Musk requesting that he provide Starlink Internet communications to Tonga to aid in recovery efforts.
Tesla has a limited presence in the Pacific Islands except for Tesla solar panels, which are used in sustainable energy projects on some of the islands.
Authorities have started to restore telephone links, but it will take at least a month to bring the country fully online. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has stepped up his Starlink project to help Tonga get access to the internet. Mr Musk asked the people of Tonga to “tell us” whether he needed to send Starlink terminals to restore internet connectivity.
Tonga has been grappling with the aftermath of a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, which caused catastrophic damage to the country’s infrastructure and only subsea communications cables.
The eruption of the Hanga Tonga-Hanga Ha’apai volcano has destroyed a large number of homes and covered others with a thick layer of ash.
Mr Musk’s Starlink project, which is being led by his company SpaceX, aims to provide low-latency broadband internet service using hundreds of satellites launched into low-Earth orbit. It particularly focuses on areas that are not fully covered by terrestrial Internet infrastructure.
Recently, SpaceX launched 49 more small satellites to bring its total number of satellites in space to over 2,000. SpaceX plans to eventually send 12,000 satellites into space.
Over the past few years, astronomers have expressed discomfort over the increasing number of objects orbiting Earth, especially communications satellites. But SpaceX is not alone in its rush to send satellites into space. Companies such as Amazon and OneWeb are also planning to launch their own satellites.
Elon Musk is offering a Starlink terminal to Tonga residents after the country shut down internet access following a recent underwater volcanic eruption. The eruption occurred on January 15 with a powerful explosion of around 10 megatons. This subsequently triggered a tsunami that tore through the country’s 827 km (514 mi) of underwater internet cables, cutting communication links to the island.
Tonga has begun to restore some access to the internet since the volcanic eruption, according to Doug Madori, director of internet analysis at Kinetic First signs of life for internet connectivity in #Tonga after volcanic eruption! TCC started coming back via satellite earlier today,” Madori tweeted on Thursday.
In response to a Reuters report that Tonga’s internet would not be fully restored for at least a month, Musk tweeted: “Can the people of Tonga tell us if it is important for SpaceX to send the Starlink terminal? ”
His tweet brought to light a letter written by New Zealand MP Shane Ratey. The letter was shared by another user in which Reti requested “urgent Starlink Internet communications” to Tonga.
Musk replied that he was seeking “clear confirmation” for Starlink terminals, adding that it is a difficult task for the team at SpaceX because they do not have enough satellites with laser links.
There are over 1,650 Starlink satellites in orbit. The satellite-Internet network provides service to users in 14 countries, including the US, Canada and Australia. In a recent report, Musk said that he is looking to expand the service to India by deploying 200,000 Starlink user terminals in the country by December 2022.
Free high-speed internet service is being provided to the worst-affected outer islands Elon Musk’s satellite venture has launched a free high-speed internet service to connect remote villages in Tonga since the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami in January Internet service started.
Tonga’s Prime Minister Siausi Sowaleni said at a ceremony in the capital Nuku’alofa on Wednesday that 50 VSAT terminals provided free of charge by Mr Musk’s SpaceX would be delivered to islands badly hit by the tsunami.
“It is paradoxical to bring the latest satellite and communications technology to our shores for a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami,” he said in a speech broadcast by the Tonga Broadcasting Commission. Elon Musk may not have known much about Tonga until January 15, but he generously Took the job.”
A submarine cable linking the outer islands with Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu, will remain free and open until repairs are made The international cable linking Tonga to Fiji was restored on Tuesday after a 92-kilometer section was replaced. Tonga Cable says the domestic cable was close to a volcanic eruption and will take up to nine months to replace.
James Panuwe, chief executive of Tonga Cable, said the Starlink service would help “isolate villages in dire need of connectivity”, and credited the prime minister for holding talks after Mr Musk’s proposal.
PM Sovaleni said that all this was done by a politician from New Zealand. doctor. Shane began with “a simple letter” from Ratey, which was addressed to Mr. Musk and asked for his assistance in providing Starlink internet to the people of Tonga. outside world.
The letter was sent on January 17, two days after the explosion. On 21 January, Mr Musk responded to a Reuters story on Twitter, reporting that it could take up to a month to restore internet connectivity after the archipelago’s only subsea communications cable was damaged.
Can the people of Tonga tell us if it is important for SpaceX to send the Starlink terminal?” Mr Musk asked in his post. The Tongan migrant, unable to reach his loved ones after the tsunami, replied that it was important.
He also said that 85 percent of Tongans were affected by the volcano and tsunami, which caused a loss of 20 percent of GDP. Four people were killed. The prime minister urged Tongans to enjoy faster online speeds in the safety of home amid Tonga’s first Covid outbreak, which rose to 254 on Tuesday.