AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Watch): August 5 is set to be an historic day for many Tongans.
That is the date when a multi-million dollar submarine optic cable network goes live, according to news website Matangi Tonga.
The arrival of the cable from Fiji was celebrated yesterday after the French cable ship Ile de Re had reached the Kingdom. About 200 people attended a ceremony in front of the cable landing station at Sopu on the main island of Tongatapu.
“We’ve been waiting for this technology for a long time. […] I think it’s a blessing, like the Prime Minister said this morning, a momentous occasion for Tonga, a very first time a cable arriving our shores,” said CEO of Tonga’s Ministry of Information and Communication, Paula P. Ma’u to Radio Australia.
Reduced costs
The 826 kilometre underwater fibre optic cable from Fiji will not only provide Tongans with faster internet connections, but it will in addition reduce their costs.
“It will also be cheaper. That’s the whole purpose of this project, to make the cost of internet cheaper, for the people, for the businesses and for Tonga. Because we’ve experienced very high costs internet connection through satellite, now cable is coming and internet costs will be much, much cheaper,” Ma’u said.
The CEO said it is “all technical work from today” up until the launch date of August 5 when the general public will make use of their new high-speed internet.
When the new internet connection is fully operational it will have a 6,000 times higher capacity than the current satellite network.
The project costs a total of $US 33 million, of which $US 16.7 million is funded by a grant from the World Bank and $US 9.7 million from the Asian Development Bank. $US 6.6 million has been provided by the Tonga Communications Corporation.
Economic opportunities
Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakano hopes the new high-speed internet will provide more economic opportunities for his country.
“This is a historical day for Tonga,” Tu’ivakano said, according to Matangi Tonga.
He said a more affordable connectivity will lower transaction costs, will create new economic opportunities and increase services delivery options.
"Everyone will have a chance to be connected which will reduce internal isolations for those living in rural areas and remote islands of Tonga. It will make the world closer to home," he said.
Tu’ivakano also said that the Tongan Government is working on a bill which targets those who aim to misuse the internet.
The submarine fibre optic cable will connect Tonga to the Southern Cross Table, which is the main trans-Pacific link between Australia and the United States.
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Daniel Drageset
