Elon Musk offered the Starlink internet terminal for Tonga, after the island nation experienced a catastrophic volcanic eruption and tsunami that cut communication with the outside world.
Musk offered his help in a tweet in response to a Reuters article about Tonga's internet still being cut off. He was referring to Starlink, a satellite internet service offered by SpaceX.
Users who have an active Starlink terminal can connect to a constellation of satellites in orbit to get broadband internet service. The Starlink constellation is continuing to develop and SpaceX recently launched an additional 1,900 satellites.
"Can the people from Tonga tell us if it's important for SpaceX to ship Starlink terminals?" Musk wrote in his tweet, as quoted from The Guardian, Saturday (22/1/2022).
Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2022
Musk's tweet went viral and was greeted with enthusiasm by Tongans from around the world who hoped to get in touch with his family and mobilize help. Tongan politician Lord Fusitu'a also responded to Musk's tweet and asked for help with communication issues.
"Phones and data literally fell with the submarine cables cut. I have planes handing out ham radios for basic communications but @starlink is very important," said Fusitu'a.
Tongan communications specialist Josephine Latu-Sanft also welcomed Musk's tweet. He suggested providing satellite internet assistance to residents until the submarine cables recovered, then working with partners to build a stronger communications infrastructure in the Pacific region.
New Zealand MP Shane Reti also wrote an official letter to Musk and SpaceX asking for satellite internet assistance for Tongan officials and citizens.
In a reply via Twitter, Musk replied: "This is a difficult thing for us to do right now, because we don't have enough satellites with laser links and there are already geo-sats serving the Tonga region. That's why I asked for clear confirmation."
Currently, communications in Tonga are still down, except for satellite phones and limited internet access for government officials and the media.
Tesla and SpaceX, two of Musk's companies, also currently have no significant presence in Tonga or any other Pacific nation, except for Tesla's solar panels being used for renewable energy projects on several islands.
