It became evident that Tonga would be without internet connection for a month after a recent volcano eruption and tsunami, but Elon Musk was on hand to offer his SpaceX Starlink to get it back up and running – but then backtracked on Twitter minutes later.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami struck the Pacific Island as a consequence of the January 15th volcanic eruption, which was 500 times more powerful than an atomic bomb and knocked off the country’s communications networks.
As of Wednesday, phone lines have been restored but until the underwater cable is repaired, Tonga residents would be unable to access the internet.
Even if Elon Musk, the tech tycoon, has subsequently promised to assist (albeit, an offer that stood for a few minutes before being backpedaled).
Reacting to Reuter’s piece on the lack of internet access in the country, Musk questioned if the Tongan people believed it was vital for Space X to send over some of their Starlink satellites to the island in order to offer them internet access through laser links.
People from Tonga might tell SpaceX whether it is necessary to bring over Starlink terminals,” he requested.
Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2022
The millionaire swiftly responded to a letter from New Zealand MP Shane Reti, who pushed him to donate his Starlink to the reconnecting effort, shortly after making the offer.
“We do not have enough satellites with laser connectivity, and there are already geo sats serving the Tonga area, so this is a difficult task for us at the moment. As a result, I am requesting a verbal confirmation “He sent a message on Twitter.
Satellites used for TV, radio, and weather forecasting are already in place above the island, thus there is not enough room for the Starlink terminals to be moved there as well.
This is a hard thing for us to do right now, as we don’t have enough satellites with laser links and there are already geo sats that serve the Tonga region. That is why I’m asking for clear confirmation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2022
There are two camps of people on Twitter, one applauding the Space X CEO for being honest about whether or not he could help Tonga’s internet problem, and the other pointing out that while Musk may not be able to help with the country’s internet problem, he could provide aid in other areas like providing food and water.
What is the current state of affairs in Tonga?
The undersea volcano Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Haapai erupted on January 15 of this year in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists say the eruption produced a sequence of “atmospheric gravity waves,” which were seen by satellites in orbit.
Focus The volcanic outburst was seen on camera by the GOES-West and Himawari-8 satellites, as previously reported.
Tonga’s mobile phone and Internet services are still down, and some authorities and the media have restricted their access to the Internet as well. According to The Guardian, satellite phones are the sole means of communication.