Yank1w1:

 

It would be nice to see SpaceX send a few dozen Starlink dishes to Tonga to restore internet access at least temporarily until undersea cable is repaired.   Place them in shelters, libraries and other government buildings as Wi-Fi hotspots to allow people to contact family and friends. 

 

I thought the same thing, but Starlink still needs ground-stations to connect to, then the ground-stations connect via fibre to the rest of the internet.  Without ground stations and a fibre link somewhere the dishes won't do much.  Fiji is 800km away even if it has ground-stations.  Starlink are only just now launching some satellites with laser connections which could help, but will take months to get in position.  It sounds like Tonga's undersea cable may be repaired in a couple of weeks hopefully.

Very true vs internet access but Starlink could be great system to connect the central government on the main island with all their remote outer islands of many of the Pacific nations.  For those with subsea fibre access like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga (once their fibre is fixed) it can also provide that internet access.

Yank1w1:

 

It would be nice to see SpaceX send a few dozen Starlink dishes to Tonga to restore internet access at least temporarily until undersea cable is repaired.   Place them in shelters, libraries and other government buildings as Wi-Fi hotspots to allow people to contact family and friends. 

 

Or the King of Tonga (being opulently wealthy) could pay for it.

Scotdownunder:

 

Very true vs internet access but Starlink could be great system to connect the central government on the main island with all their remote outer islands of many of the Pacific nations.  For those with subsea fibre access like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga (once their fibre is fixed) it can also provide that internet access.

 

They already have one, signed up in 2019 after a fishing boat dragged up the cable...

"Tonga's government has inked a deal for a high speed, satellite internet connection. Satellite operator Kacific Broadband Satellites said it had signed a 15-year agreement with the state-owned Tonga Satellite....
....It could be redistributed to the country's main centres in the event of a cable outage."

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/387124/tonga-to-set-up-satellite-internet-connection

Unfortunately there appears to be an issue over billing, So I think the operator may have reprocessed some of the equipment

"Kacific, the broadband satellite company that rescued Tonga from its digital darkness in January 2019 when the Tonga cable was cut, is taking legal proceedings to recover a fee of USD$5.76 million it claims is owed by a Tonga government entity, Tonga Satellite Ltd."

https://matangitonga.to/2021/06/03/court-orders-tonga-satellite-ltd-be-restored-register-companies

Edit: It seems that the equipment might still be usable 

Kacific have said the "look forward to hearing from" the Tonga Government ... 

Although it distinctly sounds like Tonga might need to bring their checkbook thou.....

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/127527180/satellite-firm-willing-and-able-to-connect-tonga-under-disputed-2019-contract

Yank1w1:

It would be nice to see SpaceX send a few dozen Starlink dishes to Tonga to restore internet access at least temporarily until undersea cable is repaired.   Place them in shelters, libraries and other government buildings as Wi-Fi hotspots to allow people to contact family and friends. 

kingdragonfly: "SpaceX needs to get license and permission from the Tonga government before....

gehenna:

kingdragonfly: "SpaceX needs to get license and permission from the Tonga government before....

Unless you're stuck in a flooded Thai cave. Then Elon will send you a submarine without a care for what the government wants.

And then defame an actual rescuer.

MikeAqua: ghenna ->

Unless you're stuck in a flooded Thai cave. Then Elon will send you a submarine without a care for what the government wants.

And then defame an actual rescuer.

Current lack of laser equipped satellites prevents international links but as a solution to inter-island communications it could fit the bill.  However, it would require the base station to be installed in the capital which is not a trivial piece of equipment.  Perhaps it is more of a future option when the kingdom starts rebuilding the infrastructure of the outer islands by which time the submarine cable will be repaired.