<p> Elon Musk's satellite internet venture is helping to restore connectivity to the Pacific Island nation of Tonga, according to an official in Fiji where the work is underway.</p>.<p>Tonga's sole optic-fibre link to the internet and the rest of the world was severed by a volcanic eruption on Jan. 15 and only limited connectivity has been possible since.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/rebuilding-post-eruption-tonga-4-key-lessons-from-fiji-after-the-devastation-of-cyclone-winston-1078337.html" target="_blank">Rebuilding post-eruption Tonga: 4 key lessons from Fiji after the devastation of Cyclone Winston</a></strong></p>.<p>"A SpaceX team is now in Fiji establishing a Starlink gateway station to reconnect Tonga to the world," Fiji's Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said on Twitter.</p>.<p>Starlink is a division of Tesla boss Musk's SpaceX aerospace company and in January Musk himself had taken to Twitter to mention that Starlink may be able to help.</p>.<p>The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption triggered a tsunami that destroyed villages and resorts and blanketed the capital of the nation of about 105,000 people in ash, as well as cutting the fibre-optic communications cable.</p>.<p>The timing of SpaceX's work is not clear, although the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation, citing Sayed-Khaiyum, said engineers would operate a ground station in Fiji for six months.</p>.<p>SpaceX did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Tonga's prime minister's office and state telecom Tonga Communications Corporation could not immediately be reached by phone or email.</p>.<p>Refinitiv shipping data shows cable repair ship Reliance has been off the coast of Tonga's main island for nearly a week as it seeks to fix the damaged subsea cable.</p>.<p>Any improvement in communications is likely to be a relief for Tongans who have struggled to stay in touch with relatives abroad and to assist recovery efforts that have also been hampered by a Covid-19 lockdown.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p> Elon Musk's satellite internet venture is helping to restore connectivity to the Pacific Island nation of Tonga, according to an official in Fiji where the work is underway.</p>.<p>Tonga's sole optic-fibre link to the internet and the rest of the world was severed by a volcanic eruption on Jan. 15 and only limited connectivity has been possible since.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/rebuilding-post-eruption-tonga-4-key-lessons-from-fiji-after-the-devastation-of-cyclone-winston-1078337.html" target="_blank">Rebuilding post-eruption Tonga: 4 key lessons from Fiji after the devastation of Cyclone Winston</a></strong></p>.<p>"A SpaceX team is now in Fiji establishing a Starlink gateway station to reconnect Tonga to the world," Fiji's Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said on Twitter.</p>.<p>Starlink is a division of Tesla boss Musk's SpaceX aerospace company and in January Musk himself had taken to Twitter to mention that Starlink may be able to help.</p>.<p>The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption triggered a tsunami that destroyed villages and resorts and blanketed the capital of the nation of about 105,000 people in ash, as well as cutting the fibre-optic communications cable.</p>.<p>The timing of SpaceX's work is not clear, although the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation, citing Sayed-Khaiyum, said engineers would operate a ground station in Fiji for six months.</p>.<p>SpaceX did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Tonga's prime minister's office and state telecom Tonga Communications Corporation could not immediately be reached by phone or email.</p>.<p>Refinitiv shipping data shows cable repair ship Reliance has been off the coast of Tonga's main island for nearly a week as it seeks to fix the damaged subsea cable.</p>.<p>Any improvement in communications is likely to be a relief for Tongans who have struggled to stay in touch with relatives abroad and to assist recovery efforts that have also been hampered by a Covid-19 lockdown.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>