A tripartite financing arrangement between the Tongan government, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank has resulted in a $34 million project that will help Tonga gain high-speed internet access through a submarine cable system.
The underwater fibre optic cable will connect Tonga to the Southern Cross Cable, the main trans-Pacific link that runs between Australia and the western coast of the United States. A few years ago, Fiji obtained access to the cable, which helped the Fiji headquartered University of the South Pacific to connect to the Australian University network AARNET, thereby increasing internet speeds around the university by several thousand fold.
The establishment and operation of the 827-km submarine cable system, which will run from Tonga to Fiji, is expected to provide Tonga’s population of 100,000 with affordable, accessible, information and communication technology services.
The Tongan government believes that the project will bring significant economic and social benefits once the cable is in place by mid-2013. In addition to greater connectivity, it will help businesses to expand and create more jobs, and make it easier for Tongans living abroad to remit money home.
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