Tonga's Internet Finally Restored After Being Severed By Massive Volcanic Eruption

Tonga's internet cable has finally been fixed weeks after the tiny island nation was cut off by a massive volcanic eruption.

undersea internet cable — The special ship 'Cable Enterprise' laying a 25 kilometer long cable for the 350 megawatt wind park 'Wikinger' in front of Ruegen island near Sassnitz, Germany, 16 August 2016. The alltogether 90 kilomter long cable of the energy company 50Hertz is said to connect the offshore park in Lubmin. Stefan Sauer/picture alliance via Getty Images

According to Digital Trends, much of the undersea fiber optic internet cable connecting Tonga to the rest of the world has been repaired. But while this means those on the mainland already got their internet back, residents of smaller islands will have to wait a bit longer-several months more-for full restoration to take effect.

In an attempt to remediate the troubles of the broken cable, the Tongan government launched a handful of basic internet connectivity services. But these paled in comparison to what was being supplied by the undersea cable.

Starlink was even among those who helped tackle the country's internet problems, when Elon Musk offered to help earlier this month, as reported by Business Insider. As per officials in the nearby country of Fiji, Starlink has set up a station there to help with the restoration of Tonga's internet.

All in all, it took five weeks for most of the repairs to be done. According to NBC News, the repair crews managed to replace 56 miles of damaged cable under the sea, but not without experiencing a few setbacks on the way. For one, the repairs took longer than expected because it required specialized gear located hundreds of miles away.

Another problem they encountered was the lack of spare cable. According to Tonga Cable Ltd., the state-run company who owns the cable, there wasn't enough spare to replace the damaged cable. As such, they had to borrow from other companies to get the job done.

For now, repairs are underway to fix a second severed cable, which is what supplies residents living on the outer islands of the nation. This is the cable that runs far closer to the underwater volcano which cut it in the first place.

What Exactly Happened To Tonga's Internet, And Why Was It A Big Deal?

As previously mentioned, the fiber optic cable supplying much of the Pacific island nation's internet was severed by one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recent memory. But that is an oversimplification of the events that happened.

The Verge reports that Tonga only had a single undersea fiber optic cable-the one that got severed by the eruption. Compared to other more developed countries, this is likely the lowest number possible. And for a small island nation, even a few days' worth of no internet would be enough to hamper critical services.

People living on the Tongan mainland reported how challenging it was to perform even basic work duties, as well as contact loved ones elsewhere in the world to let them know they were safe after the eruption.

As for the Tonga eruption itself, it really is one of the most massive in recent history. According to Reuters, the underwater volcano spewed a cloud of ash roughly 403 miles wide-an ash cloud big enough to cover most of Great Britain in one fell swoop. It is also almost as big as mainland Spain.