The Australian and New Zealand Governments have converged their individual expertise and resources and are set to build the Tonga Hawaiki Branch System; a new international undersea telecommunications cable to Tonga. This cable will serve as a backup for Tonga's undersea network, minimizing the possibility of service interruptions and improving the dependability of international telecom services.
This decision comes as a result of the significant disruptions encountered by the 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai undersea volcano, which caused the severing of essential international and domestic cables that ensure Tonga's connectivity.
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Australia promptly allocated funds to address the situation and later committed AUD 2 million in 2023 to permanently restore the domestic cable. Additionally, Australia and New Zealand collaborated to fund a feasibility study, with the aim of investigating ways to improve the redundancy of international cables for Tonga.
A survey was recently conducted along the 383-kilometer route between the Hawaiki trunk cable and the landing location in Vava’u to determine the best path for installing the new cable.
Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, His Excellency Brek Batley, emphasized Australia's dedication to supporting Tonga's economic revival and progress by ensuring reliable internet access.
“The project is part of Australia’s broader investment [to] secure and resilient telecommunications infrastructure across the region, including through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific,” said Batley.
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The Tonga Hawaiki Branch System forms part of Australia's wider investment in robust telecommunications infrastructure throughout the Pacific region and is backed by programs such as the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
“The redundancy cable will support resilience and connectivity and be an important enabler for economic growth—all three are priorities at the heart of New Zealand’s partnership with Tonga,” said New Zealand High Commissioner to Tonga, His Excellency Matthew Howell.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku expressed his enthusiasm regarding the collaboration between Australia and New Zealand, acknowledging that the Tonga Hawaiki Branch System will greatly enhance digital connection.
The newly installed cable will establish a direct connection between Tonga, Auckland, and Hawaii, will be supervised by BW Digital in partnership with Tonga Cable Limited, and is expected to be operational by 2025.
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