By Mary Lyn Fonua
When Tongatapu’s small business community met on Thursday this week to discuss their concerns, amid an unfolding national catastrophe, 12 days after Tonga's volcanic eruption and devastating tsunamis, they slumped in chairs and their faces showed how seriously concerned, worried, exhausted and frustrated they are.
More than a few have survived the physical loss of their coastal properties, barely escaping with their lives, during the unprecedented natural disaster on 15 January.
But after all of that, what's really destroying them is the total failure of Tonga's international communications with the loss of the submarine fibre optic cable connectivity.
Now Tonga's telecommunications authorities have put spectrum licensing roadblocks around the local private sector's ability to find relief in a commercial satellite broadband service solution.
This, in spite of the fact that everyone needs communications, now. Right now.
“It's our lifeline, we are so desperate for communications,” said one business person, who did not want to be named, after the meeting hosted by the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industries, at the Ancient Tonga conference fale, on 27 January.
“Communications are the biggest priority in Tonga. You need to connect us now, as soon as possible. Whatever it takes! People are losing their money, they are losing their markets!”
Every day without full internet services is costing businesses in Tonga crippling losses.
About 50 private sector people attended the meeting.
Not allowed to install satellite dishes
Business people are, understandably, upset in their desperation. Because after Tonga's telecommunications fibre optic cable went down, MEIDECC decided to withhold the spectrum licences that would allow small businesses and isolated islands to set up equipment, install small satellite dishes (that can be set up in a day) and buy data from a local broadband supplier on a monthly basis.
Kacific, an international company, and Broadcom Broadband Services, a local Tongan company, already have a business revenue sharing arrangement to provide broadband services for all of Tonga, and their equipment is here, on the ground in Tonga, ready to be installed.
However, in order to install the equipment for customers, both Broadcom and its clients need to apply for annual spectrum licences from MEIDECC - a new requirement that was introduced last year. It permits installation of the necessary equipment at business premises, enabling them to hook up to the Kacific satellite services.
Network operator
Broadcom has a network licence to operate as an ISP in Tonga. It was ready to rollout its broadband services in April last year, but has been waiting ten months for MEIDECC to issue the other newly-imposed licence - the spectrum licence. Broadcom customers for the satellite dishes must also apply for spectrum licences and wait for approval before they can get connectivity from the satellite servivce.
The hold-up in the issue of the spectrum licences, Broadcom was told, was because of a court case that their international supplier Kacific has with government.
So it appears, on face value, that government does not want Tongan businesses to trade with Kacific, and that's why they are withholding the spectrum licences from Broadcom. But given the current crisis, nobody really knows for sure what the licensing authority is thinking.
MEIDECC told Matangi Tonga that there was nothing to stop us from applying for a spectrum licence. However, they confirmed that the Kacific applications were not being approved and referred us to the Attorney General's Office.
Limited connectivity
More puzzling, was that last week, a letter signed by the regulator, Paula Mau, MEIDECC, and sent to Broadcom, said that Tonga Telecommunications Corporation, a public enterprise, was allowed to have a limited spectrum licence to hook up to Kacific - just for this time, while the cable is being restored. They were told that when the cable comes back on, the limited licence would be revoked.
This is the satellite connection that TCC is using currently to provide limited services to the public at their main office in Nuku'alofa. Customers must travel to the office and queue or make appointments to use the internet for half an hour. Crowds gather there throughout the day and access is limited to a certain number of people for the time slot. TCC is understood to be expanding their receiver capacity next week,
However, this is not a viable solution for businesses who need to get their whole staff onto the internet throughout the working day. Businesses want to install equipment in their offices, but in order to do this they along with Broadcom need spectrum licences from the authority.
Unknown cable date
It is not known when the fibre optic cable will be restored. A ship needs to come to Tonga, near the active volcano, to survey the cable problem and provide a solution.
So a desperate need for coms in the business community remains unresolved.
A business owner said this week, “It blows my mind..the govt. needs us, the private sector; the denial of satellite connectivity to our small businesses in this crisis, absolutely shocked me.”
“Why are they not allowing us to use the existing satellite services, that are here, right now. It's so bad that government is coveting this for themselves, there's no plausible reason for it. It's an extremely selfish agenda – they need to wake up. We are desperate for communications.”
The Tongan entrepreneurs did not wish to be identified, but their frustration is palpable. They say they will use all three services, cable, wireless and satellite – if there is a possibility to get a connection before the cable comes back on. But the satellite offering should not be temporary or limited because, if they are allowed to get one, they don't want to lose the money they will invest for their satellite dishes and equipment.
At the same time they support the government's long-term plan to develop a back-up cable through Vava'u. But they can't see why that long term plan has anything to do with the withholding of spectrum licences now.
“That's business. We don't care about connectivity as long as we have connectivity, we don't care about which carrier, the more the better, because that money that we invest in that, keeps your business running,” one business owner told Matangi Tonga.
Difficult recovery
Meanwhile, other difficulties were discussed by different business people at the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industries meeting, and the executive said they would raise them all with government.
Also present was Distaquaine Tu'ihalamaka, CEO of the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development.
In commenting to Matangi Tonga, after the meeting, she said she appreciated the importance of connectivity to all facets of business, and the time-critical nature of restoring it.
“Even our own operations within the Ministry are dependent on our content management systems [in the cloud],” she said.
Her ministry is reaching out to the private sector to better understand their issues and is working on a report to present to the minister early next week.
'Aloma Johansson, Deputy President of the TCCI, said the basis of calculating financial assistance for recovery was being considered. “That's an ongoing conversation between the ministry, ourselves, meaning you as well, and the finance.
Businesses surveyed were facing clean up costs of from $250 to $24,000 pa'anga.
“Finance is very eager to put their hands out, they just need to know what, because they are not private entrepreneurs.
“They are a bureaucratic society, so obviously we cannot blame them for what it is they come up with, it's all they know. Which is why they are coming out and reaching out to all of us,” said 'Aloma.
Sam Vea, TCCI executive, said the Chamber would reach out to the Minister of communications next week, seeking more clarity for businesses on the urgent need for internet communications in Tonga.
