The Cable Ship Lodbrog successfully retrieved the southern end of the damaged domestic submarine cable on Wednesday, and Tonga Cable Ltd. told Matangi Tonga today that work is underway to reconnect the cable today, to restore fibre optic communications to the northern groups of Vava'u and Ha'apai.

The southern end of the damaged cable attached to Tongatapu was retrieved on the morning of August 14.

Tonga Cable Acting CEO, Sosafate Kolo, said that the gap between the cable ends is less than 50 kilometers. “I would say within 10 kilometres, however, I cannot provide an exact number at the moment.”

He said the repair ship was finishing up with replacing the damaged cables, before connecting them.

"The work is underway to connect the two ends. Our prediction and our planning is that it should be finished today," he said.

Meanwhile, Kolo said there was evidence found that the 29 June earthquake caused the cable break. He said one part of the damaged cable was found buried on the ocean floor, about 96 km from Tongatapu, though to be caused from multiple landslides triggered by the earthquake.

Cable ship Lodbrog arrived in Tongan waters from Fiji on 7 August, with about 30 crew members.