King launches high speed internet connecting Tonga to the world [1]
Wednesday, August 21, 2013 - 17:29. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
Photos by Linny Folau and Mary Lyn Fonua
King Tupou VI (left) cuts a ribbon to open the Tonga Cable Ltd. station, with Robert Bolouri (right). Sopu, Tonga, 21 August 2013.
Tonga’s multi-million high speed internet service went live today after King Tupou VI commissioned Tonga’s new submarine fibre optic cable link, at the Tonga Cable Ltd. station in Sopu.
The king accompanied by Queen Nanasipau'u clicked on the new system, activating only one channel of 10 gigabits capacity.
“This is an exciting time for Tongans because we would now experience a much faster internet speed, with higher bandwidth capacity, at cheaper and more affordable prices,” said Tonga's Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano.
"The benefits to Tonga are immense, in particular for the various sectors of the economy from education, health, tourism, agriculture to international trade, banking and churches. Government is also working on appropriate measures to protect our people, especially our children from the negative impact of this technological advancement."
He thanked the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and Tonga Communication Corporation for jointly financing the multi-million project.
Capacity
Robert Bolouri, the CEO of Tonga Cable Ltd., said the project was finished on time and within the budget so that Tonga is witnessing the fulfillment of a dream that began four years ago.
He said Tonga Cable Ltd. was formed to build, own and manage the fibre cable, now a Public Enterprise, and had to overcome financial and political challenges to reach today.
“The system had to be designed to cater for the current need in Tonga as well as being capable of responding to the future demands of telecommunications.
“Initially with the help of consultants from Australia, the technical challenges to design the system were adverse. It was designed for 32 channels with 10 gigabits for each channel totaling at 320 gigabits capacity. But considering the current demand for capacity in Tonga only one channel of 10 gigabits is activated today,” he said.
The 837km cable has six laser boosters and laid under sea and the cable links Tonga to the Southern Cross Cable network in Fiji, and onwards to the Equinix data centre in Australia, the international hub and Tonga's gateway to connect to the rest of the world.
“We are grateful to the three key financiers of the project, the Tonga Communications Corporation, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. TCC had provided the initial funding to cover preliminary expenses of the project, including civil works like the the construction of the Tonga Cable building. The ADB and World Bank jointly committed around US$26 million to cover costs for the construction of the cable and equipment.”
Lower costs
Meawhile, both reprpesentatives from ADB and the World Bank congratulated Tonga and were positive that the new broadband internet will be cheaper than previously experienced in Tonga.
Robert Jauncey. Sopu, Tonga, 21 August 2013.
Robert Jauncey, Senior Country Officer of the World Bank, said the broadband internet has the scope to make it faster and easier for Tonga to communicate with the world. It would not only keep families in touch with loved ones abroad but it provided opportunities for growth in investment, jobs and improvement in the delivery of government services.
“Internet access will be more affordable for Tongans, reducing prices by more than half. Tonga leads the telecom revolution in the Pacific as today more than 60,000 Tongans have access to mobile phones when compared to less than a decade ago,” he said.
Adrian Ruthenberg the Regional Director of the Asian Development Bank, congratulated the Tongan Government in its effort to provide affordable and accessible telecommunications to help Tongans master the challenges of the 21st century.
Adrian Ruthenberg. Sopu, Tonga, 21 August 2013.
“The social and economic benefits of the cable system linking Tonga to the Southern Cross system will be many because it will help the Tongan economy grow. Broadband connectivity creates jobs, which provides income to better the lives of Tongans, but this project will do much more, it will connect people and bring people living abroad closer to home,” he said.
TCC is the only internet service provider that has signed up to provide the high speed internet for consumers at this stage.