Results for Business

Telstra announced yesterday it had completed the acquisition of Digicel Pacific in partnership with the Australian Government. The acquisition which was initially announced in October 2021 was finalised, after necessary government and regulatory approvals. Digicel Pacific communications services across Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu will be overseen by a Telstra controlled board, chaired by Telstra Enterprise Group Executive, David Burns.

A revised petroleum price will take effect starting on Friday, 1 July for three-months, as the Tonga Competent Authority applies the government's 20 seniti per litre subsidy all petroleum products, except for power diesel.

Tonga's Outer Islands Renewable Energy Project for nine islands is now around 71% completed. It aims to help reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuel for power generation by providing on-grid and off-grid generation solar power, reports MEIDECC's Department of Energy.

The receipt of relief funds from the government’s development partners to support Tonga’s recovery from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami has boosted Tonga’s foreign reserves. The official foreign reserves held by the National Reserve Bank of Tongavin April 2022, had increased considerably by $22.6 million to (from March) to $884.0 million, and by over $204 million since April last year.

In Tonga, the price of petrol will decrease, while kerosene and diesel increases start from Wednesday, 18 May.

If essential non-government services run out of petrol this week, it's just too bad – no fuel refills are allowed until Tonga's hard lockdown ends on Saturday morning. Only vehicles with a "P' number plate may refill at designated bowsers.

Tonga's domestic fibre optic telecommunications cable was torn apart by tremendous forces and deeply buried under volcanic debris on the ocean floor. It may take up to a year to fix. Tonga Cable Ltd. is looking worldwide for anyone with a 110km spare cable, but it may have to be specially manufactured and delivered from France. It was one of two cables broken during the Jan. 15 eruption.

An 80 km stretch of Tonga's telecommunications cable, was blown to bits by a volcanic eruption on Jan. 15 and there's no easy fix. Short pieces have been recovered, while a major section of the fibre optic cable, about 55 km long, including an expensive repeater, has yet to be recovered from the seabed. By Mary Lyn Fonua

The cable repair ship, Reliance, found the Fiji end of the Tonga cable this afternoon - but more breaks are suspected and it will setback the repair date to Sunday Feb. 20. By Linny Folau.