Telecommunications in Tonga
Telecommunications in Tonga include radio, television, telephones, and the Internet.
Telephone
Main lines in use: 14,697 (2018)[1]
Telephones - mobile cellular: 107,938 (2018)[2]
Telephone system:
Fixed PSTN, GSM 900
Main Island has 4G mobile. [3]
domestic:
NA
international:
satellite earth station - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean))
Radio
Broadcast stations: AM 1 (2005), FM 5 (2005), shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 61,000 (1997)
Television
Broadcast stations: 4 (2005)
Televisions: 2,000 (1997)
In April 2002 the Tongasat company started its own satellite telecommunication service when it obtained the Esiafi 1 (former private American Comstar D4) satellite (launched in 1981) that was moved to Tonga's own geostationary point.
Internet
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2005)
Country code (Top level domain): .to
Broadband internet communication is provided by the Tonga Cable System that went online in April 2018.[4]
On 15 January 2022, following a volcanic eruption on the island of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, the Tonga Cable System was severed, leaving the country without Internet access.[5] Using a satellite dish at the University of the South Pacific, the telecommunications company Digicel provided limited 2G coverage to the island of Tongatapu, as well as giving residents free SIM cards.[6][7]
References
- ^ "The World Factbook". 6 January 2022.
- ^ "The World Factbook". 6 January 2022.
- ^ "Traveltomtom". 12 June 2023.
- ^ "Successful completion of Tonga Domestic Cable System". 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Alert: Internet has been severed in #Tonga". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ "How will Tonga's broken internet cable be mended?". BBC News. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
- ^ Duckett, Chris. "Digicel reconnects Tongan users via satellite to rest of the world". ZDNet. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
