The completion of Tonga’s second international undersea cable, the Tonga Hawaiki Cable Branch System, was celebrated in Vava’u today by HRH Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala.
The cable will provide essential back up support to Tonga’s existing international undersea cable, strengthening Tonga’s telecommunications resilience and enabling a more reliable service for communities and businesses.
With a focus on long term sustainability, the project has supported Tonga Cable Limited staff capability development, including through training in system maintenance and business planning, to build in country expertise and sustain ongoing operations.
This project is jointly funded by Australia, through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) with a grant of AUD35.6 million, and a contribution of AUD19 million from New Zealand.
This initiative forms part of Australia’s ongoing efforts to bolster telecommunications resilience across the Pacific and ensure communities have access to secure, reliable digital connectivity.