Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, has been invited to attend the annual Pacific Island Leaders meeting next week in Tonga.
Musk previously helped the island nation after the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai eruption and tsunami in February 2022.
Following the disaster, Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink services provided emergency satellite internet terminals to Tonga, aiding in the restoration of communication.
This support has proven important once again, as Tonga faces an ongoing internet crisis.
Its underwater cable was damaged by an earthquake on June 29. The outer islands of Ha’apai and Vava’u were significantly affected, with limited internet access.
The news website Talanoa O Tonga stated that the Tongan government has granted Starlink a six-month permit to operate in the country while repair efforts are underway.
But these efforts have been delayed due to the breakdown of a special repair vessel en route from Singapore.
Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni remains optimistic about the country’s recovery efforts as it prepares for the upcoming Pacific Leaders meeting beginning Aug. 26.
