Tonga’s likely lengthy Internet outage

In January 2022, there have been four significant internet disruptions worldwide, including an ongoing outage in Tonga due to a volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami warnings. The undersea fiber-optic cable connecting Tonga to the outside world may be broken, with repairs potentially taking up to four weeks. This highlights the importance of submarine cables for global internet connectivity, as approximately 99% of data traffic crossing oceans is carried by these cables. Other recent disruptions include an outage in The Gambia due to cable problems and shutdowns in Kazakhstan and Burkina Faso related to unrest and a coup plot, respectively.