Telecommunications company Digicel Pacific and satellite operator SES have announced an agreement to bolster Digicel Pacific's network with SES's service, enabling the rapid restoration of critical communications in the event of natural disasters. This agreement is an extension of the companies' long-standing partnership, the official release said.
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Impact of Tonga Earthquake
Following the earthquake that hit Tonga on August 26th, the Tonga Domestic Cable Extension (TDCE), the island nation's only domestic subsea cable connection, was damaged. Through SES's satellite service, Digicel Pacific was able to restore inter-island voice, SMS, and data services on the islands of Vava'u within 6 hours, the companies said in a joint statement.
Digicel Pacific, a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Digicel Group, operates across six Pacific Islands, providing a range of telecommunications services to individuals and businesses.
Expanded Agreement for Tonga
Commenting on the partnership, Digicel Pacific said, "The expanded agreement with SES and the use of its O3b mPOWER network will give the nation of Tonga greater peace of mind, ensuring that in the event of a significant disaster, we will have access to a large amount of low-latency, high-throughput connectivity."
"Being able to implement disaster recovery networks quickly after the recent earthquake allowed people to get back online and reassure their loved ones of their safety. At the same time, it also enabled local businesses to resume operations quickly, minimising potential disruptions," Digicel added.
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"This extended collaboration with SES's service will enable Digicel Pacific to provide enhanced resilience with large bandwidth and low-latency connectivity flexibly and quickly," SES added.
