November 3, 2023, Brazil. In this photo illustration, the Starlink logo is displayed on a smartphone screen Photo: 123RF
A third of Tonga's population has had no internet for more than two weeks, with officials blaming an earthquake.
The government deactivated Starlink in the archipelago this week, saying the service was illegal as a licence was needed to operate in the country.
Tongans have started a petition, calling on government to "take immediate action to allow access to Starlink internet services".
The petition, created on 10 July, has been signed by over 1200 people.
Acting communications director, Stan Ahio, told RNZ Pacific, a suspected quake on 29 June disrupted the service to two outlying islands popular with tourists.
"The main islands is still operating from the main fibre cable from Fiji but the domestic cable to Ha'apai and Vava'u are currently disrupted."
Ahio said Tonga Cable Limited hopes to restore full access to the internet by the weekend.
He said Starlink was never fully banned.
"We are currently working on a provisional permit for Starlink to operate and keep the services for those that are affected in the islands."
However, there are calls for the Tongan government to move swiftly to sort out communication and connectivity issues in the Kingdom.
Island Cruising managing director, Viki Moore, has 126 yachts in the Pacific who rely on Starlink as a means of communications.
She told RNZ Pacific there is no viable alternative.
She has penned an open letter to officials as she has concerns about the impact it will have on communications and businesses.
"I guess it's not just my boats that are affected but a lot of the local businesses, and I believe in Vava'u for example the internet aren't working because the internet is not fast enough there at the moment.
"There are ongoing ramifications not just for the sailors but everyone else up there too."
Moore said the communications cable has been under pressure due to the tsunami and volcanic eruption, causing a number of outages.
She is urging the government to keep it in place for the next six weeks to give time for a viable solution.
"Since the volcano and tsunami in Tonga the communications cable has been under quite a lot of pressure and stress and so it seems strange when they have had outages in the past couple of weeks that they would now be wanting everyone to poll the pin on Starlink."
Last week, Matangi Tonga reported that Starlink notified its roaming customers in Tonga that it had been directed by the Tonga government to disable their internet services to users in the country.
"The 10 July notification shocked internet users especially those who have turned to Starlink's high-speed roaming service as a life-saver, after the domestic submarine cable failed for the third time a fortnight ago, following an earthquake," the newspaper reported.
The ABC's Pacific Beat reported due to the disruption internet providers had switched over to satellite internet.
A specialist cable repair ship is sailing to Tonga from Singapore, and is expected to arrive on Thursday.
