November 3, 2023, Brazil. In this photo illustration, the Starlink logo is displayed on a smartphone screen Photo: 123RF
The Tongan government has granted a provisional temporary permit to Starlink to operate in the Kingdom for a six-month period.
Almost a third of Tonga's population was cut off from the internet for more than a fortnight after a suspected quake on late last month disrupted the service to two outlying islands popular with tourists.
The government had also deactivated Starlink, saying it did not have a licence to operate in the country.
Tongans had started a petition, calling on the government to allow access to Starlink internet services.
Tongans, especially in the outer islands, are seeking to use the Starlink global satellite network service, mostly via roaming subscriptions registered in other countries, as a lifeline during ongoing cable outage, according to a Matangi Tonga report.
In a statement on Saturday, Tonga's Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change & Communications (MEIDECC) said the decision was in response to a "significant amount" of public concern.
The ministry said the temporary permit includes several conditions to ensure compliance with government regulations, as well as aid the disruption of the domestic fibre optic cable to Vava'u and Ha'apai islands.
One of the conditions of the permit is that Starlink Pacific Islands LLC is required to facilitate local payment methods for businesses in Tonga and to provide details of the terminals used in Tonga.
The company must also ensure its satisfies all tax obligations, and is expected to facilitate local payment methods for businesses in Tonga.
"This temporary permit follows recent events where the government instructed Starlink to cease its services in Tonga due to illegal use of satellite terminals and disruptions caused by the undersea fibre cable outage to Vava'u and Ha'apai Islands since June 29th," the MEIDECC's chief executive Sione Pulotu 'Akau'ola said in a statement on Saturday.
"The issuance of this permit aims to address public concerns while ensuring that operations are conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements, resorting to the connectivity outages in the outer islands, while the application for a full license is finalising."
