Elon Musk offers to provide emergency Starlink Satellite internet to people of Tonga after massive undersea volcano eruption knocked out communication links and cut off the country from the rest of the world

On January 17, a massive undersea volcano eruption knocked off communications from the Pacific island nation of Tonga. While the residents of Tonga struggle to recover from a devastating volcanic explosion that smothered the capital with ash, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter this morning to provide emergency Starlink internet services to people of Tonga.

Responding on Twitter to a Reuters report that full network services won’t be restored to Tonga for at least a month after an undersea cable was disabled by the twin disasters, Musk tweeted:

“Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?”

Could people from Tonga let us know if it is important for SpaceX to send over Starlink terminals?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2022

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is offering to send Starlink internet terminals to Tonga after an underwater volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami cut off communication links. Meanwhile, Dr. Shane Reti also wrote an email to Musk asking for help. In a post, Dr. Reti wrote:

“I guess Elon Musk can only say no and if you don’t ask you don’t know. After the Minister told me in a phone call on Monday that the telecommunications cable to Tonga was down I immediately sent a letter to Elon to see if he would contribute Starlink to the emergency.”

I guess Elon Musk can only say no and if you don't ask you don't know. After the Minister told me in a phone call on Monday that the telecommunications cable to Tonga was down I immediately sent a letter to Elon to see if he would contribute Starlink to the emergency pic.twitter.com/Upg9WijWrq

— Dr Shane Reti (@DrShaneRetiMP) January 21, 2022

Below is the aftermath of the Tonga volcano eruption.