. Enhancing Resilience of Critical Subsea Telecommunications Connections for Tonga, Palau and Other South Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

Remote South Pacific SIDS heavily depend on subsea cables because of their geographic location, yet they are the among the most vulnerable developing countries to natural hazards and climate change, which pose significant threat to their critical infrastructure. Countries with a single international subsea cable are most vulnerable as demonstrated by four major internet outages for Tonga and Palau (focal countries for this project) in the last 5 years, resulting from diverse hazards and disconnecting communities and countries from digital communications, in one case limiting disaster response in the wake of a major volcanic eruption. 

This project, codesigned with partners in Tonga and Palau, will provide the much needed but currently absent evidence base to develop a strategy for resilient digital communications and support economic growth, with wider relevance to all South Pacific SIDS. The two focal countries will benefit from a second international cable during the project, providing a unique opportunity to assess future threats and characterize the socio-economic value provided by network diversity. The project will assess the future risks under climate change scenarios, enabling forward planning, and conduct the first study of the impact of internet resilience on UN Sustainable Development Goals.