Elon Musk announces Tonga joining Starlink community
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Starlink internet services were now operational in 102 countries after launching services in the island nation of Tonga.
Musk posted the announcement on his social platform X, previously known as Twitter.
The Tonga government granted Starlink a provisional temporary permit to operate for six months beginning last month.
The service is not yet available to new customers, and few could afford it, apart from businesses.
“Starlink’s website sales have not kicked off yet. It is still working on activating the Tongan currency so people here can buy the service”, Stan ‘Ahio, Tongan government’s acting communications director said.
“It’s up to Starlink to get it up and running as soon as possible.”
A third of Tonga’s population has had no internet for over a month now, and officials are blaming an earthquake.
A cable ship is expected to arrive in Tonga next week to fix the damage.
The government previously deactivated Starlink shortly after the blackout, saying the service was illegal as a licence was needed to operate in the country.
Musk’s satellite venture launched a free high-speed internet service to connect remote villages in Tonga that have been cut off since a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami in January 2022.
50 VSAT terminals provided free of charge by Musk’s SpaceX were distributed to the outlying islands worst hit by the tsunami.
NSW Waratahs sign Wallaby Taniela Tupou
The NSW Waratahs have continued their off-season signing spree by adding yet another Wallaby to their squad for 2025. Former Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels prop Taniela Tupou will wear sky blue in Super Rugby Pacific next season.
Tupou, 28, is the latest Test-level player to sign with the Sydney-based club. The world-class prop joins fellow Australian internationals Andrew Kellaway, Darby Lancaster and Rob Leota by signing with the Waratahs.
For a player of Tupou’s class and reputation, there’s almost no reputation needed. The man is known globally as ‘The Tongan Thor’ after having his rugby highlights go viral online while he was in high school, and then he made a near-seamless transition to the pros.
Since making the move across the ditch and signing with the Reds, Tupou has played more than 100 Super Rugby matches across stints out of Ballymore and with the Rebels in Melbourne. Tupou has also represented the Wallabies in more than 50 Test matches.
Tongan appointed manager of Mangere Town Centre, New Zealand
A Tongan – New Zealand-born woman has been appointed as boss of the Mangere Town centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
Vicky Hau’s appointment was recently announced on Mangere’s official Facebook account.
“Here’s some exciting news: Vicky Hau is now the Māngere Town Centre manager”, the post read.
It said Hau was a proud Tongan, born and raised here in New Zealand.
“She will be taking the lead for the town centre. A warm welcome to Vicky! We’re sharing this to keep our community informed”.
Hau was a member of the Māngere Housing Community Reference Group, which advocated on behalf of locals with Kāinga Ora.
In a previous interview with Radio New Zealand, she said: “I was born and bred here and lived and worked here my whole life.
“One of the things that got me is seeing how dense the housing is and it concerns me how this will affect our families. I know we need more affordable homes but they also need to be suitable for families.”
Māngere, a suburb of significant historical and cultural importance in New Zealand, is particularly renowned for its rich Māori heritage. One of the most prominent landmarks in Māngere is the Māngere Mountain, known in Māori as Te Pane-o-Mataaho.
Ethnicities were 11.6% European/Pākehā, 16.1% Māori, 68.1% Pacific peoples, 17.5% Asian, and 1.0% other ethnicities.
