The Tonga volcanic eruption has revealed the vulnerabilities in our global telecommunication system

By Dale Dominey-Howes, Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences, University of Sydney

In the wake of a violent volcanic eruption in Tonga, much of the communication with residents on the islands remains at a standstill. In our modern, highly-connected world, more than 95% of global data transfer occurs along fibre-optic cables that criss-cross through the world’s oceans.

Breakage or interruption to this critical infrastructure can have catastrophic local, regional and even global consequences. This is exactly what has happened in Tonga following Saturday’s volcano-tsunami disaster.…

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