Phone and internet communications to and from Tonga appear likely to be limited for weeks after confirmation that the fibre-optic subsea cable connecting Tonga to Fiji is believed to have been cut at sea.

The cable, which would normally carry almost all internet and phone traffic to and from Tonga, has been out of action since shortly after the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano on Saturday.

Initially, it had been hoped the outage was only due to a loss of power to its Tongan landing station.

But Southern Cross Cable Network sales director Craige Sloots said Tonga Cable Limited – which owns the 872 kilometre cable – believed after testing on Sunday that the cable was broken and was now working with United States cable laying and repair company SubCo