The Tonga outage exemplifies a single point of failure in centralized infrastructure, reinforcing the narrative for decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) and mesh networks in crypto. As market sentiment is slightly bearish with fear at 34, such events highlight the need for resilient communication layers, potentially accelerating interest in projects like Helium or Althea that aim to bypass traditional ISPs.

A podcast discusses undersea fiber-optic cables as the backbone of the internet, referencing a 2006 quote and a 2022 volcanic eruption that cut off Tonga's internet.