An interim telecommunication system has been set up in Tonga, allowing the tsunami-hit area to connect with the outside world using a 2G network, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced on Wednesday.

However, this 2G connection set up by Digicel, an international mobile phone network provider, will be limited and patchy, covering about 10 percent of the usual capacity and prioritizing voice and SMS communications.

The U.S. cable company SubCom said at least four weeks are needed to repair Tonga's cable connection.

So far, power in the Pacific islands country has been restored, with clean-up and damage assessments ongoing. Tongan authorities have been distributing relief supplies.

Moreover, the first humanitarian flights are also finally on the way to Tonga, five days after the dual disaster cut the Pacific nation off from the rest of the world. Officials in Australia and New Zealand confirmed that two military transport planes should arrive within hours at Tonga's main airport on Thursday.