Taiwan’s unique geographic location has long been a concern, and local companies and global partners were aware of the potential risks even before foreign policy tensions escalated. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and droughts can affect the island’s infrastructure to varying degrees. But right now his main focus is solving problems with damage to submarine cables.

Previous disruptions to the operation of submarine cables used by Taiwan prove that comprehensive decisions must be made to protect the infrastructure. In past incidents, telecommunications operators have faced difficulties in maintaining the speed of information transfer which has led to the prioritization of certain types of traffic.

Minister Tan stressed that the most critical threat to Taiwan’s communications infrastructure will be the physical destruction of the facilities and power supplies of the three major providers.

The vulnerability of these objects stems from their general availability and potential to be physically destroyed by earthquakes or cyber attacks. To mitigate the risks associated with the destruction of its communications infrastructure, Taiwan has developed a contingency plan that includes its approximate deployment. 700 satellite receiver stations across the island.

Taiwan began to investigate the problem

Researches in this field have already started and there are foreign companies among them. OneWeb And Amazon’s Project Kuiperexpressed its interest in providing backup infrastructure. But currently only has the necessary infrastructure star connection Elon Musk. However, due to differences in political views regarding Taiwan’s administrative independence, authorities cannot rely solely on Starlink’s support in a critical situation.

To ensure credibility, the Taiwanese government aims to have multiple options rather than relying on a single company. Taiwan currently relies on 14 undersea cables to communicate with the outside world. However, the existing satellite infrastructure can only meet 0.01% of the island’s bandwidth needs. Therefore, while its plan to deploy 700 receiver stations is ambitious, it cannot adequately meet Taiwan’s high-speed channel needs, given its population of 23 million.

Recognizing these limitations, the Taiwanese government $18 million to test alternative project solutions over the next two years.

Taiwan must remain independent

Minister Tang also stressed that Taiwan’s network and information infrastructure is under numerous attacks, possibly by people linked to China. In this challenging environment, the government’s desire to establish a backup communication infrastructure by the end of next year seems extremely important and ambitious.

Taiwan recognizes the importance of diversifying communication channels and establishing a reliable backup system to protect against potential disruptions. Efforts to provide alternative infrastructure stem from the desire to maintain uninterrupted communication and ensure the island’s digital resilience even in adverse conditions.