TAIPEI – When parts of eastern Taiwan were knocked offline in April following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that damaged telecom base stations, satellite communications came to the rescue.
Within days, the Tianxiang area in Taroko National Park – where dozens of people were stranded after tremors cut off roads to the mountainous terrain – was back online, thanks to satellite terminals airlifted into the region.
Those trapped could then reconnect with their families, while rescue workers could transmit critical images of the disaster-stricken area back to the central emergency response centre.
It marked the first time the island used low earth orbit (LEO) satellites for assistance in a disaster; it will certainly not be the last, as the government pushes ahead with plans to place 700 satellite receivers across Taiwan by the end of 2024.
As of late June, even the residents of Taiwan’s outlying islands Kinmen and Matsu are able to receive satellite signals, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (Moda) said in a statement.
At the same time, Taipei has embarked on an ambitious NT$4 billion (S$163.6 million) project of developing its own satellites to ensure backup connectivity during emergencies, with the first of two indigenous satellites to be launched into space in 2026.
After that, the island’s space agency is set to send four more satellites into orbit, in cooperation with private contractors.
Realistically, though, Taiwan would need many more than just a handful of indigenous satellites to provide uninterrupted internet access, experts said.
According to simulations, two LEO satellites would hover over Taiwan for only up to five minutes while orbiting the earth.
“Taiwan would need hundreds of LEO satellites to provide uninterrupted coverage, 24 hours a day,” said Assistant Professor Shen Li-hsiang, a satellite communications expert at Taiwan’s National Central University.
“Clearly, Taiwan is still only in the beginning stages of its satellite ambitions.”
It would be easier and cheaper to rely entirely on a third-party provider such as Starlink, whose constellation of nearly 6,000 satellites dominates the industry. Starlink is owned by SpaceX chief Elon Musk.
“But there would be national security considerations in doing so,” Prof Shen noted.
Dr Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at Australian National University, said that beginning with a handful of satellites opens doors for many more to come.
“Like lots of commercial areas, mass manufacturing means quicker and cheaper, and satellites are no different, and Taiwan may find the ability to build more for a larger network quickly in the future,” he said.
“Taiwan’s proposed network is important and necessary,” he added. “Having resilient, independent, sovereign capability should be at the top of everyone’s list.”
Besides the island’s vulnerability to natural disasters, geopolitical factors add urgency to such plans.
Taiwan exists under the constant threat of an invasion from China, which views the island as its own territory and has never ruled out the use of force to achieve “reunification”.
“In the extreme situation where all mobile and fixed communication networks fail in a major disaster or war, government communication systems would still be able to maintain basic functions with the help of satellite systems, which would calm people’s minds,” a digital ministry spokesperson told The Straits Times.
The ministry acknowledged that Taiwan took lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, where such a backup satellite system has proved useful.
When Russian forces knocked several Ukrainian cities offline for several days in 2022, Starlink satellite dishes were rushed in to provide reliable internet access to both citizens and the military.
“The satellite service helped Ukraine keep operations going, but more importantly, allowed the Ukrainian government to reveal the actual situation on the ground to the international community, and seek assistance,” said the Moda spokesperson.
Concerns over network vulnerabilities in Taiwan are very real. The island is linked to the world via 15 undersea cables, on which it heavily relies for the bulk of its internet traffic.
In February 2023, Taiwan’s outlying Matsu islands were digitally cut off when the only two submarine cables they are connected to were severed by passing ships flying Chinese flags.
For several weeks, the islands’ 14,000 residents resorted to camping out at local telecoms offices to access the internet there, access provided by an older – and much slower – radio microwave transmission technology.
Before that, an earthquake in 2006 damaged eight undersea cables around Taiwan, which slowed internet speeds on the island and disrupted digital banking operations across Asia.
Satellite internet services, on the other hand, are a lot more challenging to knock out, requiring missiles, lasers or microwave technology to jam communications.
Connectivity is served via a constellation of LEO satellites orbiting at altitude, from 200km above the earth, that can beam the internet into even the most remote locations from space.
Some of Mr Musk’s past comments have raised concerns in Taipei.
In a 2022 interview with the Financial Times, Mr Musk, whose automotive company Tesla has significant investments in China, said he believed conflict over Taiwan was inevitable. He also suggested that the island could become a special administrative zone of China.
Having a made-in-Taiwan satellite network would therefore ensure that Taipei retains full control.
“The initial and operational costs are significant, but the potential benefits in terms of national security, disaster management, and economic growth could justify the investment,” said Dr Kenny Huang, chairman of the Taiwan Network Information Centre, a non-profit partially funded by the government.
While the indigenous network is being developed, Taiwan continues to seek partnerships with multiple third-party service providers to access existing satellite networks on a project basis.
During the earthquake recovery efforts in Hualien, for instance, authorities had accessed the internet by working with equipment from OneWeb, whose investors include the British government.
When asked if Taiwan would collaborate with Starlink, the Moda spokesperson said the ministry would be “happy” to consider the possibility as long as the services provided “comply with relevant national security and information security regulations”.
Despite all the challenges of pursuing space-based communications, Dr Huang is optimistic that Taiwan is on the right track.
“Strong government support, strategic partnerships, and a clear plan for revenue generation will be crucial to the project’s success,” he said.
“It is feasible for Taiwan to develop its own satellite system, especially if it leverages its existing technological strengths and seeks international cooperation.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-10 16:57:00
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