Amid the persistent tensions with China, Taiwan is forging ahead with an ambitious venture: the development of its own satellite network, aimed at safeguarding the island’s connectivity during emergencies, CNN reported.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Wu Jong-shinn, director-general of the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), revealed that Taiwan is currently in the experimental stages of constructing indigenous communication satellites.
Once operational, this system promises to emulate the functionality of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite constellation, albeit on a smaller scale, according to Wu, who has been at the helm of Taiwan’s space initiatives since 2021. Starlink, managed by Musk’s SpaceX, has garnered international attention for its ability to provide internet access to remote areas worldwide.
Taiwan’s endeavour stems partially from its inability to access Starlink due to legal constraints; SpaceX’s insistence on majority ownership in a proposed joint venture clashed with Taiwanese regulations, prompting Taiwan to pursue its own technological solutions.
“The communication satellite is very important for our communication resilience during urgent periods,” Wu said, calling it his agency’s most sensitive project. “That’s very important for us, so we take it very, very seriously.”
With Beijing’s persistent claims over Taiwan and threats of military action, the need for an autonomous communication infrastructure is paramount.
Presently, Taiwan relies on 15 submarine internet cables for connectivity, a system vulnerable to disruptions, as demonstrated by an incident last year when outlying islands were cut off from the internet for weeks due to cable damage. Experts have cautioned that intentional sabotage by Beijing could trigger widespread panic and disruption of regular communications, as reported by CNN.
In the interim, Taiwan plans to collaborate with international satellite providers like OneWeb to ensure backup connectivity during emergencies.