Taiwan has set another world record in terms of broadband infrastructure, with broadband Internet access now available in all but one of its townships and villages, National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Su Yeong-chin (蘇永欽) said yesterday.
Su made the remarks a day after the inauguration of broadband services in five remote villages in Taitung County.
"We have surmounted tremendous technological challenges and accomplished an almost impossible mission ahead of schedule," Su said.
He added that Taiwan is the first country in the world to have such an extensive broadband infrastructure set up in virtually every remote township and village.
On Saturday, Su joined several other officials, including Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞) and Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信) chairman Hochen Tan (賀陳旦), in presiding over the launch of broadband services in the five remote Aboriginal communities in Taitung County.
The five villages -- Tachu (
In an effort to narrow the digital divide between urban and rural areas, the NCC -- the country's telecommunications and media regulatory body -- identified 46 remote or secluded villages that lacked broadband service earlier this year.
"We must make the necessary hardware and software investments to prevent these places from falling behind in this digital era, " Su said.
He added that broadband Internet access would serve as a window for children and other residents in remote areas to acquire more knowledge.
The NCC asked Chunghwa Telecom, the country's largest telecommunications service provider, to build broadband infrastructure in 43 of the villages or townships in eight counties, and Taiwan Fixed Network to do so in three villages in Alishan Township (阿里山) in Chiayi County.
The NCC also demanded that the Internet connection speed in all these areas be increased to 2Mb per second or faster.
The two companies used either optical fiber or wireless network technologies to overcome technological barriers and finally completed the challenging work ahead of schedule, Su said.
He said that the partially state-owned Chunghwa Telecom alone injected more than NT$93 million (US$2.86 million) in broadband infrastructure setup in 43 barely accessible townships in mountain or offshore regions in Miaoli, Hualien, Pingtung, Taitung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Nantou counties.
The "broadband for every township" project was originally scheduled for completion by the end of this year, but all the work was completed by Dec. 15, except in Haucha Village (
The broadband infrastructure setup in the mountain village has been rescheduled for completion in late February, Su said.
Chunghwa Telecom has also opened a digital classroom in Chenhsing Village and donated 10 brand new computers for use by local residents.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or