Taiwan would have 24-hour access to low Earth orbit satellites by the end of this month through service provided by Eutelsat OneWeb as part of the nation’s effort to enhance signal resilience, a Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) official said yesterday.
Earlier this year the Ministry of Digital Affairs, which partnered with Chunghwa Telecom on a two-year project to boost signal resilience throughout the nation, said it reached a milestone when it made contact with OneWeb’s satellites half of the time.
It expects to have the capability to maintain constant contact with the satellites and have nationwide coverage by the end of this month, Chunghwa Telecom copresident Alex Chien (簡志誠) said.
Photo: CNA
To ensure that the nation’s communication network can operate through non-geosynchronous satellites, a network that incorporates satellite equipment has been installed in Taiwan and other countries, as well as low and medium orbit satellites, he said.
The low orbit satellites are operated by OneWeb, while the medium orbit satellites are operated by satellite provider SES, he said.
“For the satellite system to operate normally, it requires three major elements: satellites in the sky, terminal equipment and ground receiving stations. All three are indispensable,” he said.
The terminal equipment used in the network includes 700 sites in Taiwan and abroad, and the ground receiving stations are set up in Japan, Thailand and Guam, he said.
“Initially there were some problems with the ground receiving station in Thailand, but OneWeb has solved the issue,” he said.
However, operating ground equipment at the sites requires trained personnel, and the ministry hopes to have the system ready by the end of the year, he said.
As for whether the network could be used by Taiwan’s business community, Chien said that since satellites have less bandwidth, most corporate customers would still use submarine cables with their larger bandwidths.
However, the satellite-based system could still be used as a backup for businesses, he said.
Department of Communications and Cyber Resilience Director-General Cheng Ming-tsung (鄭明宗) previously said that after obtaining complete coverage, which includes Taiwan proper, as well as outlying islands and counties, “we no longer need to be afraid of natural disasters or other emergencies that could knock out our communications.”
“If systems are broken, we can still provide the military and political bodies with communications through satellites,” he said. “We can make emergency calls and conduct command and dispatch.”
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS