Taiwan plans to launch its first sovereign satellite by the end of the year, Chunghwa Telecom Co (CHT, 中華電信) President Chien Chih-cheng (簡志誠) said yesterday.
The telecom announced that it was prepared to sign an agreement with US-based Astranis Co to launch a dedicated satellite over which Chunghwa Telecom would have independent control, marking the foundation of a national satellite project.
The race to put more satellites in space is becoming “white hot,” and it is imperative that Taiwan joins the race as soon as possible and creates terrestrial applications for satellites, as well as has comprehensive coverage across all orbits, Chien said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times).
Photo: Chang Chia-jui, Taipei Times
Chien stressed the importance of building greater communications resilience by expanding satellite bandwidth, adding that state assistance would be essential to achieving it.
The Astranis collaboration would add to Taiwan’s high Earth orbit satellites, such as the ST-2 satellites and the 2023 project to ensure continued access to high Earth orbit satellite coverage, he added.
More than half of the nation’s 5G networks are using the Ka band of satellite communications, which is also being used by most of the newly launched satellites globally, Chien said.
Chunghwa Telecom has expanded into undersea cables, fixed-line and broadband networks, and microwave communications, and collaborated with other companies to launch low and medium Earth orbit satellites as well as geostationary satellites over the past few years to bolster the nation’s network resilience, he said.
The collaboration with Astranis, which would give the telecom access to the compact geostationary orbit satellite’s 8 gigabits per second bandwidth as early as next year, would be the Taiwan’s first exclusive communications satellite, Chien said.
It would realize the nation’s goal of having autonomous and secure telecommunications capabilities in case of an earthquake or geopolitical events, he added.
Taiwan has also been given exclusive access to SES’ medium Earth orbit system, the O3b mPOWER, he said.
The deal was inked last year and is being processed, after it failed applications with the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the National Communications Commission, Chien said.
The nation signed deals for exclusive access to satellite bandwidth from OneWeb, Kuiper and Telesat as well, he said, adding that access to OneWeb’s bandwidth was approved on June 3.
The company has given great thought to how Taiwan would play a part in network services, which has been the mindset behind Chunghwa Telecom’s inclusion of a clause during negotiations that satellite ground stations should use Taiwan-manufactured equipment, Chien said.
For example, Chunghwa Telecom in its negotiations with OneWeb demanded the inclusion of Taiwanese companies in network access tests before access is provided worldwide, he said, adding that such strategies helped bring Taiwan into the fold of the satellite industry and ensure that the industry is on a par with international standards.
Separately, to improve the resiliency of the nation’s international communication networks, Chunghwa aims to install seven new submarine cables and a landing station, Chien said.
The telecom currently operates seven cables and four landing stations, he added.
Two of the new cables are set to go online in the second half of this year, one connecting Taiwan to Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, and the other connecting Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and India, he said.
A new trans-Pacific fiber optic submarine cable, dubbed E2A, is set to go online in 2028, he added.
Taiwan also has nine domestic cables connecting Taiwan proper with the nation’s outlying islands, Chien said, adding that a fourth cable between Taiwan, and Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties is under construction and expected to be completed next year.
The company is investing in new technologies in building the submarine cables, including artificial intelligence, to ensure resiliency, he said.
The goal is to turn Taiwan into a regional hub for the communications industry, driving growth, job creation and the development of technology, Chien said.
Responding to concerns about ships damaging submarine cables, Chien said the company has taken measures such as adding protective layers, burying cables deeper underground and improving cooperation with the Coast Guard Administration.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
RSS