A new telecommunications system for the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) is going to greatly facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance to areas near the islands, National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡) said yesterday after inspecting facilities built by Chunghwa Telecom on the islands.
Commissioners Hung Chen-ling (洪貞玲), Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) and Guo Wen-chung (郭文忠), and Chunghwa Telecom president Sheih Chi-mau (謝繼茂) accompanied Chan on the tour.
The Dongsha Islands are about 450km from Taiwan proper and are administered by Kaohsiung’s Cijin District (旗津).
The central government has designated them a national park.
Communications used to be the main problem for Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and government workers stationed on the island, Chan said.
Chunghwa Telecom had previously installed public telephones and a second-generation telecom system on the island, and worked with the CGA to complete the installations of third-generation and fourth-generation base stations on the islands last year, Chan said.
People stationed on the main island, Dongsha, can now watch television like other residents of Taiwan, and they can stay in closer contact with their families in Taiwan proper, Chan said.
Broadband Internet is now available on Dongsha, allowing marine biologists there or on research visits to quickly exchange their research results with colleagues, Chan said.
CGA officers studying for academic degrees are now able to access educational resources through the Internet, she said.
“We will continue working with telecom companies to ensure that residents in remote areas have access to smooth communications and to narrow the digital gap between urban and rural areas,” she said.
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