Chunghwa Telecom said yesterday that communication via undersea cable between Taiwan and Lienchiang County (Matsu) has been restored after a partial repair of the No. 2 cable, one of two damaged earlier this month.
Chunghwa Telecom, which owns and operates all 10 domestic undersea cables in Taiwan, said in a news release yesterday evening that transmission through the No. 2 undersea cable was restored at 11:40am on Wednesday.
The restoration was achieved following “core wire-by-core wire testing and timely emergency repairs by Chunghwa Telecom staff,” the company said.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Power Co via CNA
Microwave communications, in use since that morning, reverted to serving as a backup, Chunghwa Telecom added.
The Taiwan-Matsu No. 2 and No. 3 undersea communication cables, which link Taiwan and the outlying county, became disconnected following “natural deterioration.”
The Ministry of Digital Affairs said the No. 2 cable was severed at about 5am on Wednesday and the No. 3 cable on Jan. 15.
Work to repair the No. 3 cable continues.
To fully repair both cables, the telecom service provider said it was “actively” coordinating with international undersea cable-repair ships to come to Taiwan to inspect and repair them.
“Repairs are expected to be completed in the near term, sea conditions permitting, to provide Matsu with more stable communication service and quality,” said Chunghwa Telecom, which is 35.29 percent owned by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
Meanwhile, the international Trans-Pacific Express (TPE) cable, responsible for handling communication traffic between Taiwan and other countries, was repaired on Monday after being cut on Jan. 3, Chunghwa Telecom said.
A Cameroon-flagged, Chinese-operated freighter, Shunxin-39, is suspected of damaging the TPE cable 68.17km from Chunghwa Telecom’s Tamsui (淡水) cable station off Taiwan’s northern coast.
Chunghwa Telecom said that after the incident, the company contacted an agency in Yokohama, Japan, to dispatch a repair ship.
With repairs completed, communication between Taiwan and countries such as the US, Japan and South Korea resumed being funneled through the TPE cable, which is operating normally, the company added.
Taiwan has 14 international undersea communication cables and 10 domestic cables.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by