TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang announced on Wednesday (March 27) that the medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite network provided by SES is expected to start broadcasting signals on Taiping Island in April, while the low-orbit satellite OneWeb is expected to be operational in the first half of the year.
The announcement was made during a press conference on the "Enhancement of National Communication Network Resilience Plan." The Digital Ministry revealed that out of 700 asynchronous satellite sites, the first phase of 16 sites has been completed. Nine of these are mid-orbit satellite sites, with the rest being low-orbit satellite sites.
Department of Communication and Cyber Resilience Director-General Cheng Ming-tsung stated that of the nine mid-orbit satellite sites, seven are located on Taiwan's main island, one in the Matsu Islands, and another on Taiping Island. Taiping Island previously only had synchronous satellites. With the addition of mid-orbit satellites, the internet bandwidth can increase fivefold from the past.
The Digital Development Department said the move to launch satellites is in response to the risk of a complete internet shutdown due to potential cross-strait wars and natural disasters such as earthquakes.
The importance of the low-orbit satellite network was highlighted after the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022, bringing Ukraine's plight to the world's attention. While Taiwan has maintained a synchronous satellite communication system, or high-orbit satellite, its limited transmission capacity and underutilization have spurred the Digital Ministry to actively develop an asynchronous satellite communication system.
