The Ministry of Digital Information Technology visited Pingtung’s communications construction to strengthen communications resilience in outlying islands and remote areas.

The Department of Digital Development pointed out that there are currently two domestic submarine cables in Xiaoliuqiu providing communication services, with a transmission capacity of 20 times the peak communication traffic on the island. At the same time, microwave backup links are being continuously built. The current microwave capacity has reached 95% of the usual communication traffic. Once the submarine cable is blocked, an alternative communication path can be provided immediately through microwave, forming a "submarine cable + microwave" dual backup.

On the 23rd, Minister of Digital Development Lin Yijing, together with members of the Universal Fund Management Committee and telecom operators, went to Liuqiu Township, Pingtung County, to learn about local telephone and broadband internet popularization services, as well as microwave and submarine cable construction and communication backup. They also exchanged opinions with legislator Xu Fugui on the current status of communication network construction and local needs in Pingtung County.

Lin Yijing said that in addition to stable broadband services, outlying islands and remote villages must also have alternative communication capabilities in the face of submarine cable obstacles or natural disasters. Xiaoliuqiu currently has two domestic submarine cables, with an overall transmission capacity that is 20 times the peak communication traffic. The Ministry of Data and Information Technology has also continued to provide subsidies to telecommunications operators to build microwave backup links.

At present, Xiaoliuqiu's microwave capacity has reached 95% of the usual communication traffic. When submarine cables encounter obstacles, the microwave system can provide alternative communication paths. The Department of Digital Communications said that through dual submarine cable and microwave links, the impact of obstacles on a single communication path on island services can be reduced and the resilience of communications on outlying islands can be improved.

In addition to Xiaoliuqiu, the Ministry of Digital Information and Communications Technology also continues to expand communication construction in remote areas of Pingtung. A total of 12 towns, towns and cities in Pingtung County are located in remote areas. Due to factors such as geographical environment and resident population, communication network construction and maintenance costs are relatively high. Therefore, the universal service fund continues to be used to subsidize telecommunications operators. Currently, 16,000 households in remote areas of Pingtung County are provided with telephone services, 8,500 households with broadband Internet services, and 296 public telephones are maintained.

In terms of education, the Telecommunications Universal Service Fund has also assisted 55 rural primary and secondary schools in Pingtung County to build broadband Internet environments through preferential tariffs, improving the conditions for rural students to access digital services and learning resources.

In terms of mobile communications, the Ministry of Data and Development, through the 112-114 forward-looking plan, subsidized telecom operators to complete 303 5G base stations in Pingtung County, build or optimize 12 base stations with high disaster resistance, optimize 1 satellite mobile base vehicle, and build 3 pairs of microwave systems to simultaneously strengthen mobile networks, disaster response, and backup transmission.

The Ministry of Digital Development stated that in addition to having a network, communication construction in remote rural areas must also take into account "non-interruption" in the event of a disaster. In the future, we will continue to work with local governments and telecom operators through the Universal Service Fund and related subsidy programs to improve the communication infrastructure and backup mechanisms in remote villages and outlying islands.