When Russian forces knocked the Ukrainian city of Irpin offline in March, Tesla chief Elon Musk's Starlink satellite Internet service came to the rescue.
In just two days, the city - where power lines and cellular and Internet networks were damaged or destroyed - was back online, and residents could get in touch with loved ones, according to reports.
Now, Taiwan ever contending with the possibility of a Chinese invasion - is taking a leaf out of that book by setting up a similar backup satellite Internet network.
"The experience of Russia's invasion of Ukraine... showed that the whole world can know what is happening there in real time," said Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang in recent media interviews, conveying plans to build "digital resilience for all" in Taiwan.
Over the next two years, the island is set to trial a NT$550 million (S$24.7 million) satellite programme aimed at keeping Taiwan's command systems running if conventional connections are cut, Ms Tang said.
Several Taiwanese companies are in discussions with international satellite service providers, she said, without providing details.
New satellite Internet services such as those offered by Starlink rely on a constellation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites at an altitude of 550km that can beam the Internet into even the most remote locations.
この記事は The Straits Times の September 23, 2022 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は The Straits Times の September 23, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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