Taipei: The disconnection of two undersea communication cables linking Taiwan and the Matsu Islands was due to "natural deterioration" rather than possible sabotage, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) stated.
According to Focus Taiwan, Chunghwa Telecom reported that one of the cables was disconnected at around 5 a.m. Wednesday, while the other was reported disconnected on January 15, said Deputy Digital Affairs Minister Herming Chiueh at a news conference in Taipei. With the January 15 cable still awaiting repair, Chiueh noted that backup microwave communication was activated immediately following the recent cable failure.
"We will prioritize allocating bandwidth provided by microwave communication to critical infrastructure on the Matsu Islands, which includes government agencies, banks, and hospitals," Chiueh explained. The two disabled cables had a combined transmission capacity of 1,310 Gbps, but the microwave communication bandwidth, though limited to 12.6 Gbps, still surpasses the Matsu Islands' usual peak daily traffic of 9.5 Gbps.
The disconnections raised concerns about a possible connection to the cutting of an international undersea communications cable off Taiwan's northeastern coast on January 3. A China-related freighter is suspected in that incident, but Chiueh emphasized that MODA's initial assessment categorized the damage to domestic cables as instances of "natural deterioration."
Chiueh further clarified that intelligence gathered on the morning of the disconnection revealed no suspicious vessels in the area. This assessment was based on data from the Coast Guard Administration's coastal radar, along with analysis from Chunghwa Telecom, which utilized the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and another radar system called "SAWS."
He also mentioned that natural deterioration of undersea cables tends to occur more frequently during winter, attributed to strong ocean currents. Repairs of the two affected cables could be completed as early as February, depending on weather and sea conditions.
Taiwan is currently connected by 14 international undersea communication cables and operates 10 domestic cables. Chunghwa Telecom, the largest telecom service provider in Taiwan, is 35.29 percent owned by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and owns all 10 domestic undersea cables, including those connecting Taiwan to the Matsu Islands.