COMMUNICATIONS:
Apart from the international cable that was allegedly severed by a Chinese-operated freighter, two domestic cables were damaged by natural causes
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.
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