Taiwan simulated a coordinated internet attack for the first time during air-raid drills on Thursday, sharply reducing internet speeds across 14 cities and counties in the island’s north and centre. Video calls, streaming and mobile payments became difficult or impossible, while social media videos loaded slowly or not at all.
The exercise was designed to encourage residents to prepare alternative ways to communicate during an emergency. Authorities are developing backup systems because Taiwan’s undersea cables, which carry international and domestic connections, are considered vulnerable to disruption.
What residents experienced during the drill
As sirens sounded in Taipei, police directed people into shelters while the capital’s streets emptied. The internet slowdown made ordinary communications unreliable: one worker said messages from his boss failed to arrive, while an 18-year-old resident reported that TikTok would not open, Facebook was very slow and Instagram messages took about 30 seconds to send.
The disruption covered areas containing roughly 70% of Taiwan’s 23 million people. Tzeng Yi-suo, an associate researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the inconvenience was intentional and meant to raise public awareness while backup systems were tested.
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A backup network using radio signals
During the exercise, civil-defence trainer Wang Chen-wen used a small device connected to her phone by Bluetooth to send messages through long-range, low-power radio signals instead of the internet. From the roof of her apartment building, she exchanged location messages with people in another Taipei district through an open-source platform.
Wang said the experience gave her a basic communications plan for a disaster. The test showed how residents might use alternative systems when mobile internet is too slow or unavailable, although the exercise did not eliminate the disruption to everyday online services.
Why Taiwan is strengthening communications resilience
Taiwan has 16 international submarine cables and 10 domestic cables, which its government has described as an “irreplaceable digital lifeline”. Several cables have been damaged in recent years in incidents involving Chinese or China-linked vessels. Taiwan’s coast guard has characterised such incidents as a “grey zone” strategy intended to strain the island’s resources without crossing the threshold of war.
Taiwan is seeking multiple layers of backup communications, including low-Earth-orbit satellite services. Its legislature approved amendments last month that could clear the way for Starlink to enter the local market, but reliance on Elon Musk’s network has raised concerns because of his extensive business interests in China.
Tzeng said an internet disruption during a crisis could create uncertainty and fear that hostile forces might exploit. He said backup channels would need to help deliver reliable information and reassure the public.
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