Taiwan unveils self-developed, high-altitude communication balloon

Taipei, Oct. 24 (CNA) The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) on Thursday unveiled Taiwan's first domestically-produced tethered high-altitude balloon to serve as a tool for restoring communications in times of emergencies.

According to MODA, the high-altitude platform has the potential to quickly help restore communications after a disaster and strengthen Taiwan's network resilience.

At an unveiling ceremony held in Taitung County's Luye Highlands, Minister of Digital Affairs Yennun Huang (黃彥男) said high-altitude balloons are one of the viable solutions to build resilience in network communications as Taiwan is faced with many natural disasters.

Huang described the efforts as the "pride of Taiwan" as the technology itself was developed totally in-house.

Telecom Technology Center (TTC) CEO Lin Hui-tang (林輝堂), who was also at the event, said the balloon can fly up to an elevation of 800 meters and provides network coverage up to 380 square kilometers.

The project is a joint collaboration between the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and National Taipei University of Technology, Lin said.

The Taiwan-developed balloon, MODA said, can stay airborne for over 14 days and is powered by hydrogen fuel cells for stable, low-pollution operation.

It has a load capacity of 50 kilograms and can be equipped with mobile base stations and power equipment to support post-disaster communication needs and improve coverage in remote areas, the ministry said.

There are currently three types of high-altitude communication platforms, including drones, tethered helium balloons and high-altitude airships, the TTC said, indicating that because balloons have a huge payload, they can stay in the air for a longer period of time while the technology is already relatively mature.

Related projects are also being carried out in Japan, the Czech Republic, United States and United Kingdom, it said.

In the future, the Taiwan-developed balloons could be used to improve network coverage and also deployed to support rescue teams and stranded individuals with reliable messaging, calls and video streaming during post-disaster scenarios.