Taiwan may collaborate with Amazon on Kuiper satellite system: MODA

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) Taiwan is considering working with American tech giant Amazon to gain access to its Project Kuiper satellite broadband system for emergency communications, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said Wednesday.

The MODA statement followed a Reuters report Tuesday that cited Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文), head of the National Science and Technology Council, as saying that Taiwan was in talks with Amazon about collaborating with the company on its new Kuiper broadband internet constellation of satellites.

According to the Reuters report, Taiwan has been looking at plans to preserve communications in case China attacks, including satellites in medium and low Earth orbit for internet services, similar to Ukraine's use of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite broadband service during Russia's invasion.

While MODA did not confirm whether Taiwan had entered into negotiations with Amazon on Kuiper, the ministry said Taiwan was open to collaboration with any satellite system operator, in a bid to build multiple heterogeneous networks to strengthen its communications resilience for national security purposes.

The possible partners include Amazon, although its Project Kuiper is not yet operational, the ministry said.

In the Reuters report, Wu was cited as saying that the bandwidth of Taiwan's existing OneWeb satellite service was too small.

"Amazon's Kuiper is the most mature in the development stage so far, so we are discussing at this moment whether it's possible to have a collaboration," Wu was quoted as saying in the report.

According to Amazon, Project Kuiper is an initiative aimed at increasing global broadband access through a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, with a mission to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world.

Last year, Taiwan launched a two-year program to enhance communications resilience during emergency or war time by using non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite links as an emergency backup communication network, MODA said.

Under the program, 773 hot spots are currently being tested to ensure the continuity of government command and control systems during emergencies, with the goal of achieving 24-hour satellite signal coverage by the end of this year, MODA said.

On the question of whether Taiwan would consider working with Starlink, Wu told reporters Thursday that the country was seeking to do so, providing that security would be ensured and the U.S. government gave approval.

Low Earth orbit satellite development will pave the way for 6G communications, but it is not easy for Taiwan to make such huge investments on its own, therefore, it must work with other entities, Wu said on the sidelines of a legislative hearing Thursday.

Taiwan is seeking to work with a country like the United States, which plays a dominant role in low Earth orbit satellite development, he said.

Noting that Taiwan has gained dominance in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, Wu said, the country can help other democracies develop satellite systems via a comprehensive supply chain.