EXPLAINER/What to know about Taiwan's 1st mobile internet disruption drill

Taipei, July 21 (CNA) For the first time, the nationwide Urban Resilience Exercises and air raid drills on Aug. 10 and 13 will include a simulation of a major slowdown in mobile internet speeds in 14 cities and counties across northern and central Taiwan.

When will the drills take place?

In central Taiwan's Miaoli County, Taichung, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County and Chiayi City, the drill will take place on Aug. 10 from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

In Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Keelung City, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County and Yilan County in northern Taiwan, the exercise will be held on Aug. 13 from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

What should I expect during the drill?

Mobile internet service will not be completely cut off, but 4G and 5G data speeds will be deliberately slowed to simulate a communications disruption.

Voice calls, SMS messages and the public warning system are expected to function normally. However, activities that rely heavily on mobile data -- such as video streaming, video calls, uploading photos and large files, and cloud-based services -- are likely to be significantly affected.

Fixed-line internet, indoor Wi-Fi, landline telephones, military communication networks and dedicated networks used by high-tech companies will not be affected.

Emergency services will also continue to operate normally, as ambulances and fire departments use radio communication networks.

Other everyday services, including traffic lights and ATMs, are also expected to remain unaffected because they rely on separate or fixed-line networks.

Contactless payments should continue to work as long as merchants' payment systems use fixed-line internet connections.

However, tasks such as placing online orders, uploading identification documents or conducting real-time trading over a 4G or 5G connection may be disrupted. Officials recommend avoiding such activities during the drill or using fixed-line internet or Wi-Fi instead.

How will I know when the drill begins?

Ahead of the exercise, authorities will notify the public through Cell Broadcast Service alerts, television news tickers and radio announcements.

When the drill begins, a warning message will be issued simultaneously, reminding people to switch to alternative communication methods, including voice calls, SMS, fixed-line internet or indoor Wi-Fi.

Why is Taiwan conducting the drill?

A national security official said large-scale natural disasters or cyberattacks could disrupt communications, and the government wants both agencies and the public to become familiar with alternative ways to stay connected.

The official said Taiwan is not the first country to conduct such exercises, citing Japan's inclusion of cyberattack scenarios in infrastructure resilience drills, the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise conducted by South Korea and the United States, which includes GPS jamming and cyberattack scenarios, and NATO's incorporation of GPS disruption and communications outage scenarios into its exercises.

Why aren't southern and eastern Taiwan included?

The national security official said southern and eastern Taiwan, as well as the outlying islands, have all experienced real-world communications disruptions in recent years and therefore already have practical experience recovering from them.

This year's exercise instead focuses on the more densely populated northern and central regions to strengthen government coordination and public preparedness there.

National Communications Commission (NCC) Secretary-General Wen Jun-yu (溫俊瑜) added that southern Taiwan's Urban Resilience and air raid drills will take place at 10 a.m., when the Taiwan Stock Exchange is open. Simulating a major slowdown in mobile internet speeds during trading hours could disrupt real-time stock transactions conducted on mobile phones.

First integration of civilian and military responses

The national security official said this year's exercise marks the first time military and local government responses will be fully integrated.

Under the new arrangement, local governments will coordinate both civilian and military emergency requests. Military personnel will also be stationed at local emergency operations centers to improve coordination and information sharing.

The drills will also feature cross-jurisdiction exercises for the first time. Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, as well as New Taipei and Yilan County, will conduct joint exercises involving medical evacuation, resource allocation, shelter operations and transportation.