Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom announced that the repair operation of the Taiwan-Matsu No. 3 submarine cable was successfully completed on the morning of March 2. Communication between Taiwan and Matsu has been restored to be transmitted via the submarine cable, with microwave as the backup bandwidth in use.
On January 22, Chunghwa Telecom announced that the Taiwan-Matsu No. 3 submarine cable, an essential communication infrastructure between Taiwan and Matsu, encountered a malfunction at 1:36 p.m. on January 15. The Digital Development Department of the Republic of China stated on January 22 that the Taiwan-Matsu No. 3 cable had completely cut off due to natural degradation of the cable. However, the incidents of Taiwan’s submarine cables being accidentally cut by fishing boats or cargo ships have increased over the past 1 to 2 years.
On March 2, Chunghwa Telecom issued a press release stating that the disruption on January 15 was caused by an impediment to the submarine cable core, resulting in a transmission interruption. Communication between Taiwan and Matsu promptly switched to other submarine cables and microwave for transmission, ensuring uninterrupted communication between the two regions. Chunghwa Telecom promptly contacted an international submarine cable maintenance organization to arrange for a cable repair ship to come to Taiwan.
Chunghwa Telecom mentioned that the international cable maintenance ship arrived in Taiwan in February to carry out the repair work on the Taiwan-Matsu No. 3 submarine cable. Due to the strong northeast monsoon in the Taiwan Strait during the winter, the maintenance ship had to seek shelter in ports due to unfavorable sea conditions.
Overcoming various difficulties, the maintenance team successfully completed the repair operation of the Taiwan-Matsu No. 3 submarine cable on the morning of March 2. Communication between Taiwan and Matsu immediately resumed transmission via the submarine cable, providing Matsu with a more stable quality of communication service. The microwave link between Taiwan and Matsu is now being used as backup bandwidth.
Chunghwa Telecom expressed special thanks to relevant government departments, multiple fishing associations, and legislators for their concern and assistance, which facilitated the smooth completion of the repair work on the Taiwan-Matsu No. 3 submarine cable this time.
On February 25, the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration stated that the Togo-flagged, Chinese-owned freighter “Hongtai” was suspected of dragging and breaking the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable. The Coast Guard Administration brought the vessel back to Anping Port in Tainan and the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office ordered the detention and investigation of the Chinese captain surnamed Wang. On February 27, the Tainan District Court ruled that Captain Wang had damaged the submarine cable but denied involvement, and he was remanded in custody.
Since the beginning of 2025, Taiwan has encountered five incidents of submarine cable faults, with three occurring in the past two years.