TL;DR
Submarine cables connecting Taiwan to the Matsu Islands have faced significant disruptions, with 27 cuts reported from 2018 to 2022 and four major outages anticipated by 2025. This highlights the vulnerability of critical communication infrastructure to both accidental and deliberate damage.
✦ Why It Matters
Evaluate the resilience of your organization's communication infrastructure against potential disruptions.
Key Takeaways
Full Summary
The Matsu Islands, administered by Taiwan, rely on submarine cables for connectivity to the main island. These cables, including Taima No.2, Taima No.3, and the upcoming Taima No.4, are situated in the shallow Taiwan Strait, making them susceptible to damage from fishing activities and maritime traffic.
Between 2018 and 2022, these cables were cut 27 times, and projections indicate four major outages from 2023 to 2025. Similar issues have been observed in the Baltic Sea, where 11 disruptions occurred since 2023.
With approximately 1.5 million kilometers of submarine cables globally, their failure could isolate communities and disrupt telecommunications, as satellite systems cannot fully replace them. Ensuring the resilience of these cables is crucial, especially in the context of modern warfare, which poses additional risks to communication infrastructure.
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