The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) announced that on February 16th, it received a report from Chunghwa Telecom stating that the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2, which was scheduled for repair repairs, had suffered another core wire break, leading to a complete disconnection due to additional fault points. Following standard procedures, Chunghwa Telecom notified the  Coast Guard Administration of Ocean Affairs Council, requesting an investigation into the cause of the cable failure.  Because of the entire breakdown of Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.3 on January 15th, MODA immediately instructed Chunghwa Telecom to activate the microwave backup system to ensure uninterrupted communication between Taiwan and Matsu. Additionally, the Ministry coordinated with subsea cable repair vessels to expedite the restoration of Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2 and Cable No.3.

According to the Ministry, the National Communications and Cyber Security Center (NCCSC) received a report from Chunghwa Telecom indicating that at 12:49 PM on February 16th, the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2, located off the coast of New Taipei City, experienced a complete disconnection. To maintain stable communications in the Matsu region, MODA directed Chunghwa Telecom to activate the microwave backup system, rerouting voice and internet services that were previously transmitted via the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2. The Ministry also requested that Chunghwa Telecom coordinate with a subsea cable repair vessel, which arrived in Kaohsiung on February 2nd, to begin repairing the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2 immediately after completing repairs on the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.3. Based on Chunghwa Telecom'sTelecom's estimates, repairs for the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.3 and Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2 are expected to be completed by the end of February and March, respectively, depending on sea conditions.

MODA further explained that the core wire aging issue of the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2  over the past few months. Chunghwa Telecom previously reported core wire fractures on October 3rd, 2023, and January 22nd, 2024. However, the remaining operational core wires were sufficient to maintain communication between Taiwan and Matsu. After the complete disconnection of the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.2, the Ministry immediately required Chunghwa Telecom to implement emergency backup measures under its Critical Infrastructure (CI) Security Protection Plan, ensuring the allocation of a sufficient microwave bandwidth of 12.6 Gbps—higher than Matsu'sMatsu's peak daily traffic of 9.5 Gbps— to prioritize communication services for government agencies, banks, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure. Residents can continue essential financial transactions such as ATM withdrawals, credit card payments, and online banking during the repair period.

Moreover, MODA has submitted a request for the Executive Yuan to designate the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable as Critical Infrastructure (CI). MODA will uphold the principle of "backup and backup" to strengthen communication resilience for outlying islands with plans to deploy asynchronous satellite stations at key government locations, subsidize telecom providers to expand microwave capacity and construct the Taiwan-Matsu Subsea Cable No.4. By implementing diverse and redundant communication backup mechanisms, MODA aims to enhance overall network stability and ensure uninterrupted government operations and public services.