Alex Chien, Executive Vice President of Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom, signs a deal with Eutelsat in London. Photo: Eutelsat

Taiwan’s largest telecommunications company signed an exclusive distribution partner agreement with Eutelsat OneWeb for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services. Eutelsat announced the multi-million-dollar deal with Chunghwa Telecom on Wednesday. 

Chunghwa will integrate Eutelsat OneWeb services as backup for terrestrial fixed and mobile networks, submarine cables and microwave communication services, which it provides for government and business customers. The telco also plans to establish a satellite service terminal testing center in Taiwan with Eutelsat OneWeb and collaborate across government and research institutions and industry to promote its domestic satellite industry. 

Taiwan has been independent since 1950, but China claims sovereignty over the island. Tensions between the two have increased in recent months, according to The Washington Post. Earlier this year, Taiwan suspected China of cutting its undersea internet cable. 

“Taiwan is an island and relies heavily on submarine cables for external connectivity, with satellites serving as a secondary option. Therefore, satellite services are essential communication tools for the Taiwanese government and businesses,” commented Alex Chien, executive vice president of Chunghwa Telecom. “By integrating Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO satellite service with our Geostationary Orbit satellite service, Chunghwa Telecom takes the first step towards establishing a multi orbit satellite service portfolio.”