Taiwan is exploring the use of Amazon's Kuiper satellite broadband service as a backup to its vulnerable undersea cables, which could be targeted by China. While Kuiper is not yet operational, this move highlights Taiwan's growing anxiety about internet connectivity disruptions.
That's an odd opinion given Kuiper is not currently operational, while two other space broadband outfits do offer service.
SpaceX's Starlink is one of them, but is not available in Taiwan – the space ISP won't agree to regulators' requirement that it operate through a company with majority local ownership. Elon Musk hasthat Starlink denies service serve Taiwan due to pressure from China or Russia – a theory advanced as Beijing has allowed his electric carmaker Tesla unusually favorable operating conditions.
Like most islands, Taiwan relies on submarine cables – and they're vulnerable to outages that can take weeks to fix. Taiwan has recent experience of just such isolation: in 2023 cables connecting outlying islands just 50km from China were Taiwan also fears China targeting the cables that connect it – a plausible scenario given the West relies on Taiwan for semiconductors and other high-tech products. Beijing knows that disrupting Taiwan's internet would almost certainly hurt its economy and, by extension, pose a problem for its trading partners.It's unclear if the extent of service Kuiper offers during 2025 will meet Taiwan's needs, or indeed if a deal has been done.
If a relationship is formed, it will be interesting to see how Beijing reacts – and also if it can land significant blows. Amazon.com's Chinese presence is modest, and Amazon Web Services maintains just two regions – both of which are operated by a local partner as required by Chinese law. ®Amazon accused of cheating low-income Prime users out of two-day deliveries
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