Taiwan activates first substation-integrated disaster-resilient base station

Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has activated the nation’s first high-resilience base station integrated with a Taipower substation in Taibao City, Chiayi County. Completed in June, the facility is designed to mitigate communication disruptions caused by typhoons and natural disasters by addressing the primary causes of failure: power outages and fiber optic cable damage.

The station features three layers of resilience: stable power supply via the substation, secondary laser optical transmission routes provided by three telecommunications operators to prevent single-point network failures, and a structural design capable of withstanding level 15 typhoon winds. The facility has already successfully maintained operations during two recent typhoons.

Between 2023 and 2025, the Ministry has subsidized the construction or optimization of 93 high-resilience base stations, including those with 72-hour backup power. Additional measures include the deployment of mobile base station vehicles, portable generators, and 46 microwave system pairs to support mountainous and island regions. From 2026 to 2029, the Ministry plans to continue strengthening digital resilience in remote and high-risk areas through targeted infrastructure programs.